kco wrote:
AnthonyCG wrote:
It sounds like you enjoy learning about the game but you don't enjoy actually playing it. I've met some guys like that before. They read middlegame books and watch master games but they never play. I think they're just bored of the game and do it just to do it...
I would take a long break from the game and see what happens.
I definitely agree!!!!!
I'm not sure there's anything wrong with you at all. Chess is so vast that it can easily accomodate all kinds of observers/scholars/players. Would anyone think there was something wrong with you if you loved reading Shakespeare and attending his plays without ever wanting to perform in one? Would you be considered bizarre because you love listening to great piano music yet have never taken a piano lesson and can't even play a C major scale?
For whatever reason, some people just have more fun with reading about the game and watching the games of great players. I am one of them. I do play, certainly, but usually no more than one or two games a day. To me, that's perfectly reasonable. You do what gives you pleasure and satisfaction, not what the chess community deems appropriate.
I resonate a lot with what you're saying. Until a few months ago, I was so afraid of looking stupid while playing chess, I wouldn't even play online against nameless faceless opponents! Finally, since I had almost no one to play among my friends, I joined up here, sucked up my pride, and started playing. I'm not very good, and I've lost a lot of games, but I'm thrilled at how much I get to enjoy this hobby now that I forced myself out of my shell.
Anyway, I think this is maybe the biggest thing that people like us (or at least me) can learn from chess. In this world, you're going to lose...a ton...no matter what your level is. It can make us humble, angry, or afraid. We need to choose the first option, both for chess and for ourselves.
Forget about chess and start dating women.
Thats not helping.
I had a great moment today regarding this ... my chess mentor, a 2000+ player, showed us a game he played this year where he made several bad moves including blundering a piece against a player rated more than 500 points lower than him. The game ended in a draw. Everybody can blunder and get away with it, it seems. I thought it showed strong character that he was showing that game.
Forget about chess and start dating women.
Haha! Ok, this is the post of the week.
Not sure Bartleby73's wife would agree though 
But seriously Bartleby73, don't worry about it because you're not alone & certainly not weird! I joined this site first of all just for the puzzles, in order to exercise my mind since retiring & then got drawn into playing.
But the fact is, I still get much more satisfaction from cracking a really tough chess puzzle than I do from playing. This is probably because my wins are due much more to my opponents' mistakes than any skill of mine! And I've got the same problem with time pressure - I tried my hand at a few Live games recently with disastrous results.
It sounds like your free time is limited so concentrate on what you really enjoy - do you ever visit GameKnot.com because that site offers two daily puzzles, both of which are usually better than the one here?
Come to think of it, I could have written your post myself 
I just noticed your handle, Bartleby! How ironic. When asked if you'd like to play a game of chess, is your reply, "I would prefer not to"? 
Well, I guess it's kind of like some fellow ham radio operators I know who love to build radios but don't necessarily care about getting on the air and talking to people. They love the electronic theory and actual mechanics of building electronic circuits, but don't care to do anything with it once it's completed. This could be similar, in that some people love studying chess theory, love the tactics and strategy, and enjoy the mechanics of the game but don't actually care to play it themselves.
I'm a lot like you @Bartleby, i cousider myself a clear 1200 rated player, with maybe 700 to 800 games played total over the past 2 years of my chess beginning/training. Somehow, i've been reading wayyy more then i've played so far, and when its occurs, i usually (feel like i) got to sharp my vision while watching/reading GM Games and with the time, i realized i have more fun and more worthy experience doing it that way : First, these games are usually flawless or at most, the true art of chess comes at this point.. And secundo, while watching GM Games, this is usually where i learned my Opening/middle/end games Tactics & patterns. When the time of playing happens, i usually try to challenge person of rating above mine, i might lose but i'll learn way more this way (and since, the default rating is 1200 on Chess.com, i try to aim on 1250+~)
I guess, i'd rather take more times on my training then actually using my full potential VS Humans, like you said, you'd rather face computer then humans, nor i am, since its where i learn the most at my rating.. I have a friend which is rated 800-950 on chess.com ; i guess it would be really hard to learn from theeself while playing VS Humans game of the same rating since the game is mostly ruled by mistakes and blunders at this point.
