[Chess_General_Discussion] Re: On Chess
--- In Chess_General_
>
> On Chess.
>
> It was once said by a good player that chess, like love and like
> music, has the power to make Man happy.
Yes, that player was Siegbert Tarrasch. The exact quote is:
"Chess, like love, like music, has the power to make men happy."
> True enough, but much more
> can be said about it too :- ) Chess also makes one of the best
> analogies of life itself in many ways, and one can draw many
> similarities and correlations.
>
> But, in the absolute final analysis chess is not about winning it,
> losing or drawing a game, it is about having fun and enjoying the
> experience and the mental exercise. It matters not a damn as to if a
> player is good, bad, or mediocre as a player, what matters is how
> much you enjoyed it, for it is only a game, not real life.
I disagree. Chess is indeed about winning it. It is, after all, a competition. It's not a sharing circle or a group assignment in University. Winning is important and is definitely the goal. If you're simply looking for mental exercise, chess is not for you. You'd be better off reading some good non-fiction books, or joining a math club, or simply doing chess puzzles and problems. A person with that attitude towards the game will invariably perceive all strong chess players to be arrogant and full of themselves, except maybe the ones that are good at hiding their true nature. People like this will get their serotonin boost by the false pride and illusion of a quasi moral superiority that supposedly goes along with not caring about the result. It's a convenient attitude to have when you're a weak player who doesn't win many chess games.
Having said that though, I believe that it is also important to enjoy the entire process. Losing is an inevitable part of that process, and indeed it is often a chess player's losses that can be the most educational experiences. It's easy to pat yourself on the back and overlook inaccuracies and mistakes after a victory, but a lose makes it painfully obvious that something went wrong. These are the times when we're most motivated to do analysis and study afterwards.
After a loss I believe in grace and good sportsmanship. I try to compliment my opponent if he indeed played well. I don't make excuses and don't whine after the game. I also have never refused to do a postmortem, even after losing to a lower rated player. Any tournament player knows how hard this can be to do. I pride myself on my class and etiquette in tournament play, but I also pride myself on my honesty and integrity in being able to say that I am definitely trying to kill my opponent on the chess board with everything I've got, within the rules, and within proper conduct of play (ie; not trying to distract my opponent, etc). My biggest thrill in chess comes from beating my opponent when he is NOT distracted or otherwise playing at less than his full potential. I want him at his very best, and destroy him anyway. I take this approach even with my closest friends. After the game, regardless of the result, we shake hands and go for a beer (usually many beers) and our friendship is unaffected. But during the game it's out and out war. You should be glad not all of your British ancestry shared your effeminate, pacifist attitude. You'd be speaking Deutsch and eating wiener schnitzel if they did.
The topic of why women don't even come close to being able to compete with men in chess (save for Judit who is not actually human, but an advanced alien hybrid from the planet "Attakalot")
You know what's really hilarious, is how these people who love to repeat, as a mantra "chess is just a game", generally don't have much of a "life" outside of chess to speak of. They have jobs that they don't particularly like, but only tolerate, and they have relationships in which both parties feel as they have compromised. Of course the painfully obvious truth is that this is just a way of trying to feel better about being mediocre and weak. It's just a defense mechanism. To many people chess is much MORE than "just a game". Karpov said that
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posted by Chaddo at 5:09 PM
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