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Premise 1: Chess is a game.
Premise 2: Games are generally fun.
Conclusion: Chess is fun.
Of course this is not always true. If you play chess, and you think you suck at chess, you've probably dropped the game of chess in favour of, say, xbox. I used to be like you (you!) once, except that I dropped chess in favour of rock 'n' roll and alcohol. But that's another story.
The Story of How I Went From Awesome to Total Suckage
When I was in primary school (that's elementary school to the 'mericans), I was good enough to be consistently in my school team. It was a time when my parents would refuse to play with me, because I would consistently beat them (you have to give it to them for being my first teachers though). I beat almost all of the nice boys at my school's chess club, except for the nice boys on the school team with me, all of us being of similar skill levels. Alright, there was a particular pair of boys I kept losing to, but I like to repress that.
Truth be told, I was pretty damn good, at my age. At the ripe old age of 12, I won my first trophy that meant something: 4th place at some under-12 chess competition. Well, I threw the trophy away a few years later (not one for keepsakes) but I'll never forget the $50 that came along with the trophy.
I turned 13, then 14, and I slowly started to realize that I was losing way more than I was winning. in tournament situations. The reason? Damn kids were starting to practice chess tactics, read up on chess openings, and generally treat chess seriously. While people were being serious about chess, there I was, learning how to play the drums and guitar. End result: total suckage at chess.
I never stopped playing though, on a casual level. I realized that playing chess was always more rewarding for me on a visceral level. I felt it in my bones. Where video games left me drained and exhausted, chess left me feeling balanced, even with the awareness that I still retained my unique blend of strong awareness of the board, and total suckage.
Rediscovering the Fun Side
About a year ago, I discovered this website that contains one of the most beautiful pieces of chess-related art things I've ever seen in my entire life. Click on it. The hyperbole is deserved. I would play games on it just to see the pretty lines move, even though I kept losing to the engine again, and again, and again, and again.
Then one day, I won. Crazy, innit? Try, try again.
I got on to yahoo's chess portal for awhile, but the drama of winning and losing to human opponents was a little bit too much for me, especially when I couldn't see their faces. Now, it's a pleasure to lose to a 10-year-old kid in person, but losing (and winning) to a string of faceless strangers was just a little bit too depressing.
If I am to lose to faceless opponents, they'd better be slick, well-marketed, soul-less computer engines.
Jumping Back Into The Fire (of tournament chess)
In December last year, I played my first tournament in more than a decade, coming in 49th in a field of 82 players, and just this month I played my second tournament, coming in 64th in a field of 277 players. It's the strangest feeling in the world, playing a game that's centuries older than I am, against opponents half my age.
Ok, I play the adults too, I don't fake my age, but I'm not really good enough to get to the front of the pack (where all the old people are). Some of these people have been playing chess seriously for as long as I have been playing with my, umm, monkey.
Change of Seasons (NAC!!!)
Where am I now? Waiting for NAC to give me my license so that I can play chess on the streets. There's a rush I get from playing chess with human beings face-to-face that I wish to share with humanity at large.
Plus, I'm considering making this sign, for when I get to the streets to play:
PET ALIEN HOMESICK.
NEED US$6.2 BILLION TO BUILD SPACESHIP.
I'm pretty sure the dough will roll in ;)
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