As all projects must eventually come to an end, so too does my learning project on chess. What began as a casual interest quickly grew into a deeper exploration of strategy, patience, and more than a few hard lessons about time management. In this final post, I want to reflect on my progress, the challenges I faced, the tools that helped me along the way, and where I hope to go next with my learning. (Spoiler: I can still beat my dad.)

A Recap of my learning project posts:

Learning Project – Post 1

• Introduction to my learning project
• My game plan

Learning Project – Post 2

• Learning openings and basics with GothamChess on YouTube
• My attempt at adapting the advice

Learning Project – Post 3

• Learning how to defend against offbeat openings with chess.com puzzles
• The English Opening

Learning Project – Post 4

• Learning to counter the fried liver attack with a trap on TikTok
• My failed attempt

Learning Project – Post 5

• Practicing middle/end game with CT-ART 4.0 puzzles

Learning Project – Post 6

• Using Aimchess to determine my weaknesses
• The Scandinavian Defence

Assessment:

At first, I thought my chess.com rating would be the perfect metric for measuring my progress. That idea held up… until my rating dropped. Funny enough, this dip didn’t discourage me as much as it might have earlier in the project. Even though my score fell, I felt more confident in my decision-making and had a better grasp of tactical ideas. It wasn’t a step backward; it was just part of the process of trying new things and expanding my skill set.

To get a clearer picture of my growth, I started using Aimchess. It turned out to be a much more insightful tool. One of my favorite features is how it compares my opening play to my opponent’s. According to Aimchess, my average score gain from the opening is 0.7; 0.3 as white and 0.9 as black. That stat honestly surprised me. I’ve always felt shakier playing black, but apparently, my study sessions paid off more there than I expected. This highlights how much effort I put into understanding opening principles and adapting my game.

Reflections on Online Learning:

One of the biggest challenges I ran into was figuring out what to do next. Chess improvement is not a linear path, and without a coach or structured guide, I sometimes felt stuck. Discovering Aimchess late in the project was a bit of a letdown because I wish I’d had it sooner to steer me in the right direction earlier on.

Something I didn’t anticipate was how the randomness of chess affected my learning. You don’t get to choose whether you play as white or black, which complicated my ability to focus on specific strategies. Sometimes, I just wanted to test out a line I’d studied, but then my opponent would make a totally unexpected move that threw everything off. Those moments made it hard to stay motivated to carry out the games.

Another strange part of learning online: setting goals for yourself when you don’t know what “good progress” really looks like. I had to constantly adjust my own expectations without much of a benchmark, and that made things a bit foggy at times.

That said, I’ve found that I enjoy playing online much more than I do in person. Most online players move quickly, which keeps things interesting. The only drawback is the timer. I often felt rushed and unable to fully analyze my position before the clock punished me.

Final Thoughts:

All in all, I’ve definitely improved. My openings are smoother, and I no longer panic when I get paired as black. In fact, I kind of prefer it now. I still need to work on my middle and endgame, so continuing with puzzles will be my next step. And while Aimchess seems to think my time management hasn’t improved, I respectfully disagree. I feel more in control and less panicked than when I started. That, to me, is progress. Most importantly, I can still beat my dad.