Does playing chess give you bragging rights?

I realize chess is addictive and people love the game of chess itself and find it intriguing and a genuine challenge.  But, in many ways, chess is only valuable because it is a social agreement.  So, what else, besides the game and the pure challenge of mastering it, factor into your motiviation to play chess and invest more into it?  Do you like it for the art, the history, the metaphor? Yeah, yeah yeah,  but, besides that,  do you play chess for an ego boost, or leverage chess' reputation for being associated strong refined mind in any social situations to bolster your image, even a little, while perhaps doing your best to appear humble, dismissive or non-chalant?  Or conversely, do you assume it implies nerdishness and try to hide from the stigma of that?  Would you ever find yourself dropping hints or providing subtle clues that you play chess to let people know you're a brain, without letting them know you want them to know? Do you think yourself a better person for playing chess, or perhaps in some ways superior?  When you win a game of chess do you tend to think you're a little smarter than your opponent, or wiser or more advanced? 

That seems to be a matter of debate on chess.com but the meme that's out there in society at large is that intelligence correlates closely with chess abilities or at least vice versa, and my questions are designed to get at some of the underlying motives for why people play chess,  or what social benefits or ego perks they derive.  I suspect that there's more there than meets the eye and that people may not even be aware of their real motivations, or how competitive they are about it, and why, and will only figure it out if they actually think about it a bit.

I play because I have nothing else to do and I'm bored, and I think it's exciting.

I don't feel smarter when I win, I just feel better at the game. I feel like an idiot when I lose though, like last week when I missed a checkmate in 2 and not only missed it but blundered away a piece with the move I did instead. However I was playing tired then. The game took place in the afternoon and I had been awake since 11PM the previous night after only having gotten 4 hours of sleep.

Also it makes me feel better that I didn't realize my mistake via computer analysis but later that night I was thinking of it in my head and realized "Wait, oh no, I think I had a checkmate there!" and then went back and looked at the analysis and I was right.

It actually feels catastrophic when something like that happens though. It's still bothering me. I was playing a similar game later with a different and stronger rated opponent (Sicilian Dragon as black with opponent castled queenside) and I gave the same check I missed in the other game to set up a different checkmate combination, so I guess I should feel better about that too since it showed I learned from the mistake. Though I think the major mistake I made was playing tired.

I think intellegince has little to do with chess. That is why a computer can play chess well. It is all about strategy and thinking about the possible moves an oponnent can make before you. It is not a very complicated game.

no.

I think chess is one of the most complex games ever invented. The fact is that not two games have been found to be identical, plus the complexities of the game as what to do, what to look for, how to calculate, how to look for the best move, etc., makes chess an impossible game to master.

Even Carlsen, the highest player in the world and the present world champion needs to continously practice and study in order to be at the top of his game.

I also think that a certain degree of intelligence is required in order to think correctly, make the pieces work together and archieve the goal of demonstrating your better intuition than your opponent by playing orderly and patiently. 

Chess is far more than a mere game. It is an art that lures you into the world of thinking and acting on behalf of yourself in order to defeat another human mind that is in the process of doing the same thing.

I would compare playing chess intelligently with poetry, music and creativity, all in one brush of the imagination.

Chess can be beautiful or can be boring. It all depends who is behind the board and what his intentions are when he plays. :-)

Great question.  Firstly, I enjoy the beauty of and symmetry of the game.  That rare one in a hundred game where the complexities and positional dynamics are nothing short of elegant.   I think most people associate chess with smarts and a strategical mind.  An odd fact I came across in my work as a contractor nearly everyone with a wreckroom/den have the token chess board featured, its like it comes with the coffee table.  I like being able to beat any average person i meet.  even a smallish chess club I went to i was the second best person of 10 and I'm really not all that good, yet :).  In my rapidly approaching middle age it helps with mental clarity, vocabulary, and ability to organize thoughts.  One thing for sure I noticed is that it quickens the eyes.  can read faster and it just sharpens your ability to take in information.  Like if you  most people were looking at a all with 1000 records I bet the chess player when given the title could pick it out in seconds were a non chess player would be left reading each title..  

I don't play for any other reason then a great love of the game.  Having recently learned exactly what it will take to really improve I am think chess is, dare I say a sort of "booby prize" in life?

" The fact is that not two games have been found to be identical" I reckon his has been played thousands of times.

I can't possibly even read what you said when your picture reflect a killer of the lowest kind.

Change your avatar and then we talk. It is most offensive pal.

Not if you're a noob like me. 

What does "noob" mean?

Noob stands for newbie, which in turn is a polite way of saying someone who's bad, especially terribad. 

We're all newbs (alternate spelling) though until we reach at least NM. 

I don't know what that has to do with having an avatar that reflectls a killer of the lowest level.

His post is actually on topic.

no, it gives other people rights to say I'm a nerd and an addict.

I don't know how I am offending you so much that you wont talk to me by showing you a picture of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un.

Playing chess well only gives you bragging rights within the chess community.

A self-promotional example: my draw with Tal in 1988 gave me so many bragging points that I still haven't used them all up yet.

Actually Cheddrman, you are not offending me, but I do have a hard time respecting anyone who has a picture of a mass murderer who poses as a world leader.

In that sense, I'm incapable to read anything you say even if it is right. All I see is someone hiding behind the face of a disgusting creature that is continuously oppressing his own people while making threats to destroy anyone who disagrees with him. 

It is really pathetic to say the least...