If there is one simple quote I have gotten from more than a decade of locating good moves on the chess board is Keep Fighting. It is just two simple words, but trust me, it becomes way harder to stay true to them when the going gets tough. Battling through a series of challenges and not having what to do can be the hardest time to stick by this mantra: Keep Fighting.
During my early days of learning the game of chess, I felt that once I could master the movement of all the pieces, I would be better off at beating most of my friends and classmates. Yeah, at some point I got to do that, but soon enough I realized there is more to what meets the eye when it comes to chess. There are more concepts of the game to be studied, like opening, middlegames, and endgames. In fact, that is not all. Some external psychological factors come with the game, like having a winning mindset before the game, keeping calm when things are not going well on the board, and even the art of fighting when the position looks bad.
I even remember a tournament I played way back in 2021, where I lost the first game badly. You know something where you lose in grand style or in flying colors. Everything I played seemed bad or was wrong, and my opponent just kept capitalizing on it nonstop until he finally got the win. This loss was good enough to lose my morale to continue with the event. It felt bad more because I tried to put up a fight, but something along the line did not just work out for me. During the break before the next round, I told myself the truth. Why am I feeling bad for one loss when there are still more games to go? I just lost a fight, but the battle is not over.
The event continued, and I knew deep down within me I had to put up a fight. I did not stop, and I played every game with the fighting instinct in me. Losing the first game felt like a process that has led me to this point. Fortunately for me, I went on to win all my remaining games despite losing the opening game of the event. That was how I claimed the trophy for the Hopkins Chess Championship. My first open tournament trophy.
I can go on and on about chess stories like this one, mine and other people's stories included. But one thing I have come to realize is that nothing good ever comes easy. It requires consistent fighting just to claim it, and together when you break down from a hurdle encountered. Keep fighting has more to do with life than it has to do with chess. It is mainly about your response to challenges and defeat when it comes knocking at your door. Do you face it head-on or run from it? This decision alone will tell how victorious the story will end.
And just like chess, life will hit you hard more than you expect it will or more than you expect. Your perseverance and determination will say a lot about how you come out on the other side. Just like gold has to go through burning lava before being transformed into a finished product one can wear for beautification, that's how life will teach its lessons.
I am 
♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟
Thanks For Reading!
