I wasn’t supposed to be a chess player. I wasn’t supposed to be much of anything, really.
I’m Leo—fifteen, half-British, half-Spanish, full-time escape artist. I live in a third-floor flat in Valencia where the walls are too thin, the air’s always too loud, and there’s never enough hot water. Mum’s from London. Dad’s from here. They both shout a lot, mostly in different languages. It’s kind of impressive, if you think about it—how two people who don’t understand each other can still argue so effectively.
School isn’t much better. I don’t exactly fit the Spanish lad stereotype. I don’t play football. I don’t have a gang of mates to hang around the plaza with. I’m quiet. Too quiet. Some teachers think I’m lazy. Others think I’m a genius. Neither are right. I’m just… tired. And trying to figure things out without making a big deal about it.
The only place that makes sense is the corner café with the broken ceiling fan and a chessboard that’s older than my parents’ marriage. That’s where I met Don Emilio—retired, smells like pipe smoke, looks like he’s been carved out of a dusty book. He plays chess every day like it’s a religion. I started watching him when I was nine. He started ignoring me immediately. We got on brilliantly.
Eventually, he started talking—about pawns, knights, tempo, prophylaxis (yeah, I laughed too). He taught me more about control and consequence than any adult ever has. Not just in chess. In life. He never said that bit out loud, but it’s true.
So yeah, that’s how I found chess.
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You might be wondering why a kid like me’s writing a blog instead of, I don’t know, kicking balls or filming TikToks.
It’s simple: I found something that works—chess—and I need somewhere to put all the thoughts it stirs up. Somewhere that isn’t my boiling hot bedroom with the flickering lightbulb. Somewhere quieter than my house and less hostile than my school. Somewhere mine.
And then there’s Swiss Perfect. Sounds like a chocolate brand, right? It’s actually this old-school piece of tournament software. It looks like it was made before the internet, but it runs chess events smoother than most humans I know. It fascinated me. Still does. It takes chaos—dozens of players, rounds, scores, tiebreaks—and makes something clean and logical. Like magic. Like order. Like the opposite of my life.
I wanted to understand it. So I did. And now I use it. And now I write about it. And now you’re here.
This isn’t some polished coaching site or “10 Ways to Win at Chess” blog. I’m not trying to sell you an opening repertoire or convert you into a grandmaster overnight. I’m just trying to tell the story of a teenager figuring things out through 64 squares.
Whether you’re here for the chess, the chaos, or just because you accidentally clicked something while looking for Swiss chocolate… welcome.
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