How did you learn to play chess and how old?

I was 10 years old and walked uninvited into chess class at school. Stood, observed and 10 minutes later, could play the very basics, just by watching others play. 18 months later, I was school champion aged 12 years old.

what's chess? 😕

Originally posted by trev33
what's chess? 😕

Originally posted by heinzkat
Nobody has a clue Thread 118958

In the perfect chess combination as in a first-rate short story, the whole plot and counter-plot should lead up to a striking finale, the interest not being allayed until the very last moment. - Yates and Winter

I would say this applies to a complete game of chess.

To paraphrase Gertrude Stein: "Chess is chess is chess is chess."

Originally posted by heinzkat
Nobody has a clue Thread 118958

I am still learning. I know how all the pieces move now. Still trying to learn to use them all together.

maybe a little when a kid, but no memory so probably in my 20's living in Topeka Kansas a Hungarian undercover agent (or so he pretended to be) taught me and gave me an ivory set. Felt guilty as from elephants, but it was a gift. To me chess is the only game that is totally from your own brain, as no games of chance involved, checkers also, but not nearly as fun or challenging. Rolling dice to make moves seems totally boring unless of course you land on Boardwalk. Lolita

Originally posted by Blackpoolmad
I was 10 years old and walked uninvited into chess class at school. Stood, observed and 10 minutes later, could play the very basics, just by watching others play. 18 months later, I was school champion aged 12 years old.

Originally posted by Blackpoolmad
I was 10 years old and walked uninvited into chess class at school. Stood, observed and 10 minutes later, could play the very basics, just by watching others play. 18 months later, I was school champion aged 12 years old.

Learned on my own. An interesting hobby to keep around.

10 years ago, after watching the movie "Searching for Bobby Fischer", chess caught my attention, I was 18 and nobody in my family knew how to play chess.
I bought myself the Chessmaster 6000 program and taught myself how to play, ironically Joshua Waitzkin was the one hosting the program which I thought was kind of funny

Someone showed me how the pieces moved etc. The game of chess was quite old when I learned to play it.