How an 18-year-old went from 1900 to 2400 to become an International Master
When Nikhil Dixit started his chess journey, he used to play in a lot of tournaments in Pune. He would often see many 2200–2300 rated players, who are now his friends. At that time, as a young kid, he used to feel that one day he had to reach 2200, and that felt like the best-case scenario for him. It was his biggest dream back in 2009 or 2010. He got his initial rating of 1787, and it quickly jumped to 1850. It was a good boost, but he didn't think he was that strong at the time. It took him a long time to cross the 2000 barrier, and in this article, he is going to discuss his journey from 1900 to 2400, hoping that some points can benefit other players. Photo: IA Vivek Sohani
The make-or-break years
In 2016, I was already 18 years old with a rating of 1919, and I decided to give chess one last shot. Otherwise, I was planning to go all in with CA or some other commerce-based education field. I decided to play the IIFL Chess Tournament and the Sangli Chess Tournament. I set a goal for myself: if I didn’t reach 2100, I would quit chess and focus completely on my studies.
You know what? I reached exactly 2101! I never went back to the 2000–2100 rating range after that. Reaching 2100 was an unreal moment for me. It felt like God wanted me to pursue chess.
After that, I decided to give one or two more years to chess, with the aim of completing the CM or FM title and potentially the IM title. At that time, I genuinely thought IM was possible. In January 2018, at the Chennai Open, I made my first IM norm. In 2019, I made two more IM norms. I thought it was just 30–40 more rating points and I would become an IM. Then COVID came, and every dream was shattered. I was confident that COVID would disappear in six months, but it took nearly 2.5 years before tournaments properly resumed.
In the early stages of COVID, I was practicing chess seriously since I had no other plans. But slowly, I realized that I wasn’t going to play any tournaments anytime soon. I shifted my focus toward learning SEO and writing. I did almost no chess practice for two years, and the result was obvious—I lost nearly 100 rating points and dropped to around 2240, which was the lowest rating I had seen in three to four years.
Later, I went back to the 2350 range, and after the 2023 Abu Dhabi and Qatar Masters, I realized that I had become a very strong player and that the title was achievable.
I was very confident about becoming an IM, but then I lost rating points again at the Rilton Cup. That’s where the real struggle started. I was depressed and sad for almost a year, constantly thinking only about the title. After one year, I consciously stopped thinking about the title and guess what? I became an IM within the next six months.
This is my story. Now, let’s discuss some resources and important aspects of chess.
Resources
I will divide this section into three parts: openings, middlegame, and endgame.
Openings
Openings are something I didn’t focus on enough and probably should have focused on more during my journey. Since I didn’t have a regular chess coach, I always underestimated the importance of openings. Toward the end of 2022, I started reworking my openings and began playing more main lines, which helped me a lot. Some resources that helped me:
Modern Chess courses
I bought essential chess courses from Modern Chess. They are quite in-depth and genuinely useful. Not all authors are great, but I highly recommend courses by Ivan Cheparinov, Pavel Eljanov, Ioannis Papaioannou, and some of Alexey Dreev’s courses.
Chessable courses
I referred to some Lifetime Repertoires on Chessable. These courses contain a lot of information, so one must be very clear about what they actually want to learn and be willing to skip many variations. It’s simply not possible to remember thousands of opening lines.
Middlegame
Since the beginning of my chess career, the middlegame has always been my favorite phase, especially calculation and dynamic play. I worked a lot on middlegame positions and often solved puzzles by setting them up on a physical board. I genuinely believe this is the main reason I reached 2200. Here are the resources I used, based on rating level:
1900–2200
Anthology of Chess Combinations
2200 and above
Perfect Your Chess (highly recommended once you reach 2100–2250)
Rock Solid Chess (I completed Part 2 and recently bought Part 3)
Watching and analyzing World Championship games also helped me a lot. In addition, Chess.com and Lichess tactics are good ways to practice regularly. Chessbase magazine is also a great product that I have been buying for the last 4-5 years. They have 2 very important sections - Opening ideas and Game analysis by top players.
Endgame
As I mentioned earlier, I didn’t focus much on endgames in my early years, and my endgame skills were quite poor. I would often see losing options for myself even in better endgame positions. Between 2018 and 2020, I focused on two specific books, which helped me significantly:
I also studied pawn endgames and basic rook endgames from Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual. However, I feel that playing and understanding practical endgames helped me far more than studying theoretical endgames alone.
