REASONS TO PLAY CHESS

When asked what is the benefits in playing chess, questions that we, chess players, face from time time, i will normally reply as below:

Teach Planning Ahead
Chess teach mind to look ahead, plan ahead, maximise resources, set traps, avoid traps...a type of thinking needed to survive and succeed in work place. Chess also teach you to how to devise a plan to kill your opponent...very, very needed skill to excel in work place.

Teach Responsibility
Chess teach responsibility. You cannot blame others if you lose. You cannot blame the physical of opponent is bigger or stronger as a reasons you lose. (though some blame it on the ’attractiveness of opponent’ as a distraction. This one i don’t know), cannot blame it on unfair referee, cannot also blame it roaring cheer from home supporters...none in chess. You alone are responsible for the result of your own game. Simple.

Cheap
With only 10 bucks you can buy a decent chess set and start playing right away. You cannot do this if your sports are bicycle or go-kart or squash. In fact if you are very, very good in chess, you can play it even without chess pieces...blindfold chess! Nature way of awarding chess master. Nothing is cheaper than blindfold chess.

Age is not a barrier
Chess can be played by anyone from age 3 and infinity. Normal to see 7 years old girl fight as equal with 24 years man. You cannot see this in say...boxing. Which also mean that you can play chess forever.

Can make money
If you are good in chess you can make some money by competing in various tournaments. Not much but still good enough to cover for few rounds of McDs.

Teach time management
Chess teach you to plan and execute your plan within certain time frame. Varied between few hours to 1 minute each. Useful skills to face exam or project. As if that is not enough, in chess game there is also time management elements such as tempo, stalemate, zugzwang etc. Zugzwang !? what the hell is that...bring us to next reasons

Teach foreign language
From chess we know en passant (French) which mean special capturing of a pawn as if the pawn is moving only one square. Zugzwang (German) which mean all legal moves will lead into troubles. Allegro (Italy) which mean fast and so on.

Teach numbers.
From simple... Results ? 1-0, to medium... time controls? 3 plus 2 or strength ? FIDE 2205, to hard...Evaluation? Fritz 2.14 but Rybka 3.22. Sorry but if you are not chess player you don’t know how to decipher above answers. Chess game is now all about numbers . Of course the favourite Q & A in chess that involve number is Prize ? First RM300 only...this one everybody know and chess players learn to accept.

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Reasons NOT to play chess