uh.. What is chess actually?

amogus

winning is not only a necessity but its pure survival, you must have the drive to win always

thats not related also in a sense they did lose cause they gave their lives but it was in a sense of wanting to save other people which in turn caused their deaths. they were honorable but it doesn't mean they survive, you can list a ton of honorable people but surviving is living

its just more basic logic really cause that doesn't even compare to what surviving is, that just sounds more like a person giving their life for someone else. its honorable but its the complete opposite of what a survivor is and more of someone who is willing to do anything to save people

edit - also noticed that with my last sentence, wanted to add that there is no saving people in chess and in most real life situations people are always crazy and choose to save themselves

the example you gave is not what i mean at all so i will show you the way i envision surviving. when i mean that surviving is living, i mean that person is doing whatever it takes to survive and live his life again. i am not saying for someone to go steal drugs so he survives, thats absurd. one example ill say is like the movie which i really admire 127 hours based on the true story on Aron ralston a hiker who was trapped inside of a canyon and believed he was going to die.

Ralston went for a simple hike one day but instead due to a loose rock, he fell inside the canyon where his arm got stuck on the rock. there was no way to escape and he had to ration the little water he had even hallucinating and withstanding horrible weather conditions. he amputated his arm cause he had the will to survive, he wanted to live and was very grateful for his survival.

i view surviving as living cause its a representation of someone who is trying so hard to keep going in order to be alive and doing what it takes to withstand another day, its not for something abusive or negative but to simply keep going

i have a more grateful morality, of course we cant win everytime but we all try to win with the best we can and sometimes thats just not enough. maybe one draw is just fine as it isn't the end of the world, there is always more opportunities but in real life situations and in near death experiences its all down to the wire and pure ambition. chess has tons of representations but for me i often view it as simply 2 armies having the will to try and defend their side for salvation

i do see what you mean though especially with the generational aspect and the impact we leave though its exactly how you view it. for me i agree 100% its just i view it in a thankful direction

So if the only way you could win was to cheat, would you do it? Is winning more important than integrity or honesty? The word "necessity" would suggest that if cheating is the only way to win / survive, then you would cheat. 

I have a lot more respect for those who place integrity, honesty, sportsmanship, etc above winning. There is a time and place when fighting or even killing is necessary. IMO, the chessboard is not that place. 

Treating chess like a life and death activity seems nothing short of silly to me. 

yes i see what you mean though i used his example as it was more of a inspirational story which led a impact on many people. he may have not been a great person beforehand nor was he always positive during the hike but thats not the point. the point of what i mean is that he withstood a near death experience and managed to survive barely losing his arm. he is now a motivational speaker, still hikes and is a way more emotional speaker to many on his journey. 

surviving just means you live and thats it, living doesn't always have to be "feeling alive"

no i wouldn't cheat i would do the best of my ability like i said but if were for tournaments or special matches its always important to win cause thats the goal. draws are fine as well and i agree the chessboard is not that place but i always felt like chess doesn't have a sense of honor or respect as that never seemed to me. throughout many eras, there has always been war like behavior on and off the board, always being dramas and people hating each other till they die.

i do believe in those aspects and think they are important but tournament wise its always better to try to push beyond your limits for the win. its those small efforts which make a difference

@61

But my happiness level is higher than it has ever been.  And my impact in my community is higher than it has ever been.  

I love this! You are anything but a loser!

@67

I have no problem with playing as hard as possible and fighting with everything you have to win. Go for it. I respect those who put their energy into competition. I have competed in many areas....wrestling, running, cycling, CrossFit, tennis, ping pong (undefeated in 4 years of college and champion of 2 Air Force bases), so I understand competition. 

But I would never equate it to war, nor would I place winning above integrity or honesty, or even good sportsmanship. 

no if anything i think its something which would haunt you for the rest of your life knowing you took a close friends life. taking a life is never something which anyone should do, again i view winning as trying the best you can in order to succeed at what you are doing which is survivng in this case. ik its honestly hard but in my opinion i would honestly believe james would amputate as while Aron may have not been bright he certainly was never a killer, thats too far

It's a board game of strategic skill for two players, played on a checkered board. Each player begins the game with sixteen pieces that are moved and used to capture opposing pieces according to precise rules. The object is to put the opponent's king under a direct attack from which escape is impossible ( checkmate ).

I hope that helps.

I couldn't think of any. 

i am too pure in trusting people nerves :/

laptop ran out of battery during our convo was gonna say smth but it died so just gonna agree instead of trying to make things escalate out of hands, todays my FIDE game!

What is chess??? Baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me no more!

@82

I think competition is programmed into us at a very deep level and is one of the tools that we've been given to help us survive. As we've become more civilized, our competition has moved from the battlefields and hunting grounds to arenas and stadiums.....and chessboards. Humans compete in almost everything from physical fighting to ice skating to cooking to showing off their animals at the county fair. 

It's no surprise that we compete so hard at chess. It's our nature and it's in our DNA. If you've ever played bridge (the card game), you know it's the same. It's intense and it's competitive. The big difference is that it's a team effort which introduces a whole new wrinkle. 

Anyway, that's my $.02 worth.