Keep playing

CS: Who are you, warrior?
AO: You don't shy away from the hard ones, do you?

I genuinely want to know.
My closest circle doesn't contain those who don't.

Would you mind cutting out the bullshit, sir?
OK, well… I believe I crave contemplation and problem-solving. I don't voluntarily read, watch, or listen to anything not sophisticated enough to provoke deep thinking. As for what I tend to do, it should ideally require a reasonable amount of mental effort to produce the desired outcome. I also like to find out how things work. Combined, it might well be a broader definition of a geek. You can call me whatever you want, though.

Are you proud of who you think you are?
Not my style, no. Especially given that I didn't quite choose to be this way.

Who did choose it for you?
It is a "what." And the answer is chess. While I've been mastering the game, it's been shaping me. When you get serious about chess, you gradually become an industrious student, a diligent researcher, a vigorous problem-solver, and a tough fighter – all in one person. You have a little choice, for that is how you grow as a player. And to play a single game is to make dozens of intellectually backed decisions since almost every move requires one. Each game allows you to solve dozens of puzzles in a tense atmosphere of struggle to outsmart your opponent.

What's the catch?
Your brain gets used to being busy calculating stuff most of the time. The absence of intellectual stimulation, breaks, and idling cause discomfort and may sometimes feel unbearable. And that's not right, for we know breaks are vital. If you strongly disagree, well, good luck outwiting the evolution.

In extreme cases, chess players may become strange, to put it mildly. You know, looking through you, talking to themselves.
Also, writing down and publishing those talks. That's about right.

You went far, didn't you?
I dreamed of a bit further, as did the people who introduced me to the game and supported me throughout my journey – I was fortunate to have them in my life. Anyway, the International Master (IM) is my highest title to date, one title short of the highest possible – the Grandmaster (GM). I became an IM in 2007 – I was 18 back then.

What happened? Did you quit?
Oh, you can't quit chess, didn't I mention? That's another catch, by the way. No. Higher education happened, and I have been a part of the family business for quite some time. I've put chess on hold. After a while, though, I realized I couldn't function without it. However, reintegrating regular participation in tournaments into my life was no longer an option. So, I decided to engage with my favorite game differently – as a teacher. Emotionally, sharing my knowledge and experience and explaining things appeared deeply rewarding. I love it. Still do it.

Why programming?
I've been making decent money back in my homeland. After emigrating came the realization that I couldn't sustain the way I did it there. I had to switch careers. I considered programming. For one, it has been my passion since the first computer science lessons at school – they happened in my fifth grade, if memory serves. Various computer books for dummies have grabbed a lot of space on my desk ever since. Even then, while being a kid coding trivialities, I noticed similarities to chess in approach and thinking process. When the time came, I thought giving my lifelong hobby a chance to become my profession would be a logical move. And it was.

So, no regrets then?
None.

What are your goals?
Let us consider some chess stats for a moment. My ranking is such that only roughly 2000 human players worldwide are formally stronger than me. This number alone doesn't say anything – we need the total number of players to evaluate it. According to various estimates, there are hundreds of millions (from 300 to 900) of chess players globally. It's too big of a stretch for my taste. Let's narrow it down to those with an official standard rating: we get roughly 400000 registered and easily trackable players. We can do simple math now to evaluate my chess level. What if I reach approximately the same level as a programmer? It would not be bad at all.

That sounds like a long game.
It is. I have several app ideas; implementing at least one would be nice. That should make a shorter game. I want to refresh physics and math. At some point, I should get back to writing – another passion of mine.

It feels like the latter is manifesting itself.
You bet.

Right. Fancy a thought experiment?
What do you have?

The Flood is coming again. You can preserve just one item per category.
Wait a second, shouldn't they go in pairs?

No worries, Noah is taking care of paired stuff.
Alright then.

The first category is musical records. Which one will make it to the ark?
Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd.

Film?
A Beautiful Mind by Ron Howard.

Book?
A fully-stuffed-maximum-memory Kindle. The book with books.

That's cheating!
Preserving just one book is laughable.

Laughable or not – this is the rule, and you are breaking it.
Well, the rules should make total sense to be unbreakable. On that note, I would preserve the Sam Harris Making Sense Podcast.

OK. Operating system?
Linux.

An episode from the TV show?
White Christmas (Black Mirror).

You are a bookworm, aren't you?
Neither confirm nor deny.

For those who somehow made it to this line and want to contact you – how?
If DRY means anything, it's on the front page – a little quest for the good people.

Wrapping up. Any message for the future Curious Self to evaluate?
Keep playing. If the meaning doesn't reveal itself in the process – keep playing. If it does – keep playing.