Why I'm Done With Chess
Sort:
[COMMENT DELETED]
Oct 18, 2010
0
#62
Been playing chess since I was a little kid. I also was diagnosed with ADHD and I find that chess helps me organize my thoughts better than any medicine can.
Who's baby is that?
What's your angle?
I'll buy that!
echecs06 wrote:
Whitebull's comment was not so ... white
Why I'm done with this blog , , ,
FirebrandX wrote:
cberman wrote:
1 "Chess has little to do with intelligence."
= Not exactly true. Chess requires thinking, and a type of thinking that you can get better at. If you mean that chess doesn't simply reflect the general mental aptitude of each person, then fair enough. But what does, exactly? What sort of activity is such that it is a strong reflection of a person's general mental aptitude, and isn't the sort of thing you can get better at with time? Are you upset that you are getting beat by people that you perceive are less intelligent than you are?
On the whole 'intelligence' aspect, I've played OTB against illiterates, bikers, bible-thumpers, college professors, arrogant child prodigies, and so on. In ALL cases, the measure of their chess ability had NOTHING to do with their intelligence, but rather simply how much effort they put into studying the game.
What the outside layperson needs to understand is the Chess really has nothing to do with being some nerdy genius. Like I said, I've played against people that were considered dumbass grease monkies, yet their chess was on par with the college book-worm I played next. It would be a lot like considering a darts master to be some sort of a genius. It's merely a different part of the body they honed to master a game.
Each of the classes of people you mentioned are not tied directly to their level of intelligence. It is incidental that a person is illiterate.
I heard that Chess is tied more to linguistic thinking rather than spatio-temporal thinking; if that's the case, I would be very surprised if a person who was illiterate because he/she was unable to learn to read and write a language (rather than simply did not, incidentally) would be able to achieve a high mastery of chess.
That said, there are savants, and they tend to stretch our understanding of the categories of the brain.
I stand by what I said earlier. Chess is a mental activity, and if you have greater mental resources than someone else, then, all else being equal, you will be better equipped to win. It's akin to a debate with another person; a person of mediocre intelligence but who is well-versed in rhetoric would likely 'win' over a person of great intelligence but who knows little about rhetoric. But, a person of mediocre intelligence who is well-versed in rhetoric would run into problems against someone of great intelligence who is also well-versed in rhetoric. It's complicated, but intelligence does play a factor.
JG27Pyth wrote:
Unlike a lot of respondents it seems, I liked the OPs interesting and honest post. I spend a couple hours at this game every day. I'm sure I'm not the only person around here investing that kind of time into chess. Doesn't it make sense to evaluate how one is spending that much time? Doesn't it make sense to take an honest look at one's "hobby" and ask if it is really worth the while? The OP has done that ... his conclusions are mildly offensive to chess players perhaps, but he's not targetting any individuals, and in the end they are simply his conclusions.
Manicule's points boil down to: A) Hey I think chess is stunting my personal growth. B) I think in general chess feeds the worst parts of a person's soul.
I think his points are very much worth listening to. But I don't think chess is unique, I think there are lots of ways of becoming (or staying) an immature emotional cripple.
IMO -- The key is to stop judging yourself. If you've got all your self-worth wrapped up in one endeavor: being a "great" writer, or a great chess player, or a great athelete, or great jazz-musician or what have you... and you wrap yourself into something like that and say, when I'm great at X, then I AM GREAT... I think that is the surest way to a stunted crippled soul there is. Stop judging yourself! Love writing, playing chess, playing soccer or golf or tennis or whatever, love improvising over the changes to All the Things You Are -- and don't worry about what value that confers onto you. You are you -- no title or trophy or prize can change that one way or another.
QFT!
But then again that's the whole point, innit? It's something one ought to be aware of, not something that ought to overturn ones entire perspective on 'the simple things'.
What set me off was the accusation by proxy. Dude has no idea who I am, thus including me in any type of homogenous group is... well... foolish.
Oct 18, 2010
0
#66
Chess is like anything else. You get out of it what you bring to it.
imo kill the huddled masses. re: they just aren't trying hard enough
He hasn't been back to read any of the posts, so maybe he means it.
woodshover wrote:
He hasn't been back to read any of the posts, so maybe he means it.
I bet he's already gone to some other site and played some more bullet though -- the poor guy's obviously addicted 
If he stays gone for a month, then maybe its serious.
orangehonda wrote:
woodshover wrote:
He hasn't been back to read any of the posts, so maybe he means it.
I bet he's already gone to some other site and played some more bullet though -- the poor guy's obviously addicted
If he stays gone for a month, then maybe its serious.
Did the 50 swords guy ever come back?
woodshover wrote:
orangehonda wrote:
woodshover wrote:
He hasn't been back to read any of the posts, so maybe he means it.
I bet he's already gone to some other site and played some more bullet though -- the poor guy's obviously addicted
If he stays gone for a month, then maybe its serious.
Did the 50 swords guy ever come back?
I didn't know he announced his retirement?
But seems he has been gone for 4 months or so.
Fiveofswords
He didn't announce any retirement, but people were talking about him leaving for a long time.
WE HAVE NOTICED THAT YOU ARE BECOMING ADDICTED. PLEASE GO DO SOMETHING ELSE FOR A WHILE AND COME BACK IN 48 HOURS.
Raymond Chandler wrote,
"Chess is as utter waste of human intelligence as can be
found outside of an advertising agency."
I pretty much agree with the initial posters disparagement of chess but will carry on regardless..
Oct 18, 2010
0
#76
Manicule, Manicule, please come back..we may not be done heaping abuse on your lame behind!
We'll miss that!
I will miss....what's his name.
Makes sense! I'm done with chess as well!
Last Login was Oct 17, 2010 and he played over 40 games... lol.
Normally I skip these good bye post...but common... this is funny. I too don't think that play chess means your smarter but it does seam to attract those who are very dramatic.