I've noticed that chess professionals sometimes say stuff like this. It almost sounds like self-loathing--like they regret their life choices.
Which is understandable--for them. If you spend all your life on something that isn't super-highly-valued by society, something that's a niche interest, a sport where (competitively speaking) you're over the hill by the time you're in your late 30s, that can probably prompt some soul-searching.
For me, an amateur, things are simpler. I absolutely don't regret the thousands of hours I've spent on chess. It's given me pleasure, a sense of purpose, and camaraderie. It has kept my mind sharp.
Could I have spent all this time doing something "productive" instead? Sure, I suppose so. But especially in this era of so much mindless entertainment, where teenagers spend 7 hours a day on social media, I'm happy to have a hobby that keeps my mind active and engaged.
It's to not annotate games in the Giuoco lines with d2-d3. The games tend to be long maneuvering affairs, and the number of opening nuances can be overwhelming. Even at the very start, after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3, Black can reasonably choose between 5...d6 (the main move), 5...a6, 5...0-0, and 5...h6. Whichever move is chosen, there's almost always going to be a subsequent option to play the other two moves, not to mention ...a5 and ...d5 (assuming Black didn't play ...a6 in the first case and hast castled in the second). For White there's the question of timing a4 and deciding whether or not to play Bg5. Black must also decide whether or not to play ...Be6, and if so whether to support it with ...Re8 or (sometimes) ...Qe7, or whether ...fxe6 will suffice. If Black hasn't played ...a5, will White go for b4? Working out and explaining all of those nuances yields a pretty poor ROI in most cases.
I learned chess when I was very young. During my very long career as an engineer (now retired) doing mostly project management for complex projects (over $1 million), I often gave a lot of credit to chess for making me successful. Learning to have a plan, concentration, assessing alternatives, taking remedial actions, learning by others mistakes, keeping emotions under wraps etc. all were skills learn from playing chess.
I've noticed that chess professionals sometimes say stuff like this. It almost sounds like self-loathing--like they regret their life choices.
Which is understandable--for them. If you spend all your life on something that isn't super-highly-valued by society, something that's a niche interest, a sport where (competitively speaking) you're over the hill by the time you're in your late 30s, that can probably prompt some soul-searching.
For me, an amateur, things are simpler. I absolutely don't regret the thousands of hours I've spent on chess. It's given me pleasure, a sense of purpose, and camaraderie. It has kept my mind sharp.
Could I have spent all this time doing something "productive" instead? Sure, I suppose so. But especially in this era of so much mindless entertainment, where teenagers spend 7 hours a day on social media, I'm happy to have a hobby that keeps my mind active and engaged.
Maybe I missed it. What is "The Policy" regarding the Italian game?
It's to not annotate games in the Giuoco lines with d2-d3. The games tend to be long maneuvering affairs, and the number of opening nuances can be overwhelming. Even at the very start, after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3, Black can reasonably choose between 5...d6 (the main move), 5...a6, 5...0-0, and 5...h6. Whichever move is chosen, there's almost always going to be a subsequent option to play the other two moves, not to mention ...a5 and ...d5 (assuming Black didn't play ...a6 in the first case and hast castled in the second). For White there's the question of timing a4 and deciding whether or not to play Bg5. Black must also decide whether or not to play ...Be6, and if so whether to support it with ...Re8 or (sometimes) ...Qe7, or whether ...fxe6 will suffice. If Black hasn't played ...a5, will White go for b4? Working out and explaining all of those nuances yields a pretty poor ROI in most cases.
Well said.
I learned chess when I was very young. During my very long career as an engineer (now retired) doing mostly project management for complex projects (over $1 million), I often gave a lot of credit to chess for making me successful. Learning to have a plan, concentration, assessing alternatives, taking remedial actions, learning by others mistakes, keeping emotions under wraps etc. all were skills learn from playing chess.