It does? *grins smugly* *prepares to give lecture on the human brain*

Chess is addicting to some people and not for others because of the chemicals a brain developes in responce to playing a game. The chess addict ends up with the same responce a crack addict gets; a slight increase in addrenaline and a huge dose of happy endorphines and, as a result, increased energy, or to put it simply you feel happy. Since the brain likes to feel happy, it gives you the urge to play more. But after a while of playing, you get the same responce a chess hater gets; which is no happy endorphines, no energy and a dislike of the game.

 

In reality its more complex than that but I hope that helped you understand yourself better.

at some point, once you played enough games, the urge goes away.

Is a musician addicted to making music? Is a chef addicted to being in the kitchen?  Is an artist addicted to painting? Is a watchmaker addicted to time?

I think the answer is yes, simply because to do anything you have to be doing it, and if you're not doing it then you aren't it.The term ""Addiction" was born out of somebody observing somebody else doing something they liked over and over again, and then judging them on it.Addiction isn't even in ones own vocabularly when one pays no attention to what others think.For example I am 27 and have smoked on and off since I was about 14.I have stopped a few times in that period, once for almost two years.Others ask me: "How did you give up so easily?" and I answer: "See it this way, I became addicted to something else".My own personal explanation (not that I need to explain it to myself) is that I just did what I felt like, simple as that.

I've played Chess since I was a young child, but I haven't played it consistently for few years now, so I'm just starting up again and I am spending a lot of time thinking about it.Whenever I go back to chess I become consumed in it.And as it is when I am a smoker, I will smoke, and when I am a chess player, I will play chess.

Basically it comes down to living life to the full, and going with what feels good to you.

 

Enjoy the games individually. There is no need for any addiction.

If the medical society has deemed video games not addictive, then how could chess possibly be? Just because people can't quit doing something and will give up everything they have at any cost just to play chess doesn't make it addictive does it? I think the medical society is on crack!!!!!!!! Anything can be addictive. You go man! FEED your addiction until you are so sick of it that you can level back out. Play chess until you collapse. If you don'tcollapse you end up the next Fischer or Kasparov!!! Good luck.