The most important decision as a new Linux user is the desktop environment, the most similar desktop environment to the Windows desktop are KDE Plasma and Cinnamon. This means your best options are:

• Linux Mint (Cinnamon): They are the creators of the Cinnamon desktop environment and will be the default on installation.
• Kubuntu (KDE Plasma): This is Ubuntu’s official KDE Plasma flavour, it comes with everything as usual just different desktop.
• Fedora (KDE Edition): Same story as Ubuntu here, only that with Fedora’s own packages and environment.

First I would check if the hardware is compatible (99% of the time is). Then I would check what software you need and/or want and check if it is available at these distros, and get familiar on how to install the software packages (either with their respective app stores or in the command line).

There is a lot to learn but with these distros you can just install, forget and simply keep using them for eternity.

The last and more important tip I have is to not to worry about the sea of options out there, you will not be missing anything huge by picking one or the other. Which is how most of new users feel (I did in my time).

Hope you have a great Linux journey mate!

For a moment I read it as 0! (zero factorial) and was super confused.

Getting a novel technique is impossible, there is less and less new theory, and they know all the tricks, but the only way one can possible gain an advantage on a Grandmaster is baiting them into an opening line they they do not know well and you know very well, which again is very unlikely considering they study the game for life and even then, converting said advantage would be very difficult.

The difference between International Masters and Grandmasters is big enough, but the difference between Grandmasters and amateurs is abysmal. You can see this with the Elo System (rating system), players under 200 Elo points their rival are expected to win almost never.

They can even beat amateurs with their eyes blinded, and this is not a joke, one can just see the many videos of Grandmasters giving opponents odds like this.

My hobby is Chess, and to me it would be to beat a Grandmaster(impossible under normal context). I have beaten only once a National Master in a simul, to put things in perspective.