My name is Bryan Castro. I have been a chess player since the age of 7, when my father first taught me the moves of the game. I began competitive chess at age 22, which opened a new world as I was exposed to some of the best players in the United States and eventually with the internet, the best players in the world. Now at age 36, I hope to continue on my journey through the world of chess and my own development as a chess player.
I have made several serious attempts at trying to become a chess master, with life, lack of discipline, and lack of persistence usually stopping me. Through my children's curiosity, I re-entered the competitive world of chess. Also, I have recently taken the time limit off of my search for chess mastery. Instead, I am resolved to learn the game of chess, enjoy playing it with my children and friends, and perhaps one day join that elusive club of chess masters.
In this blog, I'm going to share my training, games, and thoughts about chess. As of this writing (June 21, 2011) my USCF rating is 1761, and I'll be using this as a measuring stick for my future progress, although I may also include my ICC standard rating - I'm backrankbrawler on ICC - for my own progress monitoring as I play more online than I do live.
I've changed the focus of this blog slightly since I started it. I have moved my day-to-day training journal onto another site (www.chessvideos.tv). This way I could focus on game and position analysis as well as training articles you might find interesting.
Enjoy!
