I think most people think most chess players look kind of weird/geeky , and slight of physical build . I guess Ding , Caruana , So are what many believe the typical chess player looks like .
Are you shy about chess?
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I don't get too in depth when I talk to people about chess because I still don't understand most of it, but I usually talk to people about chess IRL.
I think Wesley So is handsome.
Have any of you seen the January Chess Life? I know the "helpful spectator" on the other end of So's $100,000 Millionaire Open first prize check is gorgeous.
boogeyknights79 wrote:
chess is not a cool thing to do but i like it. society is going to judge you no matter what. instead of doing things just to fit in it's better to be yourself. i like people who are passionate about anything, thats cool to me.
Exactly, don't do what society tells you. If you believe in yourself you won't be influenced by the opinion of people who don't know anything about the game. That's what makes a person an individual -- their hobbies and ideas are not a product of whatever the people around them told them, but are a product of their own personal judgment.
Jan 23, 2015
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#27
I wouldn't use the word "shy" I would use "modest". Many people get them confused. As far as the panties. ...they should drop before the match not during.
I actually think the stereotypes held about chess players are really, really interesting. Most activities have both positive and negative stereotypes associated with them, but not many seem as polarised, or as sharply contrasting as that of chess.
On one end you have the qualities assigned to it such as weak, geeky, misfit type of character, and at the other there are almost philosopher like qualities assigned to chess players such as high intelligence, patience, and often I hear people give me qualities to do with self-reassurance and direction because of chess (I guess due to the calculating and precise nature of the game?).
I believe that, in most cases, whether you are assigned the good or the bad stereotypical qualities depends on your personality and how you present to people. There's no need to be shy about chess, play your cards right and the average person tends to regard you as a sort of genius (even if like me you're really only average at the game, lol).
Jan 23, 2015
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#29
With every year that goes by, I care a bit less about what others might think of me. So sure, I'm happy to tell people that I like to play chess. Who knows... Might find someone new to play against, and possibly a new friend.
Interesting post, Godlike. Perhaps you're right. Perhaps presentation matters a lot. Hesitating when you say you play chess, acting almost scared to say it, may make people assume chess must be bad, but on the other hand if you act as if the person you're talking to is an idiot if they don't play chess, maybe you can make them feel almost silly that they never looked into chess more. Psychology is a bitch :)
Well that's pretty much how bullies at school operate. They say something is bad and make fun of kids associated with it; they often do so not with a good argument behind it, but rather, just a lot of certainty and conviction, and that makes the kids picked on feel bad about themselves, sort of assuming that the bully knows what's good and what's bad.
Elubas wrote:
Interesting post, Godlike. Perhaps you're right. Perhaps presentation matters a lot. Hesitating when you say you play chess, acting almost scared to say it, may make people assume chess must be bad, but on the other hand if you act as if the person you're talking to is an idiot if they don't play chess, maybe you can make them feel almost silly that they never looked into chess more. Psychology is a bitch :)
Well that's pretty much how bullies at school operate. They say something is bad and make fun of kids associated with it; they often do so not with a good argument behind it, but rather, just a lot of certainty and conviction, and that makes the kids picked on feel bad about themselves, sort of assuming that the bully knows what's good and what's bad.
@ the bold part: I wasn't implying that chess players should perpetuate any of the stereotypes about chess, no need to deride other people.
I'm sure most chess players, including those here, live a balanced life style and have their share of interesting, positive qualities. Just own chess confidently, and people will assume that it's a good thing.
Otherwise I agree with what you've said though, I've clearly seen cases where people have been hesitant to admit to something they do, and that has been taken as a weakness and pounced upon by certain types of people.
I'm geeky enough without chess so most people just take it in stride. :-)
That said, my wife still doesn't quite get me getting up early in the morning to watch chess tournaments broadcast from the other side of the world. She just shakes her head...
Strange how people react to certain things.
I quite often get weirdly hostile reactions when I say I don't like curry, or that I do like Earl Grey tea. I can imagine that saying you like chess could be similar. Mind you, I gave up long ago caring much what other people thought of me; people can be weird.
Nah i am not shy playing chess, but i also will not tell guys i like chess :7
Norway:
Before November 2013 strange people played chess.
After November 2013 everyone plays chess.
Things change all the time.
I'm not shy or ashamed to say I am a chessplayer (a terrible one at best), though I don't partake in tournaments nor do I shout from roof tops.
It's like the individual who loves reading, the stereotypical 'bookworm' you'd associate as a nerd, who lives in the bookstores or is a permanent hermit in the library.
In general, anyone who isn't social, or doesn't understand how to connect with people or refuses to, will not be popular nor looked upon positively.
What does a chess player look like?
Like this?
Or maybe this is what people think?
What I'm sure many wish MORE chess players looked like:
Maybe someone who doesn't play often sees us like this:
But, I'm certain this is the image in their heads: