Top 99.7% percentile chess player teaching beginners how to improve immediately and easily navigate the big world of chess.

Find out more about Nayib

• When did you start practicing? How did this passion find you?

  I learned chess at seven, but my chess journey didn't start until 2020, at age 21. The difference? I didn't fall in love with the game until 2020, when I watched the Queen Gambit series and opened up the chess.com app to play a game. I was immediately hooked from then until now; everything in my life resembled chess; how I view problems at work and how I approached learning new skills all came back to chess somehow. I even spent nights dreaming about chess positions and playing games. What I loved most about chess was how much it helped me learn about myself.

• What is the most valuable advice you can give to help someone stay focused on creative projects?

  Look at the parts of chess that you find interesting and exciting. To stay consistent and focused, your studying needs to be split between what interests you and where your current shortcoming exists. Why? You won't stay focused if you don't do what excites you occasionally. However, motivation/excitement is fleeting, and sometimes, you just have to sit down and study when you aren't feeling it. That's okay; the motivation will come back eventually. It always has for me.

• Which artists or works affect you the most?

  When learning chess, you end up picking your favorite master by the type of play style you prefer. Personally, I love attacking chess, so the chess icon I admire is Mikail Tal. If you've heard of him, I recommend looking up his games and his life story. He is fascinating on and off the chessboard.

• What are the qualities and skills required to succeed in this area?

  The #1 skill you need to succeed at chess is the ability to accept your shortcomings, examine them analytically, and consistently practice fixing them. You are 100% responsible for the results of what happens on the chessboard, as it is not a game of chance. Many people don't like to sit down and look at their failures for hours on end, but you have to in chess.

• How would you describe your passion; how does it make you feel?

  Chess is a pattern recognition, experience, memory, and self-reflection game. There is no activity that makes you feel so consumed in thought for hours on end, which is perhaps why some chess players go crazy. However, it's a wonderful escape from the daily grind of life to sit down and try to solve chess positions, bond with others over a chess game, and feel proud of your own improvement.

• What creative achievements are you particularly proud of?

  I've achieved a rating that puts me in the top 0.3% of chess players, and that does sound like a cool achievement. However, I'm even prouder of my persistence in getting better at chess. There have been countless times I wanted to quit from frustration but persisted. Before chess came into my life, I was less disciplined; that is no longer the case.

• Have you ever been surprised by a student, by their ability or quick progression?

  The proudest I ever get with students is when they show resilience. When they get knocked down, accept it, dust themselves off, and get back to studying and playing. They say chess is one of the most psychologically difficult things to do in life. Chess can be very demoralizing, and the journey to the top is long and difficult but extremely rewarding. When I see a student persist, nothing makes me prouder or happier.

• Being a Superprof is an art! What is your secret?

  Being good at chess and teaching are two different skills completely. The secret to being a Superprof is being strong in both skills. When teaching chess to beginners and intermediate players, you need to keep the topic excI learned chess at seven, but my chess journey didn't start until 2020, at age 21. The difference? I didn't fall in love with the game until 2020, when I watched the Queen Gambit series and opened up the chess.com app to play a game. I was immediately hooked from then until now; everything in my life resembled chess; how I view problems at work and how I approached learning new skills all came back to chess somehow. I even spent nights dreaming about chess positions and playing games. What I loved most about chess was how much it helped me learn about myself.