What do you Imagine When you Play Chess?

"Maah-zhooos-cyool, maah-zhooos-cyool", a female voice in my head whispers. Where am I ? What am I ? "Maah-zhooos-cyool !", louder now, with urgency. Who is she ? What does it mean ? She sounds French... Majuscule? Capital letters... Or is it capitol letters? The chessboard materializes again in front of me. Shiny, wooden pieces seem bigger now. My king huddling in the corner by the rook, it is in danger from some invisible piece. What piece? I search the board, but there are no black pieces on it, just my white king and the rook next to it. Illegal position ! The voice is gone. I look out the window, see the snow-capped mountains in the distance, the sun reflecting and sparkling on the mountain tops. So far away, is it twenty miles? Dust particles dance in the rays of light. Back to the board again, the king casts a shadow over the rook...

When I play chess I think about the game I'm playing. It's one of the very few things in life I can think about without distracting daydreams or distractions in general.

Don't take this personally I'm not trying to be rude or offensive but judging from your rating I suggest you try looking at your games more literally and less metaphorically or metaphysically or whatever it is that you are doing now. Well, it's just a suggestion...

How long have you been playing chess BTW?

I think about doughnuts. Mmmmmm, doughnuts.

What I love about Chess is that in order to improve you cannot be biased.  You must objectively study both sides, not just "your side".

When I play chess, the only thing in my mind is inevitably something along the lines of:

We buy any car! We buy any car! Any make, any model, any age, any price, from fifty quid to a hundred grand! We buy any car! Buy a newer car and don't part ex, you can get a better deal when you buy next! We buy any car! Enter your reg number now at we buy any car! (.com).

Which makes it rather difficult to play the game.

A raggid banche is the ghost that casts a shadow, and materializes, as the forms slowly change and shift. I would be a spectator too, if I weren't so at peace with the position of the pieces on the board. I will take my gaze away from the pieces and look at my opponent. The shadows have shifted again - I could have seen these same positions before - but I don't recall where. I distance myself from the abstract, and think again. There is no focus yet, just the decision to look my opponent in the eyes. . . Placeholder, and peace. Contemplation. These pieces have sat like this, or very similarly, many times before. There is my focus again, and clear thought; still not yet forming, but I see a move now, and will take my gaze away from my surroundings once more. Not an illegal position, just an abstract recollection.

I've been playing chess since I was little. About the age of 8 or 9. I learned in daycare...

What would you relate chess to is my question. If it were closely linked to something what would it be- algebra?

Food.

I just love the MOVE of the game