Few things in life are more humiliating as a competitive person than being absolutely demolished in a game you enjoy. That's #chess in a nutshell for me right now.
Did I say "humiliating"? I meant EDUCATIONAL... yes, I'm sure that's what I was going for.
And that's exactly how I would describe my experience on #Lichess so far!
I am a TERRIBLE chess player.
There, I said it. 馃檮
And while I don't think it's the whole truth, it certainly feels that way as I'm learning the ropes. Here I am, working my way down through the upper ranks-- the 1500 range, then 1200, 1000 and so on-- after having watched The Queen's Gambit and a few YouTube videos...
I should be just fine. Right?
Wrong! Read My Title Again.
I've been getting dismantled! Destroyed. Annihilated.
Words are fun. Chess, though, is rude... and it's worth reiterating.
I'll admit that I am actually overreacting a little bit-- for the sake of emotional release-- but not by much... my rating over on CHESS.COM is in the high 400's right now, and I've done a lot of losing to get there. I earned that badge, damn it.
And I want to remember what that feels like: losing with such ease and proficiency, watching my value as a player stroll past the slums and alleys only to keep going. I'm discovering my inner invalid, smiling incoherently at all the inevitable winners.
Join Us, So You Too Can Lose.
I hope so, anyway... I need a few kind souls to make me look decent. You don't even need to know how to play necessarily. Just subscribe to THE CHESS COMMUNITY here on #Hive, sign up for their CHESS TEAM on Lichess and start pushing pieces around.
You'll probably still beat me, so don't stress.
You Want Some Help?
Tough... life is hard. Deal with it.
I'm kidding. Don't get your pawns in a bunch! There are a few books I've been meaning to grab which could be helpful: CHESS FUNDAMENTALS by Jose Capablanca and Bobby Fischer's MY 60 MEMORABLE GAMES are at the top of my list.
And if you do click one of those links above and buy something, I'll get a small cut... and I could really use some pity money right about now. Who knows: it might even make me a better player!
SPOILER ALERT: It Totally Will.
The more you buy, in fact, the closer I get to grand mastery. (I believe it is two ELO points gained for every dollar spent. I couldn't possibly make that up... I'm not that creative. I just report the facts.)
Final sigh. I feel a little better now. Chess is still rude, but I can digress for a moment and realize that it's not the #game itself that I hate... it's the players! What a bunch of overachieving douche-canoes.