Do you agree with this quote from George Bernard Shaw about chess?
Sort:
If fiwolf was banned, whose pretentious and pathetic attempts at wit would I laugh at?
HDNCHESS32 wrote:
" Chess is a foolish expedient for making idle people believe they are doing something very clever when they are only wasting their time.”
Yes, I agree.
And there are a lot of FAMOUS quotes about chess, as follows:
Chess is a matter of vanity. Alexander Alekhine
Chess is not relaxing ; it's stressful even if you win. Jennifer Shahade
Chess is not for the faint-hearted; it absorbs a person entirely. To get to the bottom of this game, he has to give himself up into slavery. Chess is difficult, it demands work, serious reflection and zealous research. Wilhelm Steinitz
Chess is mental torture. Garry Kasparov
Chess is a sport; a violent sport. – Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968)
Chess players are madmen of a certain quality, the way the artist is supposed to be, and isn’t, in general. – Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968)
I am still a victim of chess. It has all the beauty of art – and much more. It cannot be commercialized. Chess is much purer than art in its social position. – Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968)
How many chess addicts does it take to change a light-bulb? Answer: they won't change it, they will play blindfold. MarcoBR444.
How many NAJGRUNFELDs does it take to screw-in a light-bulb? Answer: they won't change it, they will screw titled players blindfold. MarcoBR444.
Purely on its face, this is an excellent example of a silly generalization, compounded by Shaw's being glib. It's pretentious, it makes a number of unfounded assumptions. It doesn't work upon examination and GBS should have known better.
Agreed flamsteed. The very point I was trying to make before Mr Kill Yourself started.
May 12, 2018
0
#26
George Bernard Shaw put that idea into the mouth of a character in a novel. The character, Edward, who says it is shown to be a bore and a fool. So the idea isn’t something that Shaw is claiming that he believes. In Shaw’s novel, “The Irrational Knot”, Marian is quoting Edward, who is wooing her. Marion says that Edward hates chess, and thinks chess “is a foolish expedient for making idle people believe they are doing something very clever, when they are only wasting their time.” Marion then plays a game of chess with another man. She eventually dumps Edward -- the bore who won’t play chess.
Oct 29, 2021
0
#28
Barklestork wrote:
George Bernard Shaw put that idea into the mouth of a character in a novel. The character, Edward, who says it is shown to be a bore and a fool. So the idea isn’t something that Shaw is claiming that he believes. In Shaw’s novel, “The Irrational Knot”, Marian is quoting Edward, who is wooing her. Marion says that Edward hates chess, and thinks chess “is a foolish expedient for making idle people believe they are doing something very clever, when they are only wasting their time.” Marion then plays a game of chess with another man. She eventually dumps Edward -- the bore who won’t play chess.
This is worth re-quoting, as it gives the original post of this thread some much-needed context.
HDNCHESS32 wrote:
" Chess is a foolish expedient for making idle people believe they are doing something very clever when they are only wasting their time.”
It's the real side of chess.
That it is a hobby is the justification for it.
Oct 31, 2022
0
#31
Many of you seem b.. hurt about facts. Art is about reflecting the world, nature and emotions in a way that educate, inspire people, give them perspectives. while some guys who assumes that moving pieces in a memorized way is as important as art, if you learn how to read some day; you may have chance to realize your ignorant and empty state.
People are mad af about a quote from a fictional character??
Oct 31, 2022
0
#33
Hawk777 wrote:
Many of you seem b.. hurt about facts. Art is about reflecting the world, nature and emotions in a way that educate, inspire people, give them perspectives. while some guys who assumes that moving pieces in a memorized way is as important as art, if you learn how to read some day; you may have chance to realize your ignorant and empty state.
Perhaps that's what you see chess as. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Knowing the subject matter at hand a little better also helps.
Oct 31, 2022
0
#34
GWTR wrote:
People are mad af about a quote from a fictional character??
The op disingenuously misled the uninformed reader that shaw said it.
https://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/george-bernard-shaw-one-said#comment-37492630
But still ...
He said Pavlov was the biggest fool he knew.