Greenvale, Sunday 15 November

Dear fans,

Okay, so... that's it. That was THE OPENING - the first part of my story. (Chess fact: every game has three parts - the opening, the middlegame and the endgame. My story does too. Obviously.)

Think about how far we've come. I beat the World Champion. Then I fell for Légal's Mate like a total NPC. I got stalemated by a 7-year-old - well, I stalemated her, which is worse. I lost seven games in a row and the newspaper said I was "in crisis". Lowkey, I was.

But then I met a special person - and I came back. I won the Greenvale Championship, started a Chess Club, built an AI app, and turned 15 with the most goated party in history. Fireworks shaped like chess pieces. I'm still not over it.

The biggest thing I learned? Losing isn't the end - it's how you get better. And chess is way more fun with friends.

Thank you for reading every episode - and for all the amazing fan art and puzzles you sent in. You're the real main characters. No cap.

Next up: THE MIDDLEGAME. That's where the plans get bigger, the fights get harder... and the World Championship is waiting. Kingsley, I hope you're practising.

See you soon. Lock in.

Love,
Maya

P.S. Zeke wants me to say "like and subscribe". We don't even have a channel, Zeke.