1828rule wrote:
At the barber shop we play checkers while waiting for our turn. Sometimes takes hours. I'll just play their game. Hopefully, someday they will forget I brought it up and quit making fun of me.
Actually you should make fun of them as they prefer a much simpler "game".
BTW: if you want to invent a new chess variation and play it with your friends, fine enough. I suggested chess960 because its becoming quite popular. You can play it in a lot of online sites. Real OTB tournament are also arranged around the world, and its played also by several titled players.
I have few friends that arent chess players these days . When I first got into serious chess I had a couple of friends that played chess a little but they soon quit playing me , especially after I beat them blindfolded a few times .... We had other common interests though and were friends since high school so we continued hunting and fishing together , swimming, pool , and archery were also interests we shared . New friends I have made the last few decades are all chess " connected " .