People Who Helped Me
I didn’t have an individual coach after 2015–16. Before 2014, I trained with Chinmay Kulkarni, and that really helped boost my level. After that, apart from a few training camps, I mostly trained on my own.
My family was my biggest support throughout this entire journey. They believed in me. Chess is an expensive sport with no guaranteed outcome—unlike engineering, CA, or MBA degrees.
In 2023, my friend Mr. Soham Datar told me about GM Vishnu Prasanna’s camps. I attended a couple of camps in 2024 and 2025, and they gave me valuable insights. I also got the chance to meet Gukesh during the same week at Vishnu’s home, shortly after he became World Champion. We had lunch together, and it was a very special moment for me.
I also attended a camp by GM Farukh Amanatov. He guided me on many important chess-related aspects. Amanatov’s camp was more focused on pure chess, while Vishnu’s camps focused more on mindset and overall life perspective.
Apart from this, I have a group of very good friends who always supported and motivated me. I strongly believe that having four to six close chess friends really helps shape you as a player. They help you relax and stay motivated at the same time. Most of them are IMs now, and I’m very happy to see them succeed, either in chess or coaching.
Selection of Tournaments
Tournament selection is a very important factor and helped me a lot. There are different types of players—some perform better against lower-rated opponents, while others perform better against stronger players. Those who perform well against both usually reach 2600–2700. I personally perform better against stronger players. My results against 2250–2450 rated players are better than against the 2100–2200 range. In general, playing stronger opponents helps you learn more and eventually assists in achieving IM or GM norms. Playing tournaments with strict cutoffs is very important, and I deliberately chose many such events.
Understanding What Is Working and What Is Not
Evaluating your chess decisions regularly can help you a lot. Every three to four months, do a review. Analyze your games, tournaments, coaching, preparation, and results. Identify what is going right and what is going wrong. With AI tools today, this process has become much easier. You can provide your data and get structured insights quickly. This evaluation includes:
Choosing openings based on what’s working
Deciding whether to aim for endgames or middlegames
Selecting tournaments based on past results
Spending money wisely on coaching and tournaments
Once you understand what’s working and what’s not, planning the next six to eight months becomes much easier.
The 6-Month or 10-Tournament Rule
Sometimes things go wrong even if you are practicing well. It’s not always about strength. Most players can’t clearly identify what helped them improve. If you’re 1800 today, ask yourself what exactly helped you move from 1600 to 1800—most people won’t have a clear answer. That’s why it’s important to measure progress over longer periods, not after a single tournament. I believe a good metric is either six months or ten classical tournaments. If you choose the six-month metric, make sure you play at least eight to ten classical events.
Doing Something Outside Chess
This is especially important for adult chess players. Doing something outside of chess helped me a lot. I started chess coaching and blogging, which helped me earn money and play more freely. It doesn’t have to be about money or changing careers. You can learn guitar, learn coding, play tennis—anything that keeps your mind fresh.
Keeping the IM Title as a Byproduct, Not the Goal
The biggest mistake I made was thinking too much about the IM title. If you obsess over titles or tournament results, chances are you won’t achieve them. Focus on the process, stay happy, and eventually, the results will come.
Upcoming Plans
After completing my IM title, I feel far more relaxed and, honestly, more excited about playing chess. I plan to play more rapid and blitz events going forward. With FIDE approving fast classical formats, it becomes easier to play more tournaments while saving a significant amount of time. At this stage, my goal is no longer centered around becoming a Grandmaster, but around enjoying the game and continuing consistent chess practice.
I have also recently started a group training batch for 1800+ rated players, and I plan to launch another batch for players in the 1400–1800 range. I will continue to balance playing, training, and writing—as long as I am enjoying my time with chess.
If you have any questions or if there are specific chess topics you would like me to write about on ChessBase India, feel free to email me at contact@nikhildixit.com.
About the author
IM Nikhil Dixit is a chess coach and active chess player from Pune, India. He has competed in 22+ countries for chess tournaments. Currently, he is helping chess players to reach a 2200 rating, effectively getting a FIDE title while pursuing his goal of becoming a Grandmaster.
Important link
How much does an International Master spend on chess in a year?
Nikhil Dixit breaks down his expenses in 2024
Nikhil Dixit breaks down his expenses in 2023
Related News
