Chessplayers Anonymous?
Submitted by
on Thu, 01/17/2008 at 1:11pm.
Ever since I learned this great game, I've been hooked. I have occasional spurts of good moves, but, more often, my moves tend to be careless and poorly thought out. Nevertheless, good or bad, win or lose, I simply love this game, as in "I love to breathe."
During my early chess years, my children were my main opponents. We spent many a night hovering over the chess board, especially my middle child and I. Eventually, they grew up, left the nest and built their own nests in faraway places. Then I played chess on the train with a couple of other commuters and during lunch hours at work. A few years later, I changed jobs and found -- alas! -- no one there with whom to play.
Then the Internet appeared and I discovered Chess.com and everything changed. The thrill of it! I was like a kid who'd found a new playmate -- ten new playmates, twenty, forty! And all of them willing to come out and play at different times, day or night. I couldn't wait until everyone else in my household had settled down for the night and I could be alone with my computer and whatever playmates had dropped in for a game. Oh, the thrill of it! First I decided I had to stop playing at 10:00, then I let it go until 11:00, and then I extended it to midnight and well beyond. That was wreaking havoc on my health. I was draaaaaaaaaaaagging the next day, whether I had to be at work or do things around the house. Does anyone else have this problem -- realizing one should stop playing, but being unable to pull the plug on a game? My constant thought was "Just one more move..... just one more move.....just one more move.....just one more......."
Perhaps I should look for a 12-step Chessplayers Anonymous, eh?
Fortunately, my tale has an arguably happy ending. My computer-geek friend across the street offered to put "parental restrictions" on the chess site to cut me off at 11:00. It did mean that, no matter how exciting the games or how scintillating the chatter that goes with some of them, they would be mercilessly axed at that bewitching hour. But you know what? The games were always there the next day, waiting for me. Nothing was lost, and I soon grew accustomed to the new regimen. I must say, though, when self-discipline is lacking, it's great to have a computer-geek friend handy to put a mechanical discipline in place.
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