5 ms·

The question is, is it worth it getting into chess as an adult? What is the appeal? And what additional value does it bring compared to other "productive"/menta

The question is, is it worth it getting into chess as an adult? What is the appeal? And what additional value does it bring compared to other "productive"/mentally stimulating hobbies?

johngossman 3y ago
For me, chess requires a level of focus and time management unlike anything else (Go is the same, but I learned chess). There are no motor skills required, unlike most video games or a musical instrument. As an adult learning the first time, it is frustrating because it is so much harder than for a kid. But then so is music and foreign language. From another angle, there is a huge amount of research on chess as a model of cognition. Because chess rating is quite objective, you can measure things like speed of learning, increase in skill with age, followed by decline of skill with age, the effects of alcohol and other drugs, diet, sleep. And, of course, it is a completely classic and ongoing topic of ai research and decision theory. If you are interested in those topics, having some insight into the game is also useful.
jakupovic 3y ago
One person's take. I use chess to relax after hours of taxing mental work, think programming, meetings or even any stress. While I learned as a child, I didn't really play, as there wasn't anyone to do so, now with chess.com, or any other online service it's super accessible.
yoyohello13 3y ago
No. Unless you enjoy it.
BurningFrog 3y ago
One fairly unique thing is that you can play against other humans of equal strength with zero friction over the web.
osigurdson 3y ago
Sounds like you don’t like chess very much. Sounds like you think everybody should have the same brain as you and are frustrated why this isn’t the case.
- jerbearito 3y ago
  Sounds like they're asking questions and you're making assumptions.
  - osigurdson 3y ago
    Fair, but questions posed in this manner are often statements.
edgarvaldes 3y ago
I think it is better to approach chess as a game (not as a mental exercise). If you enjoy it, play it. Otherwise, don't.

The question is, is it worth it getting into chess as an adult? What is the appeal? And what additional value does it bring compared to other "productive"/mentally stimulating hobbies?

johngossman 3y ago

For me, chess requires a level of focus and time management unlike anything else (Go is the same, but I learned chess). There are no motor skills required, unlike most video games or a musical instrument. As an adult learning the first time, it is frustrating because it is so much harder than for a kid. But then so is music and foreign language. From another angle, there is a huge amount of research on chess as a model of cognition. Because chess rating is quite objective, you can measure things like speed of learning, increase in skill with age, followed by decline of skill with age, the effects of alcohol and other drugs, diet, sleep. And, of course, it is a completely classic and ongoing topic of ai research and decision theory. If you are interested in those topics, having some insight into the game is also useful.

jakupovic 3y ago

One person's take. I use chess to relax after hours of taxing mental work, think programming, meetings or even any stress. While I learned as a child, I didn't really play, as there wasn't anyone to do so, now with chess.com, or any other online service it's super accessible.

yoyohello13 3y ago

No. Unless you enjoy it.

BurningFrog 3y ago

One fairly unique thing is that you can play against other humans of equal strength with zero friction over the web.

osigurdson 3y ago

Sounds like you don’t like chess very much. Sounds like you think everybody should have the same brain as you and are frustrated why this isn’t the case.

jerbearito 3y ago
Sounds like they're asking questions and you're making assumptions.
- osigurdson 3y ago
  Fair, but questions posed in this manner are often statements.

edgarvaldes 3y ago

I think it is better to approach chess as a game (not as a mental exercise). If you enjoy it, play it. Otherwise, don't.