All's Fair in Love, War, and Chess

What do I want to write about? Chess. Yes, the old-as-dirt game of chess.

One thing you should know about me off the bat? I love to play games. All sorts of games, really. Any chance where there's a winner and a loser based on some random challenges with an equally random set of rules? I'm in. I've made up games on the spot just to have a little fun because that's just how I am. Do I have to win every time? No, definitely not. There's no fun in that. In fact, I prefer to be the underdog, have some time to study, and then come back with a bang.

It's the classic American hero story.

But I digress.

So, chess. I've played it before and know the gist of the game. The only real reason why I started to play it on a semi-regular basis was because of Dima (the boyfriend). He loves to play chess and I love to beat him at stuff, so I started playing. The score is currently something like 0-11, so I have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain by getting better at it.

The thing is, playing chess brings up a lot of Tzuian / Machiavellian instincts I otherwise don't need in everyday life. First of all, in order to win, I need to all of a sudden really pay attention. A lot of attention. Before making a move, I learned early on, I need to consider every possible move of every existing piece on the board (mine and the opponent's). Losing a few queens and rooks due to carelessness will teach you that quickly. While being more attentive and alert aren't necessarily bad qualities, the strategy in chess makes me feel kind of dirty. Maybe it's just me, but I don't necessarily enjoy forcing people to do things. In chess, it appears that I need to make moves that force the opponent between a rock and a hard place. It's all part of the game and I shouldn't take it too seriously, but really, a lot of other games I play simply don't exercise these brain muscles and it's been fascinating trying to get into the chess mindset.

I'll let you know if (1) I actually get any better at chess and (2) I beat Dima. Wish me luck!