From Paul Hoffman's book, "King's Gambit: a Son, a Father, and the World's Most Dangerous Game", which I'm reading with pleasure:
"Chess is said to be a safe way to sublimate aggressive impulses. But is it harmless just because the aggression isn't physical? The idea of "healthy competition' may be a myth when it comes to chess. Can you really play a friend, go for each other's jugular, and be buddies afterward?"
It is rare for people to really hate each other after a long game. There are plenty of times I have got mad when I have been swindled out of a winning position in blitz games, but I just vow to get my revenge next time I play that person (and, more often then not, I suceed). It is rarer for a game to end in some sort of controversial manner in over the board, or correspondance play because there is just too much time to make the moves and the games usually finish well before any sort of pressure is applied by the time limit.
Originally posted by Tatarana CrocodiloI do it all the time. 😉
From Paul Hoffman's book, "King's Gambit: a Son, a Father, and the World's Most Dangerous Game", which I'm reading with pleasure:
"Chess is said to be a safe way to sublimate aggressive impulses. But is it harmless just because the aggression isn't physical? The idea of "healthy competition' may be a myth when it comes to chess. Can you really play a friend, go for each other's jugular, and be buddies afterward?"