We've been in the habit of holding a chess tournament every Christmas to stretch our brains a little and have a bit of fun. But you need a brain that can consider several possible strategies at once and how all of them might develop.
We're just not up to the job. We were fumbling around making silly mistakes and letting our pieces be taken too easily. We were taking longer and longer to make our next move, while the other person got increasingly bored and impatient.
So we finally accepted that chess is too sophisticated for our puny brains. We've given up trying to master a game that's way out of our league and we've gone back to something more manageable - Scrabble.
We're both good with words, so Scrabble suits us much better. And we don't nod off waiting for the other person to move.
I've never played chess so i commend you both for giving it a shot. I also commend you for deciding it's not worth the agony.
ReplyDeleteScrabble is good!
Kylie: Thanks! Agony is the right word for the attempts to keep up with half a dozen complex manoeuvres!
DeleteI also have not played chess and actually have had no interest. I am probably too impatient for the game. You two have given it a proper go. Now you are properly letting it go.
ReplyDeleteSandra: Indeed, we've given it a proper go for many years. Time to accept we'll never get any better at it.
DeleteI taught my grandson how to play chess. I like it but I can't think so many steps ahead to actually play against anyone who can think like that. It's a fun game though and my grandson got good at it but he likes video games more than that.
ReplyDeleteMary: That's the big stumbling block, having to think several steps ahead. I'm just not that brainy.
DeleteI learned enough about chess to know how the pieces move but not enough to win a game. I haven't even tried playing in years. There are so many other games I'd rather play. Have you seen Upwards? It a 3-dimensional Scrabble-type game that was my mother's favorite game.
ReplyDeleteLinda
Linda: If I won a game, it was always more through luck than judgment! I've never heard of Upwards, must investigate.
DeleteLinda: I see it's called Upwords. It sounds a bit too clever, I think I'll stick with Scrabble.
ReplyDeleteYes. Autocorrect strikes again.
DeleteLinda
Someone tried to teach me to play chess in high school and it was too confusing to me. I do love Scrabble and other word games, so I’ll stick with that.
ReplyDeleteBijoux: It's very confusing. So much so that sometimes I found myself moving Jenny's pieces and not mine!
DeleteI have never played with a chess clock, but I'm sure they speed up the game nicely. Too bad chess sets don't come complete with clock. Maybe that's because a bulky clock would not be a tidy sales item. I saw a Youtube clip from Queen's Gambit where the girl enters a tournament and another girl shows her how to do the clock.
ReplyDeleteSean: I don't think a chess clock would help me. I'd just make lots of silly mistakes as my move-time ran out.
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