In many ways chess is not all that different from ...

complete the sentence

Nice one!

In many ways chess is not all that different from ...

... martial arts
(Wish I had done it more than those 3 lessons of tae kwando :D) 

Good idea!

In many ways chess is not all that different from ... life!

"Chess is a miniature version of life. To be successful, you need to be disciplined, assess resources, consider responsible choices and adjust when circumstances change." -  Susan Polgar

photoshop

Dating.

1. Both are extremely time-consuming.

2. Both are mentally intense activities.

3. Both involve a lot of strategy.

4. The ultimate objective of both is mating.

cold fusion? Nobody's solved either yet.

5. You often end up screwed.

See what this peculiar Italian player has to say about the common idea of Chess and Life being similar (useful for all sport-life similitude attempt, really), around 6'10'' to 7'15'' of this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7ydZRQa-2g

It's part 2 of 3 of the very interesting documentary "Chess me out".

Part 1/3:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDCZazV57qw

Part 3/3:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Jsd10-5Llg

Sounds interesting! Thank you! :)

6. Both are activities that should be between 2 people, not three or more.

Ping Pong

At the moment I'm taking part to a team chess game: lots of speaking but only one single move every 3 days.

I say you're completely right about it being better when played between 2 persons only.

7. When these activities do involve 3 or more people, in both cases it is called "cheating."

Tiddly winks. Both require deep strategic study.

8. Both can be very awkward for beginners.

9. (enlarging on 8) Indeed, the first time you try it you will certainly do so poorly at it that you will embarrass yourself merely thinking back on it when you are older and wiser.

10. In both what you'd like to acomplish you are most likely geneticly ineligable! #never gonna date Niki Taylor (born ugly) #never gonna beat Magnus Carlson (born stupid)

Composing music, in both cases the rules are relatively simple, only 12 notes to choose from for example, but the possibilities quickly become virtually infinite. You're really only selecting from a relatively small number of options at a time, but because of the branching possibilities, it quickly becomes indistinguishable from true creativity. That's why it amuses me when people say 'there's nothing new in music, all the best pieces have been written already.' People who suggest that have miscalculated by a few orders of magnitude. What they really mean is 'I can't think of anything new.'

Piecefodder, I'm a composer myself, so I appreciate the comparison. Do you write? 

sex...both involve checkmates