Chess

My boy Mick recently had some comments about chess, and losing games, and that losing felt like "being objectively proven dumber than an opponent," which is a really good way to put it. Norm and I have had identical conversations, and I'm guessing it's probably a pretty common sentiment among most people.

I'm definitely trying to break away from the concept that losing means that I'm somehow "dumber" than my opponent. (And I lose so many games, it's really a matter of ego self-preservation!)

Chess certainly does feel like it's an intellectual game, with a certain mystique, played by hyper-smart people in coffee houses and whatnot. But I've moved away from the notion that there is a universally accepted definition of "smart" or "intelligent". I guess it could be compared to athleticism. Who's more "athletic": an NBA player or a marathon runner? Obviously both do things that the other couldn't. In that way, I think chess requires a certain type of thinking that most people aren't used to using. By pigeonholing chess into it's own compartment of "smarts", I can freely admit that "he is better than me at chess, but not necessarily Smarter than I am". It works for me, and I don't think I'm tricking myself into believing anything.

And like anything else, with practice I can actually feel myself getting better (though not necessarily "smarter"). I'm certainly not very good relative to any serious player, but I'm a ton better than I used to be. I used to give away pieces simply by moving them into a threat without seeing it. I don't do that as much anymore. In games now, I can almost instantly see moves that I would have made previously and why it would be a bad move. ("Hey, that's an undefended piece. I can take it with my queen! But wait, if I do, then he moves his knight there, attacking my queen and also putting me into check, and I'll be forced to move my king and he'll take my queen.") So, in that sense I'm getting better, but I don't feel like I'm any smarter in any general sense. More like I've worked a specific muscle a little, but a muscle only used for one thing.

So, don't let losing get you down.

I play with the same guy most days at lunch, and we trade wins and losses pretty evenly. It's really weird how sometimes a win can be the best thing ever, or so unsatisfying, and a loss can sometimes be really fun, or super frustrating. We were playing the other day in a timed game (which are usually a little more sloppy since there is added pressure of the clock) and someone watching said "Can I ask a stupid question? Why don't you just take his queen with your knight?" Duh. So I'm beginning to think that, at least at my level of play, chess is much more about limiting mistakes than it is about brilliant combinations and attacks.

In conclusion, Libya is a land of contrasts. The end.