I am a retired college professor, 12 years Europe, 16 years Japan, I now teach English to foreigners.
I have been playing chess for 45 years and I am still a patzer but a happy one.
I have some ideas about chess as a game.
I think a chess game can be regarded as a piece of art. Of course it's a struggle but I mean when I play over some famous games they seem to me to be a "symphony". The two opponents are then co-creators of an "artwork" so in that sense the loser is on equal terms with the winner...equally valuable.
You need a loser to have a winner. So when it's your turn to lose think about that as a consolation..
I was a member of the Chicago Chess Club when in my teens. I went there every Saturday and Sunday playing 5-5 and I played in some tournaments too. I never got any higher than a 1500 something rating.
When I was a student at Uppsala U. in Sweden I played some friendly games with other students. When I then moved to Japan I found no players so I just enjoyed playing over famous games or I played against the computer..
Since I retired and moved back here to the US I found this site and started playing real people instead of computer programs. It's fun and it's great to play in a club that includes the whole world!
Thanks Chess.com for the opportunity and Hello to you all, fellow players!
John