I am not worthy.
Why did you stop playing chess?
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Don't worry this is a PG topic, so you don't have to be 2200 + FIDE
Nicotine has improved mental abilities in research groups.
I quit when I joined the military, no chance to play or keep up the game.
People around me signed me up for chess tournaments because I was good academically. Never gave me even the briefest of pointers but heavily implied I should do well in Chess because I was "smart". Of course, I could beat a few people but I felt suffocated when I had to play anyone good. Add in a video game addiction (to Real Time Strategy games lol) and Chess was just not that fun. So I quit. Until like a month ago when I randomly picked it up again and with all the awesome internet sources, I am thoroughly enjoying the complexity of chess. We will see how long this lasts.
Philidor_Legacy wrote:
I quit when I was 40 and a 2100 uscf otb player. Why did I quit? Chess was just taking too much time and I had competing family and career obligations. I had just moved to the DC area to accept a very demanding job. I also had a wife and three young children that wanted more of my attention. What little spare time I had, I felt would be better used to do physical activities like running and outdoor sports. So I quit cold turkey.
Now 34 years later, I've returned to the game, figuring it would make a good retirement hobby.>>>>>>
I've just come back after 4 or 5 years out. I realised that as we get older it's more important to have hobbies and interests that involve a lot of physical activity. I've kicked the obsessive-compulsive side of playing chess and also I gave up smoking and am eating less .... hence I/m getting fitter and heavy excercise is less demanding than it was. Still doing weights etc.
since you guys want normal patzers too comment...
I wasn't much of a chess player as a kid, but I don't recall deliberately quiting. I wasn't much of a tourney player (ever) but when I had the chance to play some casual game with someone I did.
on the other hand, in this neck of the woods to be a tournament player is a huge commitment of time and effort; and I decided just a couple years ago to make that kind of effort.
Completely or temporary.
My friend once was a master and now his around 1750 FIDE , his 55 now I asked him why did you stop playing chess for such a long time 15 years he told me and he said, because at that time they came up with some regulation rule , that you can't smoke cigarettes anymore and play , so I quit ! I asked why? He explained it to me that cigarettes were helping him think,concentrate, habbit I guess , stress relief etc..
That's one crazy story, please share yours why did you stop playing or took a break.