Falling out of love with chess

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Avatar of IntuitiveCalculator

Some years ago, chess felt endlessly fun and addictive to me. I could play all day, all week, without getting tired of it. I genuinely believed I would never get bored of chess.

Recently though, it feels dull and repetitive. I still play, but mostly out of habit rather than enjoyment. The dynamics of the game are starting to feel increasingly flawed, and limiting, and that sense of discovery I once had is mostly gone.

Has anyone else experienced this, and what did you do about it?

Avatar of cheeseblackbelt

I had the same experience when I was sick, I continued to play just like you mostly out of habit and not by enjoyment. So I took a break from two weeks, even if it was difficult, and when I was better, rather than going back to play some games, I returned to what I enjoyed the most : learning. I spend another week just completely learning, openings, tactics, doing puzzles, while playing much fewer games that what I was used to. And now it's better, and I am more dedicated to improve through all of my games, taking time to review them. You are a high rated player in rapid, but I'm sure you still have things to learn. Or you could fix an objective in OTB, or try and grind Blitz and bullet for a month or smth. I feel like settings an objective, not too easy, but not impossible either, is the best way to get back into chess when you have lost the fun.

Avatar of JatinStrikes

In summary, you need to uninstall the app for 2 weeks and download it again, till it starts feeling boring and tiring and repeat

Avatar of cheeseblackbelt
JatinStrikes a écrit :

In summary, you need to uninstall the app for 2 weeks and download it again, till it starts feeling boring and tiring and repeat

It's kind of like this for me actually. When you are bored from chess, I try to do another activity if I can

Avatar of IntuitiveCalculator
nonotrocosto2011 wrote:
JatinStrikes a écrit :

In summary, you need to uninstall the app for 2 weeks and download it again, till it starts feeling boring and tiring and repeat

It's kind of like this for me actually. When you are bored from chess, I try to do another activity if I can

What other activity or game do u suggest?

Avatar of ACMVertwitch

Constant prayer

Avatar of BlondyTween

this is what we call BURNOUT. 
Stop playing the game out of habit for a bit, you'll see you'll get your love back.

Avatar of Lateriflora

To the OP: Chess IS a repetitive game. I've seen so many guys play, for example, the French Defense for 30 years. What kind of life is that? Books like Reinfeld's combination book also show that tactical patterns just keep repeating, often in a different disguise. I quit playing from age 35 to age 70 and once I got over the addictiveness and obsessiveness of the game I just quit and did not miss it at all. Now I'm 74 years old and basically play to kill time. I think it's very telling how Morphy and Fischer grew to hate the game and how World Champions (Kramnik, Kasparov, Carlsen) are giving up Classical chess but for what ... to play fast chess which has more blunders and virtually sacrifices depth for short tactics. I miss serious chess like a pimple on my posterior.

Avatar of Lateriflora
IntuitiveCalculator wrote:
nonotrocosto2011 wrote:
JatinStrikes a écrit :

In summary, you need to uninstall the app for 2 weeks and download it again, till it starts feeling boring and tiring and repeat

It's kind of like this for me actually. When you are bored from chess, I try to do another activity if I can

What other activity or game do u suggest?

How about no games at all!? What about learning a musical instrument, a foreign language, or, if young, math and science. These activities enhance interactions with others through shared beauty. In chess, it's kill or be killed by ONE other person with whom 99% of the time you don't interact with at all.