Dry Chess

I don't actually think Chess is fun anymore. I used to when I began, but I kind of just play it now to check off a list of hobbies.

Chess has become dry, there's no actual interest, nothing quality, no excitement. It's simply, E4, E5, knights, repeat ad infinitum. Or maybe I'm unlucky enough to find someone who's playing a basic London, or just fianchettos and stores their knights on e3 and d3! It's just so exciting seeing the exact same moves played over and over again. Sad thing is- there's no other way to win. It's not a game of strategy if there's a defined best move- strategy is dynamic, while Chess ends up mechanical. Sure, you could play some random Sicilian Flying Dragon or gambits, but you might as just spam resignations if losing ELO and playing strategies like that is the end goal. Let's see Stockfish play H4 against another Stockfish and win- except it never will. It'll just lose, because if it's not the meta- it's useless.

Chess has lost all life to it in the same way that AG Gen 7 Pokemon did- why on Earth would you actually make a dynamic team you enjoy when everything is just teams of 6 Mega Rays and the Meta? If you want to have fun, games where the meta is a maxim are simply not reasonable. Sure, I can run the most optimal games- study Stockfish down to the core and drain the life that way, or maybe I could suck the life out of it by force the circle into the square peg and play some half-baked random gambit or variation no one's heard of for the novelty of it. It's novelty and that's it, just stagnation otherwise.

The first hundred games were fun dances of thought, nice puzzles and thinking challenges- but, much like my experience with Sudoku and Minesweeper, after the first few dozen games- it gets stale. Minesweeper and Sudoku grew so easy I would do them in the background- (Disregarding the extreme versions.), and Chess is the same. It doesn't have depth to it, endless moves and yet most of them would lose the game instantly. When I was first learning Fianchettoing and the such there was whimsy to it- there were things I didn't know, stuff to learn. Now it's just the same, either you play optimally or you lose ELO trying to have fun.

And then there are the dozens of people who'd say skill issue- that I should study my games and practice more- yet I have a life to live. I have things to do, people I care about, music to make, exercise to do, a piano to play, a sketchbook to fill, college work to do, books to read and write, coding to do.

It's important to remember my favorite Paul Morphy quote, because how it demonstrates what I mean:
"The ability to play chess is the sign of a gentleman. The ability to play chess well is the sign of a wasted life."

What do you think?

Edit: I'm specifically looking at ways to actually enjoy this game instead of using it as a consistent test of patience and to fill a list, along with the thoughts on stagnation.

You have a nice point. All I can say is if chess isn't your thing don't force it, life is more important than wasting time on something you don't enjoy or doesn't bring immediate success. If you want some fun back in it, try looking at my tactical openings or very active gambits where there are a lot of options but you still have a good chance at winning.

I think there are many different motivations for playing chess. If your view of getting better means less interesting play, maybe don't worry about rating. Find people to play unrated games. But at the end of the day, if you don't want to play chess anymore, then don't play it.

#1, I’m going to have to respectfully disagree. While yes- it is possible to make mistakes at the start of the game, and it is not good to do so- and yes, most games will always start out playing the same way, there are always changes- the game always progresses differently and 99% of games you play will be in a position never before reached in chess. Certain aspects of chess will always remain though of course. The strategy isn’t to play e4, or d4, that’s not “the meta”, it doesn’t give you an instant win nor do you need to do it to win. You can win with h4 if you have the right idea. The strategy part of chess is dynamic, different with every game- players who try to keep the same strategy and play the same way every game usually end up stuck between 1000-1400. (lots of players have this certain idea that if they castle the opposite side and push pawns, they will always win [they wont]). Finding the strategy and plan to follow every game is the difficult part of chess. You must be able to recognize weaknesses and evaluate imbalances, if you don’t know how to do that- I suggest read “How to reassess your chess (4th edition)” by Jeremy Silman. Chess isn’t an easy, but that’s what’s fun about it- the challenge. And yes, at times things will be the same, people will play the same opening move- but it’s up to you to decide where the game goes- you decide how to respond. Want to spice things up? Play a tricky gambit, and sure stockfish might say it’s bad- but guess what? You arnt playing stockfish. You are playing real people who make mistakes- and if they “mistake” you make has an actual idea and requires the opponent to think and play well- it might not even be able to be considered a mistake in the practical sense.

It's fine to not enjoy playing chess, but just because you don't enjoy playing a game, doesn't mean that the game is intrinsically dry and stale; I, for instance, find that chess is a game of limitless complexity, and incredible depth. The fact that we have differing views on this subject matter doesn't stem from one of us being right, and the other wrong, but from the subjective nature of enjoyment and pleasure.

Wow

Hey there! I totally get it. Chess can feel a bit like eating plain toast sometimes, especially when you keep seeing the same moves over and over. But trust me, there's a whole world of exciting chess out there!

1. Try Different Openings!

Go for the weird and wonderful: Instead of always playing e4 or d4, try something unexpected! Look into openings like the "King's Gambit" (1. e4 e5 2. f4) or the "Scandinavian Defense" (1. e4 d5). These can lead to crazy, tactical games where anything can happen. 
Explore different lines: Even within e4 or d4, there are tons of variations. Instead of the same old Nf3, look at lines that involve early queen moves, or pawn sacrifices.
Think outside the box: Look up openings on sites like chess.com or . There are lots of resources that show you the fun and exciting lines.

