I enjoyed your post very much and wrote one about some psychological reflections it provoked in me. Thank you! I hope I am doing a good thing to send the link for my post.
Best regards
Gabriele Zeloni
lichess.org/@/SpinicChess/blog/is-chess-a-waste-of-time-for-whom/KHTlrdU<Comment deleted by user>
Both the author and the readers of this post are predisposed to like the conclusion that chess is not a waste of time. We all no doubt spend a fair amount of time playing chess, and who among us wants to think it's a waste of time?
What I find more troubling about my relationship to chess, though, is not so much the absolute amount of time that I spend playing, but rather the way in which chess has crowded out other activities in my life. Since developing a deeper interest in the game early in the pandemic, I find that I read less, write less, and I've mostly abandoned my efforts to learn how to play the piano. My interests outside of chess have simply become more limited because none of the other activities can produce the instant, intense focus of a game, or the rush of excitement that I get when I find a winning position.
So, for all of the wonders and fascination of the game, online chess also seems to share some of the negative qualities of social media in capturing my attention and distracting me from other pursuits.
That said, thanks for another thoughtful post, Nate! I loved the historical perspective on the game and the great quotes.
No. I don't think he made a mistake quitting chess, because “The ability to play chess is the sign of a gentleman. The ability to play chess well is the sign of a wasted life", is true mostly because a lot of people are obsessed with chess and forget about daily life they also can get very frustrated and start making educational mistakes or not focus much on their school work or work.
As well as they can forget about a lot of things in daily life because of how focused they are on studying chess strategies.
Magnus Carlsen also made a good choice to give up the World Chess Champion Title.
"For those conflicted about their relationship to chess, I would suggest an unusual tactic: consider quitting. Really consider it. Many people say they are “addicted” to chess, but you could quit if you really made up your mind to. What would you do with your newfound time? Would your life be better?"
This made me think. Rather. It made me think again. I had been pondering to quit chess, well, quit is a strong word, i would take it a notch down and say stop for a year and see. Gata Kamsky did it! and he came back with a bang.
The user "dagmac" pointed it out correctly. For some, chess has overcrowded other activities.
It also reminds me of the sunk cost phenomena. For someone who is really improving in chess and have a decent rating online find it harder to quit because they have already invested so much of their time and energy and the feedback is instant when you win. Its a dopamine rush. What to say - Chess is the new Instagram for those who love the game. Where bullet and blitz are like reels, you just keep playing one after the other!
