Chess is a great way to keep the gray matter (you know, the wrinkly stuff under your scalp) fresh.  But there is more to life than chess and more to chess than just you and your brain.  GrayMatter Chess hopes to stimulate the idea that...

It is about chess, but it's not just about chess - and it's not just about you!

• We play friendly, competative chess.  We view our opponents as friends.  We enjoy their victories (even when they beat us!) and we cheer them on.  We hope to win, but we also hope to help each other grow and develop as chess players and as people.
• We play chess, but we also interact with each other.  Chats.  Messages.  Forums.  Etc.  We communicate about chess ... about life ... about whatever.  After all, this is a community.
• We maintain a positive, family-friendly atmosphere.
• We respect one another.  No trash talk.  No inappropriate language.  No offensive innuendo.  It simply makes for a more satisfying experience for all.
• We strive to be good sports and we don't cheat (e.g. use computer programs to analyze moves in advance).
• We maintain an active on-line group - The GrayMatter Chess Community - for interaction, help, resources, etc.
• We organize tournaments which are open to anyone at Chess.com who wants to play in this spirit.  We also organize private, invitation-only tournaments geared especially to the needs of our members.
• We also maintain the GrayMatter Ladder Chess group specifically designed for ladder play.