well im bored, i know thats irrelebant for you but well anyway i got a question for all.

What of your other daily activitys non chess related do you feel/think/belive that makes you a better player? (explain if you wish).

for myself i feel that playing my violin makes me a better player, idk why i just feel it. 

Oh you play violin Azoth? I played as a child, did a 9 years stint and played in a local orchestra. I've always thought that the aethetics of violin and chess mesh well - something about the polished wood and classical sensibility.

These days I'd say I feel that writing is somewhat complimentary. I wouldn't say that it improves my game, per say, but there are a lot of correlations between tension on the board and tension in a piece of writing (establishing and maintaining tension, and timing as far as when it has reached a critical mass ready for resolution). I suppose being critical about my own poetry might prepare me to be critical about my play as well.

Maybe a better way of asking your question would be "What other activities do you do that offer you an interesting perspective into chess?" rather than making them a better player.

 

Rael wrote:

(...)Maybe a better way of asking your question would be "What other activities do you do that offer you an interesting perspective into chess?" rather than making them a better player.

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 That work too, so anyone that want to do it, feel free to share.

Well lets see...

I play hockey, this definitely builds my stamina and lung capacity for the physically brutal game of chess .

 

I play soccer, again, similar to hockey.

 

I hang out with friends, this definitely makes me more sociable... a key element of chess (being as you need 2 people, of course).

 

And I lift weights / workout - A 6pack is a definite requirement if you wanna be a good chess player!

 

Yeah, that's my life in a nutshell... chess is just a wierd talent I had naturally... 

For me it would be Jiu Jitsu.  It's pretty much a chess game with your body.

I play better when I see your picture "red hair beautifull lady"

:)haha

ok...I play better after finish my job

 

You people have non-chess related activities? I gotta try that sometime.

I play my best chess when i have no other activities in  life; when i am saddest; when i need chess to retreat to.

The rest of the time, i think, 'The sun is shining! There's music to be played! There's a hill to climb! There's love to be made! Play a game of chess? Are you crazy???!!'

I play soccer. There I train my condition and train thinking! Not like in chess but to make good descitions when I am tired and not that concentrated. And dont we do that some time in chess, after a game of perhaps 4h and then there is a important move and you cant concentrait and therefor miss it.

On a more comical note...I think being stuck in California traffic can help tremendously with your chess game. You learn skills like position, when to move, looking at the whole picture before changing lanes, watching for the dangerous long diagonals, patience, the difference between defensive and offensive etc.

LOL

Amarchand wrote:

On a more comical note...I think being stuck in California traffic can help tremendously with your chess game. You learn skills like position, when to move, looking at the whole picture before changing lanes, watching for the dangerous long diagonals, patience, the difference between defensive and offensive etc.

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 that was very very funny :)

Hopscotch.  It helps me imagine what it's like to be a pawn.  Oh wait, so does my job. 

Reading military history.  A chess player can learn a lot from real battles.  For example, check out this article I just found.  Looks like somebody else agrees with me.