I'm male and my age is mid-fifties. I've been playing chess since 1980, when I was a youngster. My best rating hovered either side of 2200 elo.//
I don't play online here. I play over-the-board chess mostly. I also play by sending moves by messenger app, but this is only against people whom I know and trust in real life. That way, I know who I'm dealing with and I don't waste my time playing against online cheats, stallers, quitters and so on. //
I am a chess book lover and I have an extensive chess library. For the serious study of chess, I always prefer a book to a video or online course. // I have a very large collection of pgns too, especially of tactical puzzles, so I don't need to use the online tools on this site. I have the complete Chess King series as well, which I think is very well done. //
A favourite book is "500 Master Games of Chess" by Tartakower and Du Mont, full of great games from before the time of computer moves. //
Is chess an art, a science or a sport? I think it's all of them, but at its best I prefer to think it's an art, one of the finest creations of the human mind. //
I support liberal democracy, humanist values, modern science and a facts- and evidence-based approach to life. So I don't agree with conspiracy theorists, Trump cultists, anti-vaxxers, global warming deniers, religious cranks and fanatics, and so on. //
Favourite quote: The Stone Age didn't end because we ran out of stones.