Chess: A Dangerous Obsession?

The voices in my head, dissonant, but so ever present. "Knight to F6, Bishop to C4, Queen takes pawn", silence then another variation "Rook to E3, Pawn takes Rook, Checkmate", followed by a brisk bout of peace before the calculations obsess my mind again. Like this over, and over. 

Dedication and commitment to our wonderful sport is what separates a few of my contemporaries and I from the rest of the Chess playing community. My mind, a cumulation of tactical ideas, memorized openings, and a library of historical games yearns for something different, but Chess is all it receives. 

Organically chess comes to me, the swift shifting of pieces is easily visualized in my head. I live for complicated positions where my mind can truly be put to the test. I'm absorbed by this game, it constantly dominates my thoughts, here it comes again "King to F5, Pawn to C4, Queen to A3, Pawn takes Pawn, Checkmate". 

But alas, I must confess that not all is well. For I now fear for my sanity. I've written before about how I began to visualize other persons as Chess pieces. However, this seemed to have been only the start of my troubles. Now everything is Chess, it's all I think about. Even as I write, the Bishops in my head are pinning, the Pawns are pushing, and the Rooks are doubling. I wonder, can someone become so obsessed with Chess that it leads to serious mental illness? I fear the potential of schizophrenia, and delusional thinking. Please discuss if Chess can become an unhealthy obsession.  

Too long to read, good luck the next time! By the way, Xon is the only dude here that can use "alas".

Thank you. You see I felt that this was my magnum opus, or should I say "Magnus opus". Therefore, it was necessary to fully express myself in my greatest, and possibly final contribution.  

I know chess is a much better hobby than motorcycle club racing: I don't dream about chess, I don't check the weather 3-5x times a day, I'm not away from family every other weekend, I'm saving a ton of money, and I've not used my health insurance beyond routine checkups.  Oh, any my garage is a lot roomier too.

Are you truly worried about this or just embellishing your post? Do members of your family suffer from mental illness? Only around 1% of the population suffers from schizophrenia so I wouldn't lose sleep over it. Doctors aren't sure what causes it but they warn people not to take on too many stressful things at once (like getting a new job, buying a house, having children within a small period of time). One thing I read somewhere is that if a person worries a lot, chess will increase their ability to worry about more things at the same time (more outcomes, etc.). This makes me think of the mad genius.

I agree that this is your best piece so far, but I don't think chess is unhealty, it's just a waste of time, especially for a person like you.

I passed that stage where my mind imagine 1.e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 .... all day. Im glsd its over. The psychosis remain for about 2 months. I guess many enthusiastic chess players experience chess illusions. If it did not interfere with work, study and everyday life, no need to worry. Otherwise, consult a professional.

What do you mean? "Especially for a person like you"? 

Either way thanks for recognizing that this is my best piece so far. I felt so as well. 

I took a break from Chess, and was out in the woods for a couple of days. It helped. 

What am I? 

Am I a human, or am I just a part of a Chess simulation?

Am I just a pawn in the game? 

Maybe you're every piece of whatever side you happen to be on. Multiple personalities.

Stop spamming and play a game.

My evaluation of your value as a human being might of course be imprecise, but even if it is way below what I think it is, chess would still be below you. Then again, everyone needs a hobby, I guess.

You need help if all you're thinking about is chess. Obsessions to that scale cannot be a good thing, mentally.

Correct. Sometimes this thinking to set a trap or whatever people try in another scenery also, like in a forum for example ... sometimes it feels the forum is just the extended stage to beat the opponent

this is obviously not true