Are All Chess Players Intellectuals?
Feb 2, 2024 17:21:10 GMT -5
Post by Radrook Admin on Feb 2, 2024 17:21:10 GMT -5
Are All Chess Players Intellectuals?
The idea that chess players are smarter than average people, is a very popular one which is being constantly culturally reinforced via films, such as "In Search of Bobby Fisher", as well as the media. Well, I had once fallen for such constant propaganda, and had finally considered all chess players as people who were above average in intelligence. However, once I finally went to chess clubs and became gradually familiar with the players who attended, I slowly realized that such was not always the case.
Yes, some indeed seemed to remotely or somewhat fit that description, but as far as I could tell, the vast majority definitely did not. Instead, most chess club members turned out to be just regular people who had taken a special interest in a board game and had finally chosen it as their hobby.
Yes, some did indeed play well, however, most were just wood-pushers, a term used to describe chess players who put very little thought into their moves and who never get very far beyond the beginner level. Yes, such Wood Pushers were always practicing, but what they were practicing was their mistakes. Whenever they lost, they tended to view it as bad luck and to imagine the winners as simply winning because of being naturally more talented.
True, some were decent persons. However, a very significant percentage were extremely obnoxious troublemakers who took great pleasure in insulting their opponents in order to win via distraction. A few others could be very well be tagged as certifiably insane, mumbling to themselves between moves, or else making childish mocking sounds, such as: Nana-nana "Nahh Nahh! Nanah Nana Nan Naaaah!" as one Cuban player did in Miami during the time that we played several games.
Still others were fanatical racists who strove to make anyone whom they considered Non-White extremely unwelcomed via isolating the person, or occasionally intruding into the person's games with advice for his opponent, or else making belligerent snide remarks laced with threats of physical violence.
So under such a constant barrage of examples to the contrary, I was finally convinced that my initial very positive expectations in reference to chess players had been totally ill founded.