This has become my favorite post to write every year.
For the last two years, I’ve shared this on Reddit, and it crossed 500k+ views, becoming one of my most upvoted posts. So here we go again.
For those who don’t have time to read the full blog:
👉 Total spending: ₹9,50,000 INR (~$10,565 USD)
Disclaimer
- All expenses were tracked in Indian Rupees
- USD values are approximate (±3–5%)
- Conversion used: 1 USD ≈ ₹90 INR (at the time of writing)
- Tournament and coaching expenses vary greatly by country and player
- Some may feel this amount is huge, others may feel it’s low
Suggestions and feedback are always welcome.
♟️ Tournament Expenses
1️⃣ Graz Open & Cannes Open
₹1,50,000 INR / $1,670 USD
I played these events with zero expectations.
After being desperate for titles in the past, this time I just wanted to play and enjoy.
Cannes deserves a special mention—the venue was stunning, and I absolutely loved the city vibes.
2️⃣ Budapest Closed GM Tournaments
₹2,10,000 INR / $2,335 USD
Hands down my best events of the year.
- Gained 65 rating points
- Reached 2395 live rating
- Took a huge step toward completing my IM title
After struggling with the IM norms for 5–6 years, this tournament brought hope and momentum.
3️⃣ Abu Dhabi Masters & Fujairah Masters
1,45,000 INR / 1600 USD
Both are extremely strong open tournaments with:
- +2300 and +2200 cut-offs
I gained valuable experience playing 2300+ players, often as the higher-rated side—something that really helped my confidence and practical understanding.
4️⃣ White Horse Closed GM Tournament
1,40,000 INR / 1550 USD
Played in October 2025 with very low expectations.
Surprisingly:
- Gained 16 rating points (K=10)
- Defeated the strongest-rated opponent of my career
- Gave me genuine hope about a future GM norm
5️⃣ Rilton Cup 2025–26
1,35,000 INR / 1500 USD
This was my third time playing the Rilton Cup.
Stockholm is a beautiful city, and for some reason, I always feel great vibes playing chess in Sweden.
⚡ Rapid & Blitz Tournaments
I played around 10–12 rapid events this year.
Thanks to my IM title:
- Free entry in most events
- Sometimes even free accommodation
I don’t have exact numbers, but total spending here was roughly ₹40,000 INR.
📚 Study Material & Resources
Some materials were for my own improvement, others I bought to test before recommending to students.
ChessBase Package
₹12,000 INR / $132 USD
- Mega Database 2026
- ChessBase Magazine
- ChessBase 17 Program
Thanks to CB India for the discounted pricing.
Books & Chessable Courses
₹31,200 INR / $345 USD
Books I bought this year include:
- Learn from the Legends – Mihail Marin
- The Woodpecker Method 2: Positional Play
- The Secret Ingredient – Jan Markos & David Navara
- Powerhouse Pawn Sacrifices
- Associative Thinking
- Sharp Endgames
- 1000 Chess Problems – Yakov Vladimirov
Chessable Courses:
- Calculate Like a Beast: The Moranda Method
- The Woodpecker Method 2 (Chessable version)
Modern Chess Courses
I also purchased several opening, middlegame, and endgame courses from Modern Chess.
🎓 Chess Coaching
I had the opportunity to train under GM Vishnu Prasanna.
- Attended two training camps (February & July)
- Cost includes airfare, coaching fees, stay, and food
This was one of the most valuable investments of the year.
💼 How Do I Manage These Expenses?
1️⃣ Affiliate Programs
I’m part of affiliate programs for platforms like:
- Modern Chess
- ChessMood
- Chessify
I share discount codes on my website—users get a discount, and I earn a small commission.
2️⃣ Individual Chess Coaching
- Around 12–16 students at a time
- Online individual classes
- After becoming an IM, I started charging $35–45/hour
Due to blog reach and student results, I received far more inquiries than I could accept.
I coach only when I’m home and pause during tournament periods.
3️⃣ Group Classes & Camps
This year, I experimented with:
- Group classes for 1700+ players
- 2–3 camps for 1700–1900 rated players
They worked well, but managing everything as a freelancer—especially while traveling for tournaments—is extremely challenging.
4️⃣ My Own Products
A small portion of revenue comes from my own chess products.
- Added one course this year
- Planning to release 3–4 new courses next year
5️⃣ Tournament Winnings
Honestly, this was very low.
I didn’t play any classical tournament where I had a real chance at a big prize.
Total winnings:
₹1,60,000 INR / ~$1,800 USD
❓ Is It Worth It?
YES. 100%.
I finally completed my IM title, which is the biggest achievement of my chess career so far.
The relief and satisfaction I felt after completing the title is hard to describe.
I’m not going all-in for the GM title, but I will definitely play a few strong tournaments in 2026.
I am writing this since last 2 years. You can read previous posts from here