Why do you play chess?

I always wondered why I played chess.....

It makes me millions of dollars, the chicks dig me for it, people look at me in the street and go "Wow, hes a chessplayer", titles drop in my lap and the doctors tell me I will get better soon.

I like to conceptualize problems and then think about solutions.  If it wasn't chess it would be something else.

I ran out of toothpicks to shove up my fingernails so I started playing chess.

You mean we have a choice?

 +1

my brother taught me how to play when i was 8. he would play without a queen to give me a chance but when i started winning that soon changed. and thats when it started...

we have a continuing rivalry that has been going on for 20 years and counting. we play and study because we want to crush the other one.

and it will keep on going until one of us beats the other one consistently. or until one of us is dead (in which case the other will probably try to claim victory on time) :)

It was a puzzle that I really thought I could figure out. So, it was me testing myself. I continue to play, because it's still interesting to me.

I play chess to avoid harboring delusions of adequacy.

Chess keeps my mind and intuition sharp and I like solving challenging problems.

This is so true.  Whenever I finish studying chess for a few hours I come back to the chess board thinking I'm the shit, only to realize that I haven't much improved because I have trouble applying the ideas that I learned in a practical setting.

Because dueling is illegal.

So I could become littlehotpot

to avoid idle thinking ,play chess and more chessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

I am seriously mentally ill, as a result I am on disability. There isn't anything better for me to spend my time on. There isn't much on TV, especially when  it's not baseball season.

i don't know why i play it, it makes me angry!!!

gnosticmormon, " I play chess to avoid harboring delusions of adequacy."  That there is funny and so true.

 I play the game, why not, ya gotta do something while your here.

Baseball is the most boring thing that comes on tv, I guess chess would be "par for the course" as it can be rather boring, but at least its interesting.....