Chess is bad for you because it is an addictive game. People who become immersed in excessive chess playing often neglect important aspects of life, such as school, work, and social interactions.
This addiction can lead them to disregard crucial aspects of life such as family time, academic or professional commitments, and leisure activities.
As a result, their overall performance in significant areas of life can be negatively impacted.
Also, there isn’t much money in pursuing chess as a career, especially if you haven’t achieved anything significant by the age of 11, so it is advisable to reconsider if you have any such idea of pursuing it as a career.
Do Chess Players Often Go Crazy?
No, it’s a movie myth. Chess players never went crazy because of chess. The ones known to go crazy are only a drop in the ocean and it was because of other things going on in their life.
You can observe the lifestyles of modern chess players. Many of them prepare like professional athletes, following fitness and dietary routines. They are very much like normal humans.
The notion of chess players going insane is primarily a portrayal in movies. Films often depict chess players as eccentric, short-tempered, mentally disturbed, or even drug addicts – which is entirely inaccurate.
However, as this perception gains traction and stories centered around this concept continue to sell, chess players are consistently depicted negatively in various aspects of their lives.
The idea of ‘weird’ chess players will persist as long as it appeals to viewers. Media and cinema are more concerned with satisfying popular demand than presenting factual accuracy.
Furthermore, it’s easy to capitalize on what’s already successful.
Unfortunately, the narrative ‘CHESS PLAYERS ARE CRAZY & WEIRD’ is a marketable product that doesn’t require extensive promotion and generates easy profit.
Consider Beth from the TV series Queen’s Gambit – wasn’t she unconventional even before she began playing chess?
Though Queen’s Gambit is a fictional story, it effectively showcased that chess was not the cause of Beth’s peculiar behavior.
Her addiction to pills contributed to her difficulties, and playing chess actually provided her with a means of redemption, preventing self-destructive behavior.
Anyways, if you want to enjoy some chess movies do check out the video below:
So Is Playing Chess Healthy then?
When we think of a sport, we usually think of activities such as running, jumping, and swimming etc. Chess offers none of those, except an occasional jump you or your opponent make after blundering a piece. 😀
So on physical side, there is no benefit in chess. But mentally, yes chess is a healthy sport. It’s also an educational sport and subject thought in schools in many countries.
In some European countries like Hungary and Russia, chess is a subject thought to kids in schools. It’s a part of their education system because of the way chess trains your memory and concentration skills.
But still, is chess really a healthy sport? The answer to this question is both yes and no!
Playing chess and the thinking involved in the game can help people with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. It also helps improve cognitive function in older adults and helps to decrease the chances of developing dementia later on in life.
On the other hand, playing chess does not provide much physical activity; it can lead to obesity, and it can be time-consuming if games go on for long periods of time.
All in all, chess is both good and bad for your health. You just have to find balance in it. Too much is bad but as a hobby it’s good.
Check out this list of 10 benefits of playing chess.
My Personal Experience of Chess:
I can say it with 100% assurance and from personal experience, that time after time chess has kept me away from the worries of life.
It’s a 64 square board game very unusual from the other board games. Rarely you can win the game on luck, and mostly it’s the skill that will decide whether you are going to win or lose.
Chess is a rare combination of intelligence, memory, resilience, patience, and a thousand other fancy words. A sport where any player can lure his opponent into a trap and gain a significant advantage to win.
A player who moves the 1st piece is at an advantage but that advantage is so low that even top computers can’t guarantee a win against their opponent machines.
What Happens If You Play Chess Regularly?
There are both benefits and downsides of playing chess regularly. The downside is that you can get addicted to chess if you start prioritizing it on everything in life.
But if you are playing it every day but only in the free time, there are at least 4 benefits of regular chess:
- Your concentration span will increase
- You will learn to analyze complex situations rapidly
- You will develop a deeper understanding of the game
- You will make new friends from different walks of life
Check out the details of benefits of playing chess regularly here.
Is Chess A Waste Of Time?
No, chess is not a waste of time. The benefits of playing chess are more than the downsides.
Chess is a highly strategic game that can provide numerous benefits, including:
- Improved problem-solving and critical thinking skills
- Increased focus and concentration
- Better decision making and strategy planning abilities
- Improved memory and pattern recognition skills
- Boost in creativity and imagination
In addition to these cognitive benefits, playing chess can also be a fun and enjoyable activity that can bring people together.
Why Is Chess So Frustrating Sometimes?
Chess is sometimes frustrating because of its complexity. Many chess players feel that they are on the verge of getting an advantage, but the game’s constant change in momentum makes it difficult to pull through.
This is something very difficult to digest especially if a lower-rated player beats you or you miss too many chances of getting an advantage, and during the game or afterward realize what you just missed.
Does Chess Increase IQ?
Chess does not increase the IQ of a person, but it does improve cognitive processes in some ways.
One of these ways is spatial visualization skills. And spatial visualization skills are no less important than math or reading skills in most professions.
Chess improves problem-solving skills, which is something that many jobs require nowadays, most notably in fields like engineering and architecture. It also fosters creativity by helping you to think outside the box and approach problems differently than you would otherwise if you did not play chess regularly.
Also, chess helps develop analytical thinking by improving your brain’s capability of looking at a problem from different angles and trying to use available on-the-board resources to solve different chess positions leading to better analytical skills.
Are Chess Players Good At Math?
It is a common misconception that top chess players are good at math. Actually, they are not. The real strength of chess player is his mental capacity and chess intelligence.
Chess intelligence includes the ability to plan ahead and make decisions under pressure in unknown positions.
Math is a totally different skill, that gets better with practice and interest.
Should You Learn Chess?
You should definitely learn to play the game of chess. This is because it will teach you to think in a strategic way and become better equipped to plan different moves in life.
Learning how to play the game of chess is also one of the best ways to become a better thinker. It’s often seen as a sport for intelligent people and is not only intellectually challenging but also very competitive.
If challenges and complexities is something that interests you, then you should definitely learn the game of chess.
It may seem like it takes a lot of time and effort for something that doesn’t appear to do much at first glance, but with time you will realize that it’s one of the best sports that anyone should play.
Did Einstein Play Chess?
Yes Einstein played chess and he was very good at it. Agadmator, one of the most famous chess content creators on Internet has featured one of his games in his series of games from the past.
Do check it out in a video below because it’s a very instructive chess game to look at:
