Well sometimes it can be stressfull, chess can be brutal. When I loose a long otb game I am energy wise kinda broken, most of the time I can't sleep that night. During the game, most people are nervous and you can feel the tension, but when you win a game correctly it can gives lots of positive energy.
Is chess less fun when you gets good?
Sort:
I have a theory that it's funnest around the intermediate level. 
At the beginner stage, you understand and appreciate a lot less, and games are often lost by stupid mistakes.
Then, when it gets to the point where players spend 8 hours a day on study to get any incremental advantage over their opponent, it's not a game anymore so much as "a way to win."
I think the funnest is somewhere in the middle, where there is some skill and understanding and struggle to win, but it's still just a game to play for fun... rather than a job, or means to an end.
Maybe it changes at the absolute top again, when you have the legendary players facing off against each other. Because then the games can be pure works of beauty, and it must be a joy when most the hard training is done and you can just play against the other best players. Of course, only a few people will ever reach this point.
Just my opinion, which is mostly speculation.
Sep 2, 2014
0
#4
no fun when I know, I only won because my opponent made silly mistakes. That`s like penalty-shooting in football with no goalkeeper. To beat opponents just a bit higher in rating with no obvious blunders - that`s the most fun. I don`t think that`s much different on higher levels. Heartbeat is definetely higher on Blitz-games...
One of the things that makes chess great is that it's fun at all levels. I'd have to say chess for me becomes more fun getting better though. Beating a solid, strong player is a great feeling, and also knowing you can beat up 1200s over and over without them having a clue where they went wrong is fun (in a slightly evil way :) )
On calculation: when you get to a higher level, calculating longer combinations is actually probably a similar of work as a low level player calculating more simple ones, because the higher player intuitively knows what to look for from experience and doesnt worry about a lot of things that a low player might. Also, the higher player sees almost instantly one-move and two-move combinations that the lower player might have spend longer to look around and work out.
Every game includes a move I regret. Still, I enjoy trying because I just like the game. I hope it teaches one to slowly but surely improve without losing respect for those who lose. Or don't have the score. Or don't pay to play. Or don't have time to play as often as others. Have a heart, you high-scoring people! 
The joy at any level is putting in work, pushing yourself, and finding good moves against opponents of similar skill... and of course hopefully eventually winning. It's just at higher levels giving away a free knight, and working hard to find the 2 move combination to win it is replaced with misplacing a piece and working hard at calculating a few lines which prove you can exploit it.
As waller said as you improve you spot the simple stuff automatically.
As for myself, there is definitely more tension in the game, but, how to say it... less fear of the unknown? As a new player I tried to look at everything... what if they push that pawn later? What if they trade knights? What if what if what if... as waller said as you get better you're freed to ignore the really bad moves almost automatically. And some scary looking moves can be ruled out with logic and understanding instead of getting bogged down with calculate as a lower rated player would.
For me, the game being more tense increases the joy of doing well. And less fear of the unknown makes it more fun as well.
No, I think the better you get the more fun you have. I think knowing what is going on the board and what plans you should adopt makes chess more enjoyable. When you are a clueless idiot (referring exclusively to chess) it's not fun to me. Well, if you're a top 50 player though, it's hard work already and hardly fun
IMO Class A/Expert Level is where it's most fun.
...remembering to respect those less chess-able than oneself. Collection starting shortly in aid of rubbishatchessbutliketoplay.org.
Mainline_Novelty wrote:
IMO Class A/Expert Level is where it's most fun.
So your current level is the most fun? ;)
I guess it stands to reason that when chess isn't fun anymore that the player stops improving. As for higher levels not reached yet, it's impossible for the player to compare.
Therefore it seems necessarily true that players will report that their current level (or the level just below them) is the most fun.
In other words, it's all relative.
marcosite wrote:
...remembering to respect those less chess-able than oneself. Collection starting shortly in aid of rubbishatchessbutliketoplay.org.
You can respect the person of course. You can even respect their hard work or dedication. You can respect their improvement. etc.
No sense in respecting their skill though.
Ouch.
marcosite wrote:
Ouch.
Haha, I didn't mean it that way :)
Think of parallel in your own life. What have you spent a lot of time gaining proficiency in? What do you know a lot about? People who have done considerably less you don't think badly of them of course. But in that area of expertise you understand you are superior.
shell_knight wrote:
marcosite wrote:
Ouch.
Haha, I didn't mean it that way :)
Think of parallel in your own life. What have you spent a lot of time gaining proficiency in? What do you know a lot about? People who have done considerably less you don't think badly of them of course. But in that area of expertise you understand you are superior.
I don't care for a superior attitude from a beginner (whatever the activity) but I don't care for superior attitudes generally. It's one thing to know oneself as good at something but that cannot be an excuse to smug....or can it? Ha, I jest. There is nothing wrong in having pride in an ability. But be careful about bragging! 
Mainline_Novelty wrote:
IMO Class A/Expert Level is where it's most fun.
That's my guess.
I've heard a lot of people say that, too.
That's why my goal is that level.
shell_knight wrote:
Mainline_Novelty wrote:
IMO Class A/Expert Level is where it's most fun.
So your current level is the most fun? ;)
Well...I don't think master level or above could be most fun, as that's where it starts to become more "serious-work" oriented. And now is the most fun chess has been now that I have a quarter-decent understanding of what's going on.
Yeah, I've heard around master level is when it starts becoming a research projects so to speak.
But you know, some people live for that sort of thing. Some people choose to do research all their lives :)
I think most will agree that at any level, it's more fun when you win. So maybe mr.Carlsen is having the most fun then ?
For me, the most fun usually comes when I spend a little extra time before making my moves, and find opportunities I otherwise would have overlooked.
But it's also fun to play purely by feeling, and let the game go where it goes, though usually this leads to a drop in my rating :-)
Playing on a low level, things happens. Inaccurasies allows combinations. You take chances and gets fun.
On higher level the opposition gets more solid. They never allow you anything. They dont give away anything. The positions demands more heavy calculating. The brain gets overloaded, moving with pain in the brain. And when you meet weaker opposition it is a relief, but the fun of winning is less than it was when you considered them to be on your level.