Former chess player. I played competitively up until about age 17. My national rating (Canada) peaked at ~2200 (probably putting me around (2000-2100 in FIDE te

Former chess player. I played competitively up until about age 17. My national rating (Canada) peaked at ~2200 (probably putting me around (2000-2100 in FIDE terms), but didn't play in enough FIDE-rated tournaments. Once I started studying engineering, I had neither the time nor energy to stay competitive enough to keep going. I'm early 30's now. The only chess I play now is with the occasional stranger at the public library or to surprise someone giving a chess exhibition with one of those giant chess boards ;) What blows my mind now is that I used to have better concentration abilities as a youngster (12 to 17 years old) than I do now. I was notorious for playing marathon games and getting into time trouble (imagine flagging after 6 hours of play!). Now I can't fathom sitting for 30 minutes to decide on a single move. That being said, I would say it has transferred over to other parts of my life. My wife will be the first to tell you that I love to analyze (and over-analyze) decisions and will hold off on making them until I'm very sure about things.