For experience.  I hope one day I'll be paired against a grandmaster.

I once played Chess for fun. Did not work for me.

Just to compare my skill with other people in more serious or important games.

well I play to be a grandmaster but they didn't have that

i just play for fun ^^. that's why i'm on here so often!! and to gain experiance for next year's chess club at my school!

Hi my name is George.I  am a big fan of chess i am a cesscoach i teach 23 kids

i am in wiz kids.

 And i will give your tornement a try. but i will go eiasy .

 if you think you are good enouth do me.

i have won 1222 games of chess.

 

How about to learn more and get better at chess???? I would think that is pretty common.  I think that is a little bit different that just having a number that goes up a little bit.

To win money and have fun ! ( in that order... )

Actually, I prefer tournaments because that is where I learn the most. It wasn't until I started playing in tournaments that I actually started being able to notice an improvement in my playing.

I guess this could come close to improving my rating, but I would have to agree with Cuendillar in the overall reasons. 

The tough question is: Play up a section and face interesting opponents, or play down a section and recoup your travel expenses. ;)

I think one of my main reasons of playing tournaments is to improve, to face stronger opponents and go through the games afterwards with the opponent and then on my home computer. Rating growth is just a side-effect, though it's great that I have it too.  The only advantage I see of having a high rating is that it lets you play strong opponents more frequently (I've only once played an IM in a serious game - hope to get more chances). The psychological effects can go either way, but it tends to be "better" to be underrated by a couple hundred points (own experience talking here) than overrated. Thus, high rating, but underrated, is best - but that's the equivalent of saying "very strong player"...

To crush my opponents will and make them cry, because that's what happened to once when I was a little boy...this mean bully came to the board and start to intimidate me, and then I got scared and didn't play my best, and lost and then the mean bully laughed at me and I started to cry and I dreamt about it every night, its like a never ending nightmare and the only way for me to get rid of it is to let my alter ego come out when I'm playing chess and to go from being this really nice guy to like becoming the Hulk at the chess board, you know like you don't want me to get angry because you won't like me when I'm angry so of thing, almost like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde where I am one way in person, you know a likable guy and another way over the board, like when i'm playing chess I'm nobody you want to take home to meet your mother type of guy, the one where she warns you to not hang out with me because I might rub off on you and corrupt you and then no one would want to play with you or be your friend but I'll be your friend cause really I'm a likable guy.

Too increase my rating.

I have never played in a chess tournament! But sometime in the future, when I'm a member of a club, I'll try and get in there!