Hi everyone, I am IM Nikhil Dixit, a 27-year-old chess player from India. This is the first blog post in what I hope will become a long and memorable Road to Grandmaster series. I have been thinking seriously about pursuing the Grandmaster title ever since I became an International Master about a year ago. Today, I have finally decided to commit to that goal publicly. Why Am I Starting This Journey? There are several reasons. 1. Personal Challenge I have vision in only one eye and cannot see from the other. One of the benefits of chess is that it does not require excessive physical activity, although modern chess does involve a lot of screen time. While screen time itself may not significantly affect eye health, it does add extra strain, so managing that balance is important for me. 2. The Grandmaster Title Could Change My Life Ever since becoming an IM, I have been thinking about what it would take to become a Grandmaster. Achieving the GM title would be a major milestone and could completely change the trajectory of my chess career and personal life. 3. The Satisfaction of Competition I enjoy coaching and it pays much better than playing tournaments. However, the feeling of winning an important game, performing well in a tournament, or achieving a major chess goal is something money cannot replace. The sense of achievement is simply on another level. Challenges Self-Motivation The biggest challenge is maintaining motivation over a long period of time. Studying chess for several hours every day sounds exciting in theory, but consistency is difficult. As an adult, there are many other responsibilities, distractions, and stresses competing for attention. Financial Challenges I currently do not have any sponsorship support. Managing tournament expenses will be one of the biggest practical obstacles. If any chess company is interested in supporting my journey, I would be happy to discuss sponsorship opportunities. Through this blog series and future content, I can promote products, services, and brands while representing them at tournaments. Improving My Chess Strength Fortunately, this is the challenge that feels most solvable. I believe I still have significant room for improvement, and with structured work and consistency, I can continue climbing toward GM level. Chess Work Plan One piece of advice from my mentor has always stayed with me: You can reach almost any level in chess if you consistently spend 2-3 focused hours every day thinking deeply about the game. At the moment, I feel that my openings are significantly weaker than the rest of my game. My middlegame understanding is probably stronger relative to my current rating. My current training plan includes: Improving my opening repertoire 1- Calculation training 2- Middlegame study 3- Practical endgame work 4- Playing 10 classical tournaments per year 5- Building a meditation habit 6- Improving my physical fitness Current Schedule At present, I work as a chess coach and also create content online. I currently have 13 students, which effectively makes coaching a part-time job. Most of my classes are on weekdays, leaving me with free mornings for my own training. My goal is to keep my coaching workload around 60-75 hours per month and maintain approximately 10-12 students. This should allow me to continue earning while also dedicating enough time to my own chess development. Naturally, coaching hours will decrease whenever I am traveling and playing tournaments. Goals Many people say you should not publicly announce your goals. I do not really care. My goal is to become a Grandmaster before my Schengen visa expires, which means achieving the title by early 2030, roughly 3.5 years from now. If everything goes exceptionally well, I believe it may even be possible within 2-2.5 years. For now, my first objective is much simpler: 1- Play 10 tournaments over the next 12-14 months 2- Build a consistent study routine 3- Stay disciplined and avoid burnout For the next few months, my primary focus is consistency rather than intensity. I want to spend time doing the chess work that I genuinely enjoy so that the habit becomes sustainable. Financial Reality Unfortunately, there are very few tournaments in India where earning GM norms is realistic. Because of that, I will likely need to play many events abroad. Based on current costs, my estimated annual expenses are: Tournament Expenses ₹12,00,000 - ₹16,00,000 ($12,000-$16,000) Coaching I do not currently work with a coach, but if I decide to hire one, I estimate the cost will be around $75 per session, translating to approximately $4,000-$5,000 per year. Other Expenses Books, courses, engines, software, laptop upgrades, and miscellaneous costs: Approximately $1,000 per year. Total Annual Cost Approximately $15,000-$20,000 per year. Over the next three years, the total investment required could be around $50,000. Patreon and Future Updates I am planning to launch a Patreon page soon. At the moment, I am considering three membership tiers: $5/month $15/month $50/month The goal is not to fully fund the journey but to help cover some of the costs associated with coaching, training materials, tournament travel, and other chess-related expenses. I am still deciding how often I should post updates. Perhaps monthly or bimonthly updates would make the most sense, but I would love to hear your thoughts. Thank you for reading and for following along on this journey.