The moral should be that, keep reading about GMs, keep doing tactics training, keep playing VS computer to improve your visions/tactics/quick patterns recognitions and just simply enjoy what you're doing. Maybe, its a lack of In Real Life chess playing friends that hold you from playing and learning more from your game mistakes, like i said, i rarely go playing OTB or Netgames but when i do, i usually only play 3-4 10|0 / 15|0 games a weeks and i try to analyse them with the most variations i can. This is how i found how to improve my rating capacities at 1200 while preserving the fun i first had while learning how to move them pieces and to fight for completing a final mating positions!
Forget about chess and start dating women.
You know what they say when Starting ' A ' and not Finishing ' B ', while you can:
http://www.puatraining.com/
Hey Bartleby,
I have the same aversion to playing online or OTB. Just the thought of losing to some player with a pulse bugs the daylights out of me. Next week there is an open house by a chess club in my area. I'm going to check it out.
@AcWolfpack You should feel lucky about that sir, these kind of events are heavily uncommon here, in my small town. i've seen one kind of appearence of chess and it was about this chess player who charged 25$/hours to play/train with you, which totally upset me. Don't skip a chance and go for this event, you'll might and will probably get beated -it should be written in the sky this night- but just give your best and play the most you can! It's all about the contacts you'll make there and future connections! You got much more to learns from others at chess and this is a great chance to make physical connection which is what you're in need for future improvement! Trust me, this is my situation...
There are some folks who mainly concentrate on chess puzzles, esp those of Sam Lloyd and other composers in which a mate-in-2 can be extremely difficult to solve - ie, puzzles that rarely appear to be "realistic." And there are other players who only play computers, so I don't think it's too weird to concentrate on studying chess and/or just playing thru game collections and reading chess books.
My guess is you'll eventually begin playing carbon-based opponents (which I highly recommend) but if you don't you should stick to whatever makes you happy (well at least at the chessboard)
What my coach (a GM) would remind me is that you need to balance your chess study with playing. Otherwise you will not remember what you are studying because you have no place to apply your chess knowledge.
I can see people enjoying training and not wanting to play. Personally, I have trouble finding the time to play long-time control chess. So I force myself to play Blitz chess when I have time which is better than not playing at all. However not the best for improving your Standard chess.
If it is losing that turns you off from playing. Then you are actually missing a good opportunity to figure out your weaknesses. Which you will need a Coach or a stronger player than yourself to go over your games and point those out to you. This really improves your understanding of the game and should motivate you to continue playing. Otherwise you will suffer lose after lose without gaining much except discouragement
Hi GabrielBedard, Thank you for the advice. It was helpfull.
I'm like you Bartleby. Tactics Trainer or Chess Mentor are fine and I do play a little against the computer but playing a live person is too much drama. I'm almost 70, recently retired and my competitive juices evaporated several years ago. The same thing happened in golf: I stopped enjoying betting, then stopped keeping score and now I just enjoy playing a round by myself.
I wouldn't worry about it. Just do what you enjoy; that way you won't burn out.
Tubester, i take lessons over the internet just not on this chess site. There are GMs all over the world ready to teach.
actually, I have to confess, I do play a lot of chess - against primary school children. I do notcount those games as games, though.
I do go over the few games that I play and am in the fortunate position that I can show them to very strong players. To those who do not have that luxury, I advise you to post your games on this website. There will be people to give you valuable content.
I agree that there should be a balance between own play and training. I just wish I could bring myself to play more. My hatred of time pressure is a big part of this. Therefore, I am told that i should seek time pressure.
But why on earth do I have to do stuff I dislike all the time? I don't get paid for it!
Chess is a big tent... If you like the academic side, great! You don;t have to play people or computers to have a good time... which is why we are all here. I play on the board and with books and have a ball. I do have fun online. As they used to say a long, long, time ago.. "Do what you want to do". Enjoy chess in whatever form!!