It’s been a while since I’ve mentioned Chess to you! As some of you know, I’ve recently re-discovered the game and I’m hooked. When not playing Far Cry 5, or Assetto Corsa Competizione, I play one or two matches per week on Chess.com to get my fix.
I said “re-discovered” because I learned how to play it when I was in elementary school - I think. My mom had the patience, the mental strength, and the energy to teach me how to play it – but I didn’t appreciate the game as much as I do now. Back then it was just a board game, something to do with my mom when I had no other form of entertainment (climbing on walls, breaking stuff around the house, or getting dirty at the park)
I have a hard time determining whether it’s a “video game” or not. I play it online, it’s a 1v1, and the platform features points, badges, tutorials, lessons, a colorful community, all-you-can-eat tournaments, and ranks! So, one could say it’s a video game, but at the same time, I struggle with it because in the end Chess is a 500+-year-old game, played across the world, by millions on a board! Not to mention the cold-war era, how both the US and USSR took the “game” to the next level – if you know what I mean!?
Anyways, why am I hooked now? Simple, when you win, it feels great! When you lose, if you’re like me (I’m very competitive with a splash of OCD), I get mad…at myself, and it takes me an hour or two to shake it off.
Winning is very gratifying, to say the least. When you’re able to execute your strategy and pick the right tactics while making the opponent believe he/she’s winning, well, it’s just awesome. It’s like bluffing. There are other ways I’ve been able to “defeat” my opponent, by capturing key material (i.e. the Queen or Knights) early in the game, crippling his/her ability to proceed which results in just quitting (I sense the frustration through the digital universe), here is an example:
Losing on the other hand hurts…a lot! You lose when you don’t pay attention to the opponent’s tactic(s), or sneaky move(s). You lose when you make a mistake, and the opponent quickly spots it and takes advantage of it in his/her next move. Yak! Most of all, you lose because you’re not focusing and evaluating the battlefield (the board) after every move, Sam!
I have to say, if I were to define Chess as a video game, then I can confidently say that there are no other games that take me on such an emotional ride (Winning = YEAH, Loosing = X%^&, S(*$!, D$#%! I wanna go home). I can see why some folks become obsessed with Chess, could it be an ego thing? I don’t know. Do you play chess?
PS. Yes, I've watched The Queen's Gambit
This is pretty much how I play chest most days 😛
( I actually do know how to play )
Victory! Another win from last night. I "bluffed" my opponent. I let him take the lead at the begging and middle of the match while plotting the battery in the center file (battery = two rooks or queen and a rook in the same column) while pinning his knight to his king. He made the mistake (blunder) of not taking my pawn, so...boom! Checkmate in two moves. Yay!
I'm not bragging! But here is another win! The opponent had me the entire game, but made two mistakes (blunders) that allowed me to win! (And, if you look closely, you'll notice I also made a few mistakes, missed opportunities to win free material)...
