Should I continue playing chess?

I don't know if I should continue to play. I'm thinking to delete my account and stop playing. I suck, but there are people who are strong players even if they don't study chess so much. I'm so depressed and I've no talent, but I like chess....

What is your age ?

I'm 16

This is your second threads about this. Excatly what do you want to hear from us ?

uhohspaghettio started a thread like this years ago & he's still around.

You should not use Internet unless 18.advice

edit

if you like it play, if you don't then stop,  its not that hard a decision

i played a few tournaments as a kid, something like 14-15 but i found the game too hard. i returned to the game some 12 years later and started playing at an acceptable level. at that point, i couldn't help but wonder how much better i would have been if i could have gotten past my frustration some 12 years earlier and learned what i could.

No, of course not, you're exactly the type of person who will continue playing chess for the rest of his life

Sounds like you are being too hard on yourself. If you think you "suck" at chess think again, I really suck. It really is a matter of enjoyment. People enjoy chess for different reasons. While almost all chess players are competetive some are more so competitive than others. So for the really competitive people they tend to get frustrated when they don't see vast improvement of their game in a short time period. I think maturity also has something to do with your enjoyment of chess. When I was younger and I played chess I lacked the discipline to become better, not that I am good now but I now enjoy studying the game of chess, rather than looking at it as a chore. In time you will learn whether you actually enjoy the game, if not you will give it up and never return. But some day when you are older you may have had enough time to learn to enjoy the game. It doesn't have to be a game about your rating, it can be a social thing whereby you can share your love for a game, enjoy it and use it as a life long love to keep your brain sharp. Even if you never become a GM level player the game of chess is smarter than that. It does not discriminate, it welcomes all players of all types. The only thing it asks in return is that you like it back.

You've basically answered your own question.. If you like doing something, then why would you stop just because you aren't good at it (even if that is the case, which it might not be) ?

From what you write, you say:

1. you've no talent.

2. You suck.

3. You like chess.

4. You are depressed.

5. You want to be good at chess.

Your question is if you should continue playing.

Of all you write, No. 3 and 5 are the most important. No. 1, 2, 4 are the evaluation of your playing chess.

Up to this point, am I right?

If so, No.5 is your purpose.

How to accomplish No.5 ?

My suggestion:

1. Talk to your club friends about what they think about you and your playing.

2. Choose your mentor, and give yourself 3 months, and then come back and evaluate yourself again.

i was gonna say something to cheer him up but his account is already closed... to quote Tony Montana "She'll be back... they always come back"

I couldn't help but read that in Tony Montana's voice.

lol

Too late, looks like this account is closed.

Take a short break from chess but then come back. Strong players study the game a lot, only freaks are amazing at the game without trying much. In order to improve, Yasser Seirawan's best piece of advice is to write down your analysis, thoughts plans etc after every game but I'm too lazy to do that (but I'm going to start!)

Anyway what I did:

1) play long games and think very hard about your plans, e.g. 90/30 time control, don't play blitz

2) study tactics, solve problems on chesstempo.com (v important technique is to NEVER guess solutions and to try very hard to see ALL pertinent lines - write your variations down and don't worry if it takes you ages), another tip is to analyse checks first and then captures.

3) learn mainline openings and focus not on moves but the understanding behind why moves were played, give up sidelines and weird gambits since they rely on shock value and don't really teach fundamental principles.

My first tourney I entered I bombed with 1/6 against not particularly strong opposition but a couple of years later I got 2000 ICC rating. Anyway now I'm chasing 2100-2200 elo which will be really hard but it can be done, and I met lots of people on the chess circuit who started chess late and are now v strong players so don't listen to anyone who says you can't do it - takes time but HARD WORK is the way to succeed. Good luck :)

If theres one thing I'm good at its spotting a loser. So my advice, yes, quit.

Kind regards.

P.I.