Hey everyone, welcome to Jack's Chess Blog. My name is Jack Mallers and I am a 17 year old chess player from Evanston, Illinois. I am a junior at Evanston Township High School and have a huge blended family with 4 brothers and 2 sisters.
My chess journey started in elementary school. From kindergarten to 3rd grade, I was at the top of USCF's rating lists for my age, and had a state title under my belt.
For many reasons, in 4th grade I drifted away from chess to play baseball, football, and basketball. I did very well in these sports and loved them. I was centerfielder/lead-off hitter for almost every baseball team I played for. I was the starting quarterback and linebacker for Evanston's Jr. Wildkit football program. I also played in Evanston's basketball league, FAAM, where I was drafted by the Celtics, and was the 2nd best 3-point shooter in the league my 8th grade year.
When I got to high school I eventually dropped football but still played on the school's basketball
and baseball teams. I coached my old elementary school's flag football team with my dad. In my sophomore year I was a starter/sixth-man on the basketball team when I suffered from 2 concussions and a fractured fibula. These injuries put me out for the rest of the season.
For the first time in my life, I was so unbelievably bored. One day, while hanging around playing countless hours of Xbox with my good friend Tony, I mentioned that I had previously been quite the chess player. Of course he didn't believe me, because he knew me only as the sports fanatic. He asked if I still remembered how the pieces move, and the challenge was irresistible. I hadn't touched a chess piece since 3rd grade.
I dug out my old chess board and re-learned the moves. And since chess is the great game it is, I got addicted once again. Really addicted. I played chess non-stop, learning openings and playing at any opportunity. I even got some of my fellow basketball players to learn chess in their free time.
This was around March of 2010. Everything was coming back, like riding a bike. By May, I was ready to enter my first tournament, and I won second in the U1300 Chicago Open. In each tournament since, I have raised my rating at least 40 points, and now, a year later, I am truly making up for lost time. My rating is a little lower then my performance. I am currently a 1744, but have beaten National Masters in simuls, and experts on a regular basis. I am board one at my school; we tied for second in Illinois.
I play chess around 4 hrs a day, and I keep myself sharp by playing at the public Chess Pavilion in downtown Chicago. I'm planning on starting a chess club for kids at our local community center in Evanston this summer. I'm still amazed at being able to come back to the game, and all my friends, family, and fans have been wanting to track how I am doing. So I decided to keep everybody updated with a blog.
So I hope you enjoy my blog, and I will update you as much as possible with videos, tournament results, game reviews, and just general news besides chess. Thanks, everybody, and stay tuned.
