Becoming an FM with Just 1 Hour of Daily Training

In 2017, he hit an elo of 2264.

The momentum was there. The FM title, which comes after reaching 2300 elo, felt like a matter of time.
But years passed. And nothing changed.

His rating hovered around 2200. No breakthrough.

“It was a bit frustrating. But I thought this is where I belong. I identified as a 2200 player,” says Sandro Safar, a chess coach and a master's student in computer science.

Then it got even worse…his rating dropped into the 2100s.

“Some people said, ‘You don’t have the touch. You’re not going to reach FM.’”

“While browsing YouTube, I saw the first lesson from the Daily Lesson with a GM series and loved it!

Was all the content this good, or had I just stumbled upon a golden gem?

I started reading the blog, even though I’m not usually into blogs. I completely identified with many things there.
There’s a separate section called Psychology and Mental Toughness. I read almost everything there and loved every single article.

I realized ChessMood had to be my next step. It was a turning point in my career when I started to believe I could reach the next level.”

So in 2022, a few months after the discovery, he joined our global community of thousands of students.

However, as a chess coach and a university student with many interests, he had a busy schedule.

“For me, consistency matters more than the amount of work.”

Sandro’s training routine was simple:

• 30 minutes of focused study (openings, endgames, etc.)
• 5 puzzles to warm up
• 1 Rapid game, followed by analysis

Each day, he focussed on one topic:

Monday: White openings
Tuesday: Black openings
Wednesday: Rest day
Thursday: Endgames
Friday: Blog day (ChessMood, GM Noel Studer)
Saturday: Classical commented middlegames

Sandro kept building his game, one small step at a time.

“Blunderproof, Saving Lost Positions, and the Endgame Roadmap were game-changers for me. I even recommend my students check them out (under the Rating Booster section). There are tons of golden nuggets in there.”

On the dedicated blog day, Sandro often discovered new perspectives. One day, he found a powerful idea in an interview with Kobe Bryant.

“One message stuck with me: ‘On the court, I’m the Black Mamba. Don’t touch me, don’t look at me. I’m in the zone. Off the court, I’m Kobe Bryant, my grandma’s grandson.’

Like the Black Mamba, I’m LionChess on the board. The lion isn’t the fastest or the biggest, but it’s the king of the jungle. Over the board, I play with my best strength. Off the board, I’m Sandro.”

He even started to use the new identity on his social profile.

“Before, I used to think a stronger opponent would objectively beat me. So I’d just try to hold on.
Now, I sit across from anyone, and I play my best game.”

With a fearless mindset and improved strength, Sandro slowly regained his lost elo.

By October 2024, he reached 2242 elo.

Another impressive tournament pushed him to 2262.

But there was more to come!

At the event, Sandro’s starting rank was over 250th in a field of nearly 400 players.

But he wasn’t afraid of higher-rated opponents. And his performance proved that.

He drew against four GMs and defeated two IMs!

His brilliant run at the European Individual Championship

With that, Sandro achieved his first IM norm and raised 50 elo at the tournament!

And most importantly, it helped him cross 2300 elo. Finally!

“Yeeeeesssss!” roared Sandro as he saw the official confirmation.

Wishes started pouring in from his friends and clubmates.

He shared the news with his family—the ones who had believed in him from day one, who drove him to tournaments, and who supported him when he didn’t believe in himself.

His biggest supporters | Photo: Sandro

“That day, with my family, we opened a new bottle of champagne.”

***

Cover picture credit: Dr. ML.
You can send your wishes and messages to Sandro under this forum thread.