What caused you to play Chess?

Hey, everyone. This is my very first post on the forums. I thought it would be cool to see how everyone came to play Chess. The reason I started to play Chess is quite funny. My Dad told my brother that if he could beat him in a game of Chess, he would reward him a day of video games. My brother accepted, and started to study. I thought that Chess would be fun as well. So yeah, that's how I started to play Chess.

P.S - My brother ended up beating my Dad.

No idea

Sibling rivalry. He won't play anymore because I'm too good now.

Netlix show Queens gambit made me wanna play a game that I never played before :)

My dad

okay 

Never got picked for the football team...and boredom

Depression forced me to play it cause I couldn't deal with this corrupt world.  I had to turn my back on the world before I went round the twist. Thank God for this game.

Welcome to the forums. This is the first time I'm responding to someone who is posting for the first time. ..so we're both beginners.

Around 1994-5 I acquired a used computer from a business that was updating their equipment. It was my first computer- it had 2 mb of memory and a 20 mb hard drive-  and I was trying to figure out how it worked when I came across a file called CM2000.  This turned out to be the DOS computer application, Chessmaster 2000, apparently some guy at this business was a chess player.  I had never played chess and didn't even know the names of the pieces yet.  I knew it wasn't a video game like Pac-Man but it seemed like one, sitting there on my screen and I wanted to figured how to play it.  I looked up chess in my library's card catalogue and actually discovered a self-teaching book (it turns out by Al Horowitz). From then on I was hooked. 

My grandfather taught me at a young age and it was really the only way I could connect with him. It's been an on and off journey of development but overall I love the game and it helps me calm down if I get too emotional. Can't be super rational and emotional at the same time so playing chess helps from time to time.

I learnt from school as there was no other sports to do, and i have continued since. I enjoy the game and try improving but I'm just happy to play at a decent level. 

My teacher in ROTC (high school military class) who everyone called  "The Colonel" would give us free time, and one day he taught the whole class chess, and I then spent a month studying the game and practicing until I was the best in my class (not saying much) so I could destroy others.

I had a free chess program on an old computer, I couldn't beat it on level one. After my computer broke, I bought a new one, which didn't have a chess program. I googled chess machines, stumbling on chess.com. Played free games on chess.com and watching agadmator chess on you tube. I'm no great shakes at chess, but 1000% better than when I started playing.