I set down at my computer one night in Ohio two years ago to start a blog called Off My Chess where I had intended to spend a little bit of time documenting my efforts to improve at chess. Since then, the website transitioned to a new server, then changed names, and has continued to roar along supporting the spread of chess to local, national, and international audiences. Since its inception, Campfire Chess has hosted audiences from 20 different countries including war-torn Iraq and Afghanistan. I have profiled several great players, analyzed countless games, and published several digital magazines under the Campfire and OMC names.

stargate

Time to do some fishing… (Credit: Stargate SG-1/MGM)

Now, two years later, instead of looking deep into the future at what lies ahead, I want to take some time to reflect on where Campfire Chess is at this very moment. Is it where I had intended? Considering that the blog itself was never intended to be more than a personal record of my chess journey, I think that things are going much better than I had anticipated when I began.

With that in mind, I have decided to take a sabbatical from chess writing and focus on my studies for the month of May. I will be back in June to resume writing, but now it is time to celebrate the two-year milestone with some much needed rest and relaxation.

Until then…peace, w.s.