for what reason do you play chess?

A wise man once said ...

whatever his wife told him to say.

very good one. points to you

Excellent subect & even better commentary...  well, I taught myself, from the puzzles posted daily in our local paper, then put that knowledge to work in a '4way chessboard'. If you mated any king, you took control over their army. Friends then taught me the intricacies of the game (mainly how to avoid backrankmates!) As my knowldge grew, they became more and more impatient with my play as i deeply studied the position at hand.

I'm not one to play to win, nor for a 'rank'. However, to look upon someones plans and counter them with your own can show you much about people, yourself and the differing personalities in between.  Kinda makes me wish all politics were decided over a game of Chess. If someone REALLY wants their bill, amendment, etc. to be 'law'... they will fight tooth and nail to overcome the position placed before them on the board of life.

/twocents

For me chess is a meditative exercise.

i'll never understand why i'm always double posting stuff!

Cuz it is one of the best things ever!

Are you getting double the credit?

I play for fun.....helps my stress....and because Chess is  not a boring game!

I play chess because each game is different and unique. Chess is never-ending, whereas other games eventually get boring and old. 

X2 :) It is magnificent.

life is certainly not about money orangeishblue!!

isn't there any one who feels chess is like a war?and it's like the life we have?

No.

please attack me so i get stronger

Chess originally was supposed to simulate war so that Kings could do battle in war like settings to settle differences without bloodshed was a story I once heard but not sure if this was a factual or urban legend account.

I do know I play chess because no matter if someone is a Physicist, janitor, homelss person, male or female, we all have a common factor,: we like to play the game.

Also I play the game because I like it and because I respect teh purity of it at its most basic level.

NA!   war ain't fair...   Chess however, 2 Kings, 2 Queens, 4 Rooks - Bishops - Knights and 16 pawns not to forget and mention the 32 dark/light squares... You can't get any fairer then that.   & I thought i did compare Chess to life, or viceversa?

Chess is mental sex.  

“The game of Chess is not merely an idle amusement; several very
valuable qualities of the mind are to be acquired and strengthened by
it, so as to become habits ready on all occasions; for life is a kind of Chess”
(Benjamin Franklin)

thats a pretty cool quote