Chess Mental Illness?

Does anyone here suffer from major depressive disorder, mania, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia?

How do you manage to keep playing this godforsaken game?

It encompasses everything that is rotten in this world, and turns into a meaningless game.

Here come the naysayers to deny that chess is "a meaningless game" But what is that but your own ego trying to convince your self (and us) that you haven't wasted time playing chess, You enjoy it..?

Yeah, you enjoy simply winning because your opponent made a mistake? or because they simply haven't played as much as you? or haven't studied the correct positions?

Oh what's that naysayer? You don't mind wasting time? How about the age old classic where you turn it around say "If chess is such a waste of time why are you even here?(or do you play it)?"

A fine tactic no doubt honed in your hours long quests to reach a higher rating plateau.

What of the game? What of the people who play it? Where do we find ourselves with a game 500 years old?

We are stuck in an infinite loop, where misunderstanding is punished and peoples thoughts are controlled down to each child, grandparent and weird uncle with a mustache.

Condoned and consolidated we live in cities of ever expanding garbage.. Plastic trinkets made for the bemusement of the weary workers and their day long battles with the copy machine.

Yet should they choose this mission they can on weekends be accepted into the folds of the elite ranked blood-match swiss style chess tournaments of an underground site some how funded by nothing?

3/10. You might get a few responses.

I'm serious though, Chess is a representation of society/reality.

It's freaking awful too isn't it? Same way we all march around with our "accomplishments" and "meaning" in "real-life".

People fill their sacks with rating points or "crushing" someone.

Soul-less competition for nothing, To better yourself at something that doesn't matter?

Yeah i guess most people have other things to fall back on, That is the problem for me, I suffer with depression and cannot find the will to do anything but sit here and play chess, poorly.

Playing chess poorly yes sucks, but what makes it worse is 96% of the people you play "let you win" or don't play "seriously".

Great!? i say to them we get it you're so beyond my skill even as a lowly 1300 that you don't need to take the rook, you can instead sac your queen.. It's hard to explain? Guess I'm the only person who struggles with this?

How am I to learn? if you people seemingly on purpose don't take advantage of blunders??

There are no good alternatives on spending time but chess.

I guess what it all boils down to, If chess is so great why are most of the "better" players such assholes? Is it great at making you an asshole who takes pleasure in beating someone "weaker" than you?

Are "better" chess players just losers who found another way to make some person feel bad and make themselves feel good?

Or do people play cause they like this game? I play because I hate it.. and i've grown to hate you the chess player across from me, Is that what it takes to get "good" just hate the person you're playing so much you want to not only beat them but do so "flashy" like?

@leftovers even though your account is closed, I hope you may see this message maybe if you created a second account.

First of all, I wish you big luck for the depression you are suffering.

But wow, reading all your comments and hating all chess players it is complicated. I understand many top players have bad manners or something like that, but they play chess as a job. It is like football, tenis, etc. They dedicate their time like a job, and many of them really love chess. So as someone said "If you work in what you like, you'll won't work even one day".

Chess is really complex and need many time, 500 years we took for getting in what we are now, but I am completely sure we didn't discovered even 1% about it. I think in 1000 years more chess will still be playing, of course computers, are helping a lot, I see in 50 years a computer will reach the highest level maybe, but still there chess won'y be completely discovered. Chess can be related with everything. Like a life, a war, etc. Chess is really useful I think in many things, and having this, people doesn't use it how it should be. People saying like "Chess is only for intelligent people" or "Chess is boring" are all comments that a person made without knowing chess and guiding in what other people say.

"Our only fear is about other opinions"

About wasting time, I think anything you like and you enjoy doing is just not wasting time. Try to look for a hobby, maybe a sport if you like swimming or run. You may pass the depression, it won't be easy.

The lifetime said "You will be happy in this life, but first I will make you strong!" When we are strong enough we will find the happiness.

You are passing for really tough times, I recommend you looking for a hobby, maybe search for help. Leave some things for a while, for not getting stressed, be happy in that time, relaxed. After that come back to your normal life, but you will come back happy.
I wish you full of luck ;)

what u say chess is wasting time?
NO because when I do some math questions I feel so bored but when I play chess on the side I start doing the math questions on the right way! chess is a took where a student can use to develop many skills

namaste

Chess is life
You wasting your life if youre doing things u don't like.