What is Chess to you?

Okay, so basically I want to know what people think about chess. When I was young, I used to think "Chess is so boring, there's nothing to it", but after I grew up, I realized there is much more to chess than taking the opponent's pieces and checkmating the king. There is strategy, technique, and ways to do it. There are even strategies from countries all around the world! I want to know, do you think chess is a game of strategy, thought processes, and different techniques, or do you think chess is just a simple game of thinking?  

Chess is a contest of minds. It is a great equalizer, because success has nothing to do with race, or gender, or nation, or economic wealth. But most of all, chess is an art form that expresses itself in an infinite variety of ways. Playing through some classic games from the past is an experience that will astonish you. Chess is "the other beautiful game."

For me, chess is a "game" with competition against friends and family, creating interaction among players with ideas, lessons, smack talk, and gamesmanship. I'm a Sheriff's Deputy working in the corrections field for 11 years and nothing seems to bring more interest to those serving time, while in the pod. Every once in a while... they manage to say the right thing to me and see first hand my game. "Cough cough cough" but this activity compared to cards, basketball, even watching sports has sparked arguments or violence. There's only one way to play chess, and all eyes are on the board. There's peace on the board, and win or lose the peace remains. Furthermore and mostly, I love teaching and playing my two sons. There's a fire in them that improves their awareness and intelligence for problem solving with each day. No my 10 and 6 year old haven't beaten me... yet, they have to earn it. One day they will, and it's that goal for them, hopefully, that will teach them patience in whatever they do in life. It's a great game!

Chess is a game to me. Had a stroke 6 years ago. Keep my noggin busy

Chess is a board game

It's a fun board game that too many people take way. too. seriously. Of course, play is one of the ways we humans learn, so its not like you don't learn some things from chess, but you learn some things from most any game. Learning 'tactics' from chess doesn't necessarily translate to any real world useful learning, its just some mental exercise. Not a bad thing, but greatly overstated by chess snobs that seem to think that playing chess somehow makes them better than other people. Saying chess teaches you tactics is like saying monopoly teaches you economy and finance. If you go by the way many play on here, chess just teaches you to quit as soon as you encounter a setback. After all, your time is just too valuable to waste on a game you might lose, better to just give up! How's that for your mental training?

We should give up to aliens, I mean, who can keep up with Ringo Starr? Let alone Mick Jagger ? 

chess is to me ?? well - when i play it-- win or lose - i realize how little i know and how  insignificant- i am in the pool of life beings- and even at my age  something that doesn't  get as hard anymore  as they once did - is still not as important as that win against a player 3x higher in score than  me the golden grail for me- and for that moment- its the same feeling as it was when i was young 

When I learned the rules as a child, chess was "just another board game" to me. I liked board games, but chess was nothing special and I'd play maybe once a year if that. 

Now, chess is still a game to me, but it isn't "just another board game." Chess is a hobby, but not just that, it is a hobby I like a lot and invest a lot into. 

The chess community is something to grow with and from this perspective, chess is a big part of who I am. Chess is a big part of my identity. 

I have no dreams of becoming a titled player, or reaching some milestone; I've reached all of my goals so far in chess. I just play for the love of the game and for the pursuit of improvement. Chess isn't my only hobby, but it is a good one

I was taught by my dad when i was a kid, how to move the pieces. I have always been impatient,so i i didnt like it .

Later on, i studied economics and went hard into hedonism. So now i have oppiates ,legal and told by a doc"you need X" i need to use daily,my brain dosent make enough endorphines itself,after giving the brain for too many years exogen endorphines,then the glands get like "lazy" and atrophiate. So , i survived all of this. Learned the hard way how to have self control. I doubt many people can have the same ammount of self control as me, but i'd like not to have been ned to learn it how i did. That 2 years in a row of abstinence of everything proved myself my will. But i was too depressed,my brain didnt react,so 

So now im 41, i do care for my partner,my cats, parents, a cousin of mine who is going thru something rough.....and chess. It helps me to pass the time. It motivates me to win. I hate to lose. Except on that ocasional games when you just see a so good movement ,that even if you lose,its like "beauty", and i try to remember it to make it mine too. 

I should go to a RL club to really start improving. I achieved to be an economist while using, wich is not exactly common. 

That movie about chess "searching for Bobby Fisher" shows that chess can be,as any other thing in life that provides a good feeling,can create addiction. 

The previous husband of my nowadays partner, he passed away years ago, so he was a physic,university teacher and did many researches on his area. So that guy lived for chess and loved it. . I was told he stopped playing chess around 22yold as he saw it was either finnishing his studies(wich he did) either just playing chess . He was very smart. 

Oh btw after finnishing his studies and earning his job and etc he turned back to play some game here and there.  But never to the point as he played when he was like 18. 

If sth i post its not appropiate for a chess forum please tell me so. 

A game, because I’m an amateur with not very high expectations. If I were a grandmaster, I guess it would be something more important to me.

Nevertheless… A game, but a challenging, fascinating, never boring game: “Il nobil giuoco” ( "The Noble Game" ), I think there isn’t no more suitable expression to define chess.

I played Chess as a kid and was really fascinated by it and found the personalities surrounding it interesting.   I had not played for years now I play occassionally on here.  But have not really studied it, and play too fast for me and make terrible moves.  But I do enjoy catching some of the big games.  And I still find the drama surrounding it most interesting.  I recommend Edward Laskers book Chess Secrets I learned from the Masters.  It is a fascinating and warm look at many of the Masters he encountered during his time in Chess.  He includes games still from a time when there were still questions about the opening theory, and computers did not preanalyze 20-30 moves possibilities.  I personally prefer GO and will be happy to teach anyone who would like to learn.  But Chess has its own strengths and weaknesses as does GO.  Both have had some colorful personalities.  : ))

Chess is a game of pure information.   No luck, it is strategy, and a battle of wits.  It is enjoyable for people because it can stretch us, pass the time, the fun of winning, the joy of being behind and finding a winning move...  Computers have none of that...    Just pure computation, and the ability to calculate further....

It's so many different things. I think a lot about how it's perfectly balanced (as all things should be). The pieces all have exactly the right amount of movement and strength.

Ahhh... Tough question. Chess when I was young was this board game for nerds, but as I grew up, the game became a contest for me, more than just beating the other player, there are tournaments, strategies, and as it turns out, chess is for nerds. (I'm a nerd.) Think of someone calling you a nerd a compliment, it means you are smart.

When I was growing up, being called a nerd was not a compliment. Actually, other words were used instead of "nerd." They were not complimentary words! But Bobby Fischer got so much attention in the local and national media that for a brief period, it became cool at my school to be a chess player.