For most of my life, I hid the fact that I was an International Chess Master.

Not from the chess world… but from everyone else.

Friends. Colleagues. Even people I dated.

Growing up, chess wasn’t exactly the cool thing to do. It came with stereotypes, teasing, and the assumption that if you played seriously, you must be a bit of a dork. So for years, I kept it quiet and played it down.

Ironically, inside the chess world I didn’t feel impressive either. When you’re surrounded by Grandmasters and elite players, it’s easy to feel like you’re just… average.

Yet statistically, the reality is very different.

In this personal interlude, I talk about the strange journey of hiding something that was actually one of my greatest strengths, the cultural shift that changed how people see chess, and why I’ve finally learned to embrace it.

Sometimes the thing you spend years trying to hide… ends up becoming the most powerful part of your story.