How do you feel about chess?

Nice post, henri. Checking amazon for the book you mentioned. OK, on to my own thoughts...

I like to study chess more than I like to play against a human opponent, especially if OTB. I get a thrill out of performing well, but I feel down about crushing someone, or being crushed.

For whatever that's worth.

I think most people are talking about the actual game and not the administration of official associations which is something else.

I've seen this word before in the context of all time popular games. I have no knowledge of this game beyond that. Is it cheaper than chess? I am facing a pay cut as a teacher next month, a big one, and fear I won't be able to stay competitive at chess because I won't have the money to purchase the necessary 10 to 15 "how to improve your game" chess books each month.

How many books must I purchase to be a competitive Mancala player. I really hate losing.

I don't play Mancala but I only need to know one thing to answer your question. How many opening theories are there in Mancala?

Number of required books  = number of opening theories plus 20.

That's if you don't get carried away.

I am smitten :)

The Go Game!(ie WeiQi, ie Baduk)

Go.

More than 2 500 years old, it has been around longer than chess. Chess is currently more popular, but Go's 27 million players are certainly not insignificant.

sometimes it feels good sometimes it doesn't, this may be less an intelligent answer as it is more an honest one.

"Chess is mental torture."- Garry Kasparov; I agree with that. Football Manager is also a good game and it is not torture for my mind...Sorry guys, chess is not fair game at all.

Chess makes me feel hollow

I have a friend who is not that good a chessplayer, but who is drawn toward the game by its mental rigors & logical charms etc...

He once said to me after a long, dreary loss to me: "Chess is not a fun game. You just sit in a chair and torture yourself for hours."

And yet he kept playing...

Oh, yeah.  Hate it with a passion.  Sincerely.

But it's an addiction.  I can't stop.  I hate when I lose...I hate when I overlook the obvious and turn what could have been a work of art into a rigmarole pawn-n-rook festival...I hate when I let life's many opportunities pass me by and go la-la-la'ing into the distance so I can spend an extra day analyzing whether or not a positional exchange sac is going to be worth it in the endgame.

Damn you chess!  I can't quit you!

And with that, I begin to realize my relationship with this game has taken on Brokeback Mountainian dimensions, and I'm even more depressed.

If you need me, I'll be off somewhere ruminating on corresponding squares some more.

"Chess is a beautiful mistress."--Bent Larsen

"Chess is mental torture."--Garry Kasparov

These two quotes sum up my feelings about chess...

I have fallen in love with chess recently

An inconvenient truth.

Personally, I have given up on chess at least 3 times. It's no use. I'm not going to quit again. Buying all those books again is a real pain!

Ummmmmmmmm.  You've outdone yourself in the "strange" department with this one.  How could anybody hate 33 inanimate objects?  Nobody hates chess.

Hmmm....I hate my vaccum cleaner, I hate my furnace, I hate my drapes, etc., I'm sure I can hate even more than 33 inanimate objects

Have you told your wife and your girlfriend?

The thing is, and this is just my opinion, I have had chess teacher's in the past when I lived in Europe and have bought and read NUMEROUS books and yet the lesson's I learn playing are always more valuable.  I am just getting back into it but when you have access to sites like chess.com, chess on facebook, and 365chess.com (not trying to plug competitors) to help you with EVERY phase of the game, I see no reason why you would HAVE to invest heavily in books.  They can help, but not really necessary unless you plan to play competitively in tourney's.

I adore chess, and yes, it can be frustrating at times, but never be frustrated at your opponent or even at yourself, instead be frustrated at having not had the time to play more and be superior. Can chess drive a man mad?  No, I believe Fischer, Alekhine, and Morphy (btw, my 3 favorite player's of all time) would have had difficulties regardless of what they did because mental illness isn't something you catch, it's something you have (thinking deeply on any subject to long can drive you to depression maybe, it cannot make you insane).

Don't abandon chess, the chess community needs every voice it can get and you never know when you might play a brilliant move and impress everyone.  I played at the Southern open many years ago in a very low division and by the end of the game most of the competitors in the open bracket had crowded around to see 2 lowbie's beat each other to death on the board.  It was, without a doubt, one of the most proud moments of my life to be patted on the bakc and hand shaken by 2 international masters after I forced mate.

Brilliance comes from passion and if you have, and then lose your, passion (in anything in your life) it means you might not have the drive when you put your hand to the rudder of your life in other areas.

Just my 2 cents (feel free to flame the crap out of me for my psycho-bable and hyperbole)