I was just wondering. Put it in this section as it’s a game (although I prefer the board variety rather than chess online).
Hels
Please note how no one is admitting to this
I used to play at competition level when I was in my teens.
I came to find the game a bit cut-throat, it is one of the few games around where there is absolutely no luck involved, no third party interaction or decisions and the place that you play has no bearing on the match.
You beat someone at football, you beat someone at tennis etc etc you can legitimately say…unlucky, the decision didn’t go your way, the run of the green wasn’t with you, you didn’t lose cause you were sh*t you lost cause you had bad luck…better luck next time.
At the end of a game of chess sitting across from your opponent and you both know the same thing.
You lost because you were not good enough. I began to find it quite uncomfortable, whether I lost or won.
Ha ha Banman - yes it is an ‘anorak’ hobby:D I doubt anyone will admit to it unless they come on under a pseudo name.
Agreed Kaos - it is a bit cut throat and only relies on skill, without any chance / luck involved. It involves strategy for all stages of the game and a lot of concentration, time and thought and there will always be people who be able to wipe the floor with you, no matter how good you are;)
My dad taught me to play as a child and I got a few chess books - then as an adult I was in a chess club for a while (one of the members had been the under 16 champion for the northern circuit in his youth and is still playing at competition level - however I never ever beat him!). I used to play against my ex Canadian boyfriend quite a bit - and always won - but then when I played against a few Afghans I realised how totally crap I was. They were in a completely different league of skill altogether.
There are quite a few smaller amateur competition venues around south London (Clapham also), but I quite enjoy playing for fun. I don’t know many bikers who like chess:D It’s generally associated with anoraks and train spotting.
bet he was the one that got all the girls wasn’t he? damn high flying u16 chess players…
I bet his parents were really chuffed he took up chess, it’s the kind of hobby you know will keep your teenagers out of trouble and away from girls:P (Rather than hanging out smoking joints outside the roller disco and swigging bottles of Merrydown in the park:D Or hacking into CIA websites from the school computer).
Well I do have a red hot pawn account… I used to play as a kid too and joined the school club, and on and off as I grew up. Never really got into it again since though. I find I dont have the patience any more and I find it much more frustrating than I remember.
I def dont have the textbook strategy and I dont follow anything chess anymore.
Having said that, just reactivating my RHP account now 
funnily enough I was taught chess around 10yrs ago, by another biker whilst on a biking weekend, just a fun player, rather than the league everyone above seems to be in:D
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Hels (27/06/2011)
I doubt it, unless they were jehova witnesses!! youve got to get into trouble as a youngster, its what makes you learn and forms your personality!!!
It’s the kind of game that suits every level really. Tbh I’m no big league player whatsoever - have been wiped out more times than I can even remember - but I like it:D It’s that kind of traditional game that has been going on for well over a thousand years or so and can be played with anyone anywhere across the world:cool: It can also make or break friendships and relationships if you get into it too intensely:D
We played it non-stop for months at one time (only against each other) but one of us always lost :crying:
I played draughts…the game was so simple, that was what made it hard…
Never got in to chess.
I used to play chess a lot as a child against my father and my sisters. I played a lot at secondary school but mainly against my friends in lunch breaks. I was invited by one of the teachers to play for the school and went off to some place near Wormwood Scrubs. Got completely smashed and never played again, as it wasn’t fun at all. About ten years ago when I played one game against my niece thinking it would be like playing my dad and sisters from my childhood. I won, and that was a mistake.
Use to play a lot when I was younger, got taught at school. Aint played for a few years.
Must be the people I hang round with now
Chess is best played with a few old mates in a smokey old living room in winter, with a wood fire burning in the grate, a few beers (and no anoraks) and a touch of amnesia about the winners and losers:)
Someone quite good at chess once said I played like a tiger…lol…but I think that was being somewhat generous as I have never properly got to grips with the end game…he then ground me down and into a very long and drawn out defeat. That one still hurts- at the time he made the complement mid-game I think he had already worked out he had me beaten…;)
Haven’t played humans for a few years now (come to think of it- after that game!). Tried electronic opponents but found them much more tricky- especially as I tended to switch off the brain a bit knowing I could back-space the last move at will.
Maybe get back to it when I retire if I have any mental faculties left.