I wanted to raise the profile of the winners and promote them as role models for future generations of traders.

Unfortunately, I couldn't make this project profitable. There weren't many traders prepared to publicly put their reputation on the line. So last year I decided to put it on hold until a sponsor comes forward who isn't in it for financial gain.

I wouldn't change a thing. I like the classic Robbins rules, which have remained virtually unchanged since 1983. By and large, the only things that can be changed are the duration and the starting capital, but I like the idea of traders risking their own real money, a substantial sum such as $5K or more, and the duration of the tournament is important too. It's no coincidence that the financial world usually operates on the basis of annual returns, so to minimise the luck factor, an annual tournament is the norm for me.

I'm just like everyone else, so I'm constantly breaking the rules. Most often, I go wrong with my position size. I always want to risk a larger amount than my risk profile allows.

A friend of mine once said that trading is something halfway between chess and fishing. I really like that comparison, because trading is also an intellectual game with an uncertain outcome, just like chess. However, that is where the similarities end.

Trading is far more complex than chess. In chess, you have one opponent, and they're right in front of you. You know their strengths and weaknesses. You both play by the same set of rules. In trading, there are no rules at all. There are many opponents, and you don't know them. On top of everything else, trading is a game played for money, where emotions play a much greater role than in chess. That is why achieving success in trading is much more difficult than in chess. However, in both cases, you must have analytical skills and be able to calculate your moves several steps ahead.

Technical analysis!

That's a good question, thank you! You might be surprised, but when I feel accountable to my subscribers, I behave in a much more disciplined way. I've noticed that when I openly share my knowledge and trading strategies with my audience, I always get better results than when I'm only accountable to myself. I can always talk myself into being, say, more aggressive and daring, but if I know I'll have to explain every move to my audience afterwards, I become more selective, and that has a direct impact on my results.

I just know that this name is definitely going to stick with me for the rest of my life! It combines trading and sport in a single word, and I really like that. As for the project itself, I think I'll relaunch it after all, but in a slightly different form from before… We'll see.

Good luck and good trading!