All chess players should have a hobby -- Tartakower
Tart was a professional chess player. Don't know what his hobbies were.
99%+ of us chess players are "hobbyists", though many have aspirations otherwise. Nothing wrong with that. Goals and dreams are a good thing. Realization that making the big time is quite rare often takes a lot of learning.
Unfortunately, chess players view chess as a competition of the mind. In sports of physical ability, it is easier to accept losing. The opponent trained harder, was bigger, stronger, faster etc. But people continue on as they enjoy their chosen hobby (tennis by example) and find opponents to play of equal ability because they enjoy the sport.
With chess, however, it often becomes another story. People can not accept losing, because they associate chess with "being smart". They will never admit someone is smarter. Whole problem is.... chess has absolutely nothing to do with intelligence. Once it is learned that it is a board game that provides endless hours of entertainment, the perspective changes to that of a hobby, a pastime that can be studied to your hearts content. Be as good as time allows. But enjoy the game for what it is, not as a personal contest of superiority.
99%+ of us chess players are "hobbyists", though many have aspirations otherwise. Nothing wrong with that. Goals and dreams are a good thing. Realization that making the big time is quite rare often takes a lot of learning.
Unfortunately, chess players view chess as a competition of the mind. In sports of physical ability, it is easier to accept losing. The opponent trained harder, was bigger, stronger, faster etc. But people continue on as they enjoy their chosen hobby (tennis by example) and find opponents to play of equal ability because they enjoy the sport.
With chess, however, it often becomes another story. People can not accept losing, because they associate chess with "being smart". They will never admit someone is smarter. Whole problem is.... chess has absolutely nothing to do with intelligence. Once it is learned that it is a board game that provides endless hours of entertainment, the perspective changes to that of a hobby, a pastime that can be studied to your hearts content. Be as good as time allows. But enjoy the game for what it is, not as a personal contest of superiority.
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