It's really sad that some people hate chess these days.  They say it's "boring", "nerdy", "pointless", you name it.  One of my good friends makes fun of me that I play chess and I have been trying to get him into it, but he just won't listen and acts as if it is SO pathetic that I am playing chess.  "Get a life," he tells me.  His other friends (that hate me) were offending me about chess too.  They were saying, "It's a thinking game, right?  Thinking games are nerdy." 

"How is chess going to get you into Harvard?"

I replied, "It's a hobby."

Then he says, "Yeah, you have a life (sarcasm)."

How do I get my friend to understand chess and not think so negatively about it?  Yet he plays MAGIC THE GATHEIRNG and says, "Well at least that game is FUN!"

What did you say to people offending chess?

I'll let you in on a little secret... it doesn't actually matter what other people think :-) At least not for stuff like this!

if your friends cannot except you for who you are and what you like, then they are not your friends.  Find better friends who share your interests. 

The only way you can beat it is not react in the way they want, hurt and offended. The only way you can acheive this is by truly not giving a stuff what they think. And you can not and will not get other people to like something that they are adamant they will not like. There are too many people in the world that share your interest in chess to worry about the ones that dont

Oh yeah, Magic the Gathering, buy your friend a childrens nursery rhyme book for his birthday.

My friends either like chess and go to tournamaents with me or the ones who dont know to play think chess is for smart people. In other words they dont call me a nerd instead they say im smarter than them for knowing how to play this complex game.

You mean your friends don't joke around and rag on your hobbies?  Sheesh, you must have some boring, all-hold-hands relationships.

Interesting. Your friend thinks playing chess is 'nerdy', but doesn't think playing a card game with creatures, spells, and hit points is 'nerdy'?

Edit: And I'm not trying to bash MTG, I play it myself. It just seems that your friend is being a little hypocritical with this whole what makes a game nerdy or pointless thing. You could point out to him that chess is a more affordable hobby than MTG since you only really need one chess set, whereas in MTG there's always more cards and decks to buy.

Friends are overrated. Chess is underrated.

You can always get new friends. Or have no friends.

But, you must have chess. A day without chess is like a day without sunshine.

So, where's the problem?

+1.

Q: What did you say to people offending chess?

A: Go screw yourself? I guess it depends on how much you like or dislike them, and how seriously you take chess. What's the BFD anyway? I don't like basketballl but I don't insult the sport to anyone who does, so if someone feels obligated to insult chess why not just shrug it off and get used to the fact that some people are rude and ignorant?

LOL....you are concerned by what someone who plays "magic the gathering" thinks of you? that person doesn't have any right or place saying anything like this to you. he probably just wants you to play with him in his game rather than he playing chess with you. in other words, you should take it as a compliment of sorts I guess, he wants more of your time.

yeah, being able to write you obtained a master title would look real good on a college application. but it wouldn't fully compensate for poor test scores and grades. but I do think there should be more of a college chess scene of sorts, more schools with active teams, leagues,etc. people being able to get chess scholarships to schools just as they get football, basketball or baseball scholarships. you would think there would be a lot more in existence than there are, chess is popular with college kids in general.

i like chess

Good at Chess? A Hedge Fund May Want to Hire You!

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/09/29/good-at-chess-a-hedge-fund-may-want-to-hire-you/

The above article states that the smart people employed by Goldman Sachs prefer people who are good at chess over other candidates. Why? Chess is war, Trading is war ... both require analytical thinking, an excellent memory, patience and a willingness to take risk! Someone who excels at chess has all these qualities in spades, so Chess is C-O-O-L in my book.

i just don't talk about it to people who aren't interested.

See, in today's world, there are so many people who are shallow, superficial and stupid.

They would not make good chessplayers. Their insults to you are from a perspective of low self-esteem and envy.

Train and improve your chessplay. Then you can kick back and feel smug and self-assured when they insult you.

Meanwhile, realize that you are on the path of enlightenment and chess epiphany. Life doesn't get much better than that.

Ooooh...nasty. It is obvious that you are simply looking to start a fight.

My post was light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek. 

I know. Often is on the net.