This is an interesting graph of my chess rating. The records only go back to 1991.
https://www.uschess.org/datapage/ratings_graph.php?memid=11080847I first crossed the 1800 rating mark in 1985. However, I was frustrated by my lack of progress until 1988, when I moved near Purdue University. There, I started playing regularly with the Purdue players and running many tournaments, which helped me to improve.
Around 1990, I reached my peak rating of 2079.
After moving to Utah in 1993, my rating dropped back to 1800. Part of that decline was due to the stress of starting a new job. Additionally, in the 1990s, there was a perception that Utah players were underrated. This was largely due to the state's relative isolation—traveling to out-of-state tournaments required significant effort, which meant there was less mixing of rating points between regions. I used to drive 420 miles each year to play in the National Open in Las Vegas, which I attended for 12 or 13 consecutive years.
The 1990s also saw deliberate rating deflation by the USCF, following concerns about rating inflation during the 1980s. The USCF aimed to bring its ratings more in line with international ratings, which were generally lower. However, the deflation was so unpopular that the USCF eventually revised its rating system.
Around the year 2000, I set a goal to raise my rating—possibly to master level—by memorizing 200 opening lines. I originally planned to accomplish this in 200 days, but it ended up taking about 400. Then I played in a five-round state championship, and all of my games went out of book by move 5. As a result, I shifted my focus to tactics training. I put a great deal of effort into improving my tactical skills, and my rating began to rise.
I crossed back over 2000 shortly before moving back to Indiana in 2015. In the years leading up to that move, I had several notable tournament results, including winning or tying the Senior Championship four times, winning the state G/60 Championship, and claiming the Expert trophy in the Class Championship.
