Irrespective of how good you are at chess, you won’t transfer the skills you picked up and play them out in life itself, will you? Or will you? Perhaps more transferable are qualities such as improved concentration levels and overall ability to calculate more? And above all else success over the board pales in comparison to success in life…well these are the things I tell myself so that I don’t feel down over being something of an underachiever at the chessboard…it never really mattered anyway -yes that’s the spirit!
Having both a BA and an MA in Philosophy behind me, I suppose I ought to enquire into why things pan out how they do. I am compelled to question you could say and with regards to chess: my daughter was born out of my love of chess, and that is me done! Purpose in life is parental by nature, chess is nothing more than a hobby. I don’t know how varied chess-related goals are in life. Most players just want to improve their rating and get it as high as they can. I father a child whose very existence has come about because I met her mother at an international tournament. There’s nothing left for me to do: I am happy with my lot.
As we grow older, do we need to find reasons why we bother with things? Chess brought me a child, that’s enough for me, why others play on I don’t know. Presumably they just like it.
This evening I left my room unexpectedly. Dressed in casual clothes I walked to the nearest supermarket and bought some washing powder. When I returned I washed one and only one item of clothing -I wear it now. I wear it in the middle of the night, amidst solitude. But solitude is okay if you like your own company, and on the whole, I am pretty good at entertaining myself. It doesn’t matter what hour it is, all that matters is I am on line.
Above all else, the burning question is what did we get from chess? I have a child, and I reckon that can’t be beaten. Titles and rating points pale into insignificance over what I have. Not boastful just contented.
McCreadyandChess 