2. Play Different Time Controls:

Blitz and Bullet: If you're used to longer games, try playing some blitz (3-5 minutes per player) or even bullet (1-2 minutes per player). It's fast-paced, exciting, and you have to rely on your instincts!
Crazyhouse or other variants: Try playing chess variants. Crazyhouse is a fun one where captured pieces can be dropped back onto the board. It leads to wild and unpredictable games! There are many other variants like 3 check, king of the hill, atomic chess and more.
3. Solve Chess Puzzles:

Tactics, tactics, tactics! Solving chess puzzles helps you see cool combinations and sacrifices. It's like training your brain to find the hidden fireworks in a game. Sites like Lichess and Chess.com have tons of puzzles to solve.
Study checkmates: Learning different checkmate patterns can make your games more exciting. Instead of just grinding down your opponent, you can go for a stylish finish!
4. Watch Entertaining Chess Content:

Streamers and YouTubers: There are tons of chess streamers and YouTubers who make chess really fun to watch. Look for people who explain their moves in an engaging way, or who play crazy, attacking games.
Chess Comedy: There are chess comedy channels on youtube that make fun of chess and it's tropes. It's a fun way to laugh about the game and not take it too seriously.
5. Play with Friends (or Online):

Friendly competition: Playing with friends can make chess a lot more social and fun. You can trash-talk each other (in a friendly way, of course!) and try out crazy ideas.
Online tournaments: Join online tournaments for your skill level. They can be a great way to meet new people and test your skills in a competitive environment.
6. Analyze Your Games:

Learn from your mistakes: After each game, take a few minutes to analyze it. You might find some cool moves you missed or some tactical blunders that you can learn from.
Use an engine: Chess engines are like super-powered chess computers. They can help you see where you went wrong and show you better moves.
7. Set Fun Goals:

Try a new opening: Set a goal to learn a new opening in a week.
Solve a certain number of puzzles: Challenge yourself to solve a certain number of puzzles each day.

8. Have some fun!

Ditch those e4 and e5 every game. Play Grob, Bongcloud, Latvian, Bertin or Duras Openings / Gambits! This make things a bit more spicy! (Although I don't think you should play these but... anyways)

Win a game with a specific checkmate: Try to win a game with a cool checkmate pattern.
Remember, chess is a game! It's supposed to be fun. Don't be afraid to experiment, try new things, and make some mistakes along the way. The more you play, the more you'll discover the exciting possibilities that chess has to offer. Have fun out there!

Take a break from chess. At least a week, preferably more.

Return when you feel that you want to play chess again. If that doesn't happen, it doesn't happen.

To reiterate my grievances with these-

Gambits and quirky games don't make something fun by nature, they make it novel- I can waste 10 minutes for a sliver of satisfaction. Gambits don't even have the prospect of "skill" to them either like most others are, because Chess is a game where one missclick ends the game immediately, so it's less so playing the game and more just waiting for them to make a mistake so you can prey on the fact that they can't see 50 moves ahead. I don't want to play a game where the only fun I can glean from it is waiting until some poor soul doesn't know the perfect move to make, that's not fun, that's not a game, it's just dry.

The same goes for bullet chess- do I really need to put my brain in fight-or-flight with rushes of adrenaline to try to milk out every drop of joy? Is it that there is so little to the game that there needs to be mere seconds to make it interesting? At what point do I just put the Chessboard away and open Quickerflak if the best that a game can manage is being made fun by panic? Chess variants are just novelty too- there's so little about the game that's actually fun that an entire community has formed just to try to make a game not boring- and for what?

Puzzles are just the same novelty ad infinitum, why bother with some crazy 20-move puzzle or some effortless 1-move-to-mate when there are endless things better to do than try to milk a dry gain for a drop of joy?

And for Chess entertainers- there's a reason why Hikaru's always doing crazy or excessive things, or Magnus needs to make some wacky gimmick, or Gotham's always loud- it's again because the only material that could be made from it is if someone adds to it- never the game itself. Imagine if there was a video of just Chess- no commentary, no facecam, no wacky gimmicks, just Chess. The only cases of that are famous games.

I may be negative and callous, but I concede that analysis and friends can definitely make the matter more interesting. Thank you for those points.

Chess doesn't feel like a game anymore- games don't get "solved", hook Stockfish up to a quantum computer and that's the result. Games are dynamic, have an element of uniquity or chaos- Chess doesn't have that, it's cold- it's the same, it's stale, it's dry. There's novelty to everything, but Chess is simply too small to make any one piece of novelty anything more than a quick win. In writing this, I'm beginning to genuinely question why people enjoy Chess. Why do you enjoy it, despite my pessimistic flaws I mention?

Chess does have "that". Chess isn't solved, not even close.

The problem is with you. You are burnt out and tilted. As I said, you should take a break.

Try offbeat openings (like Grob, Orangutan, or Bongcloud) not to win, but just to break the monotony.

Recommending the Bongcloud is a new low, even for ChatGPTMasteryOfficial.

these forum posts are the best i have read in weeks and so many insightful thoughts about chess -- it makes you not want to give up on the game and move on-- to say checkers- or maybe spades- I think I have read a couple of the posts three or four times over ,they are so good --- thanks all from a bottom feeder like me below 400 in 24 hour and 100 in all the rest -- the effort to read it all was worth every bit of time now to understand it all that may time a bit more thought