Chess is a foolish expedient for making idle people believe they are doing something very clever when they are only wasting their time.” wouldnt that fit even more on philiosophs???
really bernhard shaw had a strange humor indeed.
George Bernard Shaw, one said
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chess has more than its fair share of rich snobs and most of them think they are doing something really clever. so I agree somewhat.
It's a damn funny quote, and I love Shaw. Chess is a game, a game that I love. Other people like video games, or checkers, or solitaire. Chess has a depth to it that keeps it (for me) interesting. Then again, video games are ever more complex. Something we can do without? Snobbery! I'm used to "women can't play chess" comments. Can't see why those belong on a site for so-called intelligent people. So there you have it. Like TetsuoShima it's cheaper than drinking (and better for you) and it's a harmless way to whittle through a life none of us asked for anyway. And true, none of us are getting out alive! Hahahaha!
He probably just couldn't play a decent endgame.
"Reading the works of George Bernard Shaw is a foolish expedient for making idle people believe they are doing something very clever when they are only wasting their time.” -
Well played malko. Shaw's quote could be used in reference to almost any human endeavor. Notable exceptions being: saving a life and advancing human capacity or knowledge. To which some might argue, as to the latter, the game of chess could lay claim.
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.
leave that sort of thinking to the philosophers.
DrSpudnik wrote:
He probably just couldn't play a decent endgame.
I'm with DrSpudnik, sounds like something someone would say when they've tried chess and aren't a master at it right away. He was probably beaten by his niece or something.
Chess is not a waste of time. In fact, in a 2015 article
https://news.microsoft.com/life/how-to-land-a-job-at-microsoft/
"
"...several Microsoft recruiters [were asked] how you can boost your chances of getting the job.
Their answer:
“Were you a chess master or a championship-winning tennis player?” They go on to say:
“I look for people who like to work hard, have fun and do it with a positive attitude. I think those are important attributes to success,” says Kameron Swinton, a Microsoft talent sourcer. “I’m also looking for people who have been high achievers, and that’s not limited to their profession.
“Were you a chess master or a championship-winning tennis player?” he asks. “Tell me about it. Not only does it make for a great story but it speaks to your dedication, hard work and perseverance.”
It’s not correct to think that Shaw agreed with the idea that chess is a waste of time, since he put the idea into the mouth of a fictional character — a character he wanted the reader to think of as a fool. It would be safer to think that Shaw considered the idea something a fool would say. Here’s a photo of Shaw and his wife.
Good points made by those citing the character. It is incorrect to list the quote as coming from George Bernard Shaw as if he believed it, just at it is incorrect to for someone to quote someone else and then have that someone listed as having originated or believed in that quote.
Chess is a foolish expedient for making idle people believe they are doing something very clever when they are only wasting their time.” - George Bernard Shaw
I can see what he's saying; but in a life that ultimately has no purpose (after all, none of us get's out of here alive), chess is one of the most engrossing & enjoyable ways of 'wasting' time!
& a lot cheaper than two of my other vices, drink & herbal ciggarettes.
What do people think ?