Disclaimer

The following contains mild traces of self-pity, regret, caffeine withdrawal, and the occasional burst of chess-related melodrama. No boards were flipped in the making of this post. All views are entirely my own, occasionally supported by logic, coffee, and deep sighs. Please read responsibly.

So: the title norm climb for my correspondence chess SIM is still on, yet here I am, fresh off inadvertently lobotomising a game with a single move. Yes. I managed it — exquisitely timed, there was zero drama, just a quiet, majestic collapse. Felt rather like I took a leisurely stroll … off a cliff.

A day after I posted my last cheerful update, I “casually” decided to make my hill harder to climb by losing in a well-known theoretical position. I mixed up moves, or maybe confused them — the result is the same: I handed a win to my opponent.

The hill? That was yesterday. Today: it’s the Himalayas. The Alps looked friendly; now they’re just rubber ducks comparing themselves to Everest.

It took me a couple of days to calm down. My wife kept a cautious distance, not so much worried, more in case I engaged in unsolicited commentary about “that one move” at all hours of the day. I sympathise with her — I’d keep a distance from me, too.

So: I still need a +2 score (two wins) to get that norm. But with this loss now behind me, the arithmetic insists I somehow pull off three wins. Yep — three wins from the black hole I just dug.

Lovely.

In the immediate aftermath I did something very surprising for me: absolutely nothing to do with my 28 games currently in progress. That’s right — 28. (I thought you’d enjoy the reminder.) Instead, I’ve set myself to holiday mode on the ICCF server for the next ten days.

Just to be clear — I’m not actually on holiday somewhere sunny with a cocktail in hand. “Holiday mode” in ICCF simply means I’ve frozen all my games and can’t make any moves.

It’s a digital time-out: a short break from correspondence chess without risking any losses on time. And frankly, I need it. No openings, no analysis engines, no 3 a.m. calculations. Just peace, perspective, and probably more caffeine than the NHS would endorse.

What else can I say? Going back after the week/10days off will be a grim affair. The mountain awaits, and I’ll be hauling myself up with a rope made of hope and maybe espresso. It won’t be easy. I won’t pretend it will be. But I’ll pretend I’m ready.

On a Serious Note

This week, the chess world lost one of its brightest voices: Grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky has died at just 29 years old. The cause has not been publicly disclosed, and his family has asked for privacy during this time (Associated Press, 2025).

Naroditsky was a talented player, commentator, and streamer whose teaching style and gentle humour earned him fans worldwide. In recent years, however, he was drawn into public controversy when former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik accused several players — including Naroditsky — of online cheating, presenting his own “data analysis” to back it up (Guardian, 2025).

Following Naroditsky’s death, FIDE has now reportedly opened an investigation into Kramnik’s conduct and the broader issue of harassment and false accusations in online chess (Sky News, 2025).

For someone like me — a small light in the correspondence chess community — it’s a sobering reminder that the game isn’t just pieces and moves.

Behind every board, every analysis, every title chase, there’s a person. Let’s hope this tragedy makes that truth resonate more loudly.

So, time for the rest mode. The mountain doesn’t go away. But maybe it looks slightly less forbidding after a bit of fresh air (and ten days of blissful silence from the ICCF notification system).

References

Associated Press (2025) ‘Chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky dies aged 29’, AP News, 22 October. Available at: https://apnews.com/article/755ccf6ebc0b6c69d1bd9fa5d8c81516 (Accessed: 23 October 2025).

Guardian (2025) ‘FIDE to investigate Kramnik’s online cheating accusations following Naroditsky’s death’, The Guardian, 22 October. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/oct/22/naroditsky-kramnik-fide-investigation-online-chess-death (Accessed: 23 October 2025).

Sky News (2025) ‘Vladimir Kramnik faces disciplinary action after death of chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky’, Sky News, 22 October. Available at: https://news.sky.com/story/former-world-champion-vladimir-kramnik-facing-disciplinary-action-after-sudden-death-of-chess-grandmaster-daniel-naroditsky-13455559 (Accessed: 23 October 2025).