Ever get so busy playing chess that you forget to stop and smell the roses (Not to sound hackneyed) but, do you ever take time to be quiet once in a while and just savor the flavors of the royal game? Do you think back on your first games, and what attracted you to chess in the first place?
Why do you love the sport? Yup. Some call chess a sport, and I have to agreee 100%, although it's certainly not a traditional sport. It's a competition of mental ability, as opposed to physical aptitude. Just up my alley, because as a kid I got creamed in contact sports when I was forced to play them in school. I was the one to sit in my room and do projects in art, crafts, and of course my magic illusions.
But chess attracted me because i could do this sport by going inside my own head! It was perfect! I could sit in front of the board and get lost in the world of wood pieces and their myriad patterns and infinite possibilities. Ahhh! At last, here was a sea of tranquility wherein I could tune out the world, and just bask in the healing waters and create something akin to a work of art. I could freely express myself, and let loose on that creative spirit.
And think of the versatility of the game. It really suits a variety of temperaments, and lifestyles. For instance, think of the many places where chess is played. In schools, in public parks, in tournament halls and clubs, in peoples living rooms, and now, obviously, with the advent of the web, in cyberspace.
And lets not forget the living chess tournaments, where they use a giant chess board, and use humans dressed up in costumes for the pieces. The players call the shots from the bleachers, and the people move to the designated spots. Now THAT is cool!
I even heard of a couple guys who for years played each other every day for years on the bus on the way to work.
It is suitable for the way you like to play. You can compete in tournaments if that is your liking, or if you prefer, just keep chess for a hobby. To each his own. Some folks do nothing but solve chess problems from the newspapers, sitting in the comfort of their living room chair. Whatever floats your boat!
I think my favorite picture I see in my mind's eye is two distinguished looking gentleman with trimmed beards, sitting in front of a crackling fireplace in a mansion, with a GORGEOUS, imported ornate marble set between them. There is a grandfather Clock ticking softly in the background, and two snifters of brandy are on the table. One of them is peering at the pieces intently, while the other gentleman is smoking a pipe, leaning back in his chair, with an English accent saying something like Well, Edwards, I suppose that if you take the Bishop, mate will follow shortly old chum! I love that mental picture. It has always stuck in my head, to the point where I wrote an entire poem about it, and posted it on the poetry website.
Anyway, chess is whatever you want it to be in your life. A hobby, a relaxing pastime, a serious all consuming advocation, or, for the talented few, a living.
Chess is great, and the chess goddess has smiled on us, so, enjoy!
I was pretty scrawny as a kid, but I could leap. Think Dwight Stones if you want to picture my build in my youth, if you know who that former Olympic athlete is. So I spent a lot more time at things like high jump, long jump, and basketball than I did at chess. But I also resented other kids knowing something that I did not know, so it wasn't too long after I saw other grade school classmates playing chess during free time that I inquired about the rules from one of them, and he was willing to explain the basics to me and to play against me a few times. It was a bit intimidaing at first, because I presumed he would slaughter me. But as it turned out, both of us were so clueless about strategy and what the relative value of pieces were that the outcome of the games between us was pretty much a random thing.
I am enjoying playing here at RHP. Call it my second childhood. 😏
Thats a good anecdote. thanks for sharing1
My firsat games were taught to me when i was a seargent in the Air Force. Another , older seargent said to me one day "Do you wanna learn how to play chess?" And naive and eager young me, ready for any challenge in life, of course said "Sure!" so he taught me the rules, and whipped my royal A**! And he did it over and over again! Boy that stung! But it was the best medicine I ever took in my life.(Of course, you couldn't have convinced me of that then!) I just knew it HURT to lose, and I was mad enough to keep on learning and trying. That was probaly twenty or thirty years ago, but it has stuck with me all these years. Guess you could call it a "defining moment" or, as some would say, FATE! So I'm hooked! And happy as a clam being so! Chess is my drug, man! I don't need that street crap, because i can get high on checkmate much better than anyone who injects into their arm. Therefore, I never touched drugs in my life. didn't need it. I had CHESS! (Not to mention my magic and ventriloquism , and other stuff.
Wanna here something funny? I'm on vacation from work at the moment, and I have heard others say that they are anxious to come back to work, because they get BORED during their time off. Bored??? Ha Ha ha ha Ha HA!!!! What is THAT??!! That word is NOT in my dictionary! If I live to one hundred and twenty, my mind will be active in chess and other activities, and I swear I will NEVER get B....O....R....E....D. That word is for losers.
Chess keeps you young, man! It keeps your mind fresh!
It's great to read about both your love affairs with chess!!
I'm a musician (have been for about 22 years now--I'm 32) and my experience with chess has been spotty to say the least. I've always loved the game, but like many, I have to let it go every now and then, only to return with fresh eyes and in need of new training wheels.
Lately, however, I've taken a running start at real improvement (by lately, I mean 3 or 4 years ago). I sort of became obsessed with the game...and I don't know why it's happened now and not earlier (I'm still single, so that might shed some light) 😏
Well, king, you basically described my adoration for this game. You will never be bored in life once you've discovered the treasure trove that is this game! It's just the type of sport I get off on. Incidentally, I absolutely love the 'slow game.' I'm not the biggest fan of blitz/speed chess. I think that says it right there: the reason I love this game is because of the contemplative nature of it. You must spend "quality time" in your own head across the board (sometime from someone you don't even know). Getting lost in chess variations is like a drug....and I can't quite get that fix from blitz.
What are your thoughts on the different speeds?
best,
steely
Well, in reply to that question, the truth is, it's all a matter of personal taste. There is no wrong or right. it's just what suits your personality and wants. It's what brings you the most pleasure out of your chess.
As I said earlier, I relish the slow games. I love to "scratch my chin", meditate and ponder, and just get lost in the chessboard jungle. That's just me. That is what brings me pleasure from chess. And if chess isn't pleasure, then why bother? Youll never be good at something unless you love it, and that goes for the royal game.
As far as speed goes, it's analogous to s**. (Am I allowed to say that word on the forum?) Anyway, like that human function, some like it slow, and some like it fast! And some start out slow, and pick up speed as they go along. Your, (or at least mine does!) heart beats fast as you get more excited anticipating the outcome, and it all ends in the crescendo or cl**ax of checkmate.
And that is the truth as the Dr. tells it. Amen.