Chess player replaces his substance addiction with chess and climbs to 2400 ELO

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A chess player is gaining attention online after reaching a remarkable skill level of 2400 ELO. He achieved this by replacing a substance addiction with the game of chess.

Back in 2020, someone shared that they were battling a serious marijuana addiction when they stumbled upon chess videos by Antonio Radić, known as ‘Agadmator,’ while under the influence.

The player stated his skill level was around 1200 ELO, but he became captivated by watching videos of Mikhail Tal. He described Tal’s games as artistic, attributing this to Tal’s aggressive playing style, Antonio’s insightful commentary, and, surprisingly, the influence of marijuana.

Initially drawn to the aggressive Fried Liver Attack, the player’s interest in chess deepened after facing opponents who knew how to defend against it. They found themselves increasingly absorbed in the strategy of the game, shifting their focus away from other distractions.

He explained that focusing on learning chess took up so much time that he had less opportunity to dwell on his problems and fall back into substance abuse. While it wasn’t a healthy situation – essentially trading one addiction for another – chess at least wasn’t ruining his life.

Five years after first sharing his story, the Reddit chess player known as ‘peaked_in_high_skool’ announced a significant achievement.

Former addict hits 2400 ELO by swapping substance abuse for chess

The player said that even though he occasionally stopped playing chess as much over those six years, it still helped him a great deal.

He shared that he struggled with setbacks, but consistently returned to playing chess as a way to cope and prevent them from worsening. A few months ago, he also reached a rating of over 2400 on the Lichess platform.

In a screenshot, the user showed how he had peaked at 2425 ELO.

It’s a bit sad to hear, but he feels like he’s gotten everything he can out of chess. He’s moving on to new things now that he’s gotten his life back on track and isn’t struggling with marijuana anymore. It’s good he’s in a better place, even if it means he’s leaving the chess world.

He explained that, while he’s enjoyed chess immensely, he’s decided it’s time to move on. He feels the game has taught him valuable skills, like breaking down complex problems, focusing on goals with discipline, and broadening his perspective on what he can achieve.

I’ve spent a lot of time playing chess over the years, and now I need to prioritize other, more important things in my life.

Peaked_in_high_skool mentioned they might play chess again someday, but for now, they’re finished with the game.

The player expressed gratitude to several content creators, such as GothamChess and the late Daniel Naroditsky, for the support they’d given over the years.

Chess fans are enthusiastically supporting this player’s remarkable progress and sending their best wishes for the future.

Chess is a famously addictive game, and this isn’t just true for standard chess. Recently, a man in China became an online sensation after losing a game of Xiangqi and spending hours in the rain, deeply analyzing his moves.

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2026-01-21 22:19