Chess Player Psychology

The effect of chess on the brain holds great interest for me as an avid chess enthusiast.  I've enjoyed the constant challenge the game presents and the camaraderie of very interesting people.  But is interesting the correct adjective?  To answer this question, I enlisted the help of random strangers as well as other chess players.

How are Chess Players Viewed by the Public?

I asked several people how they would describe their impression of chess players in one word.  Many were surprised, "Chess players?!"  Apparently it isn't a social norm to ask strangers their opinions of chess players. However, everyone was very pleasant; some even confessed to playing chess themselves.  

The most prevalent views are that chess players are smart, strategic, and patient.  We could not ask for a more pleasing stereotype.  But do we live up to it?

FICS Members' Impressions of Other Chess Players

It might be assumed that chess players themselves would have a more accurate understanding of their fellow competitors.  I play chess quite frequently on the Free Internet Chess Server, and asked 55 people there their impressions of other chess players.  Respondents included administrators, SRs, TMs, opinionists from the religious and political channels, slow time control devotees, and bughouse players.

One thing perhaps other ardent hobbyists can understand is the devotion displayed by the nerdy, intense, obsessive, and addicted.  What kind of people wake up in the middle of the night to play in FICS qualifier tournaments or drive 100 miles or more to tournaments where they will rent hotel rooms, pay entry fees, and then spend hours intently staring at a board with 64 squares?  What kind of people develop chess-related websites for free, gather gray hairs "herding cats" at scholastic tournaments, or rise before the crack of dawn every morning to direct online chess tournaments?

Yet, chess players may not be so strange after all, considering that ping-pong enthusiasts spend hundreds of dollars on their paddles, quilters and knitters spend hours devoted to their pursuits, and the model railway people definitely are not falling behind in spending both time and money.  Don't even mention the photographers who will spend a thousand dollars on a camera and hundreds more for lenses and accessories.

 FICS Members' Descriptions of Themselves

I asked the same group of FICSians for one word descriptions of themselves.  The most prevalent descriptions were nerdy, hopeful, intelligent, creative, and unorthodox.

What attracts chess players to the game?  Fellow blogger, chess coach Hank Anzis, suggests it is "the self reliant nature of the sport. There is no one to blame after a loss or share credit with after a win except the person in the mirror. There is no luck, there is nothing hidden, and the victor is the one who sees a little more or a little further than their opponent (who is looking at the same board)."  

While I'm inclined to think the person who called himself "lucky" might disagree with Hank, it is quite probable that the "independent," "unorthodox," "non-interfering," and "anti-authoritarian" crowds are drawn to chess by the very reasons described.

One thing I noted was that none of the chess players surveyed listed other chess players or themselves as paranoid victims of the "Everyone's Out to Get Me" feeling.  Chess players play game after game against opponents who search to take advantage of every mistake. As Tal put it, "You must take your opponent into a deep dark forest where 2+2=5, and the path leading out is only wide enough for one."

After having opponents attempt this day after day, it seems it would sometimes be hard to conquer the feeling that everyone is a potential opponent out to get us for some odd reason, has alternative motives, dislikes us, or wants to avoid us.  But, hey, chess players are real overcomers; I am pleasantly surprised!

 Over-the-board Chess Players' Impressions

Finally, I went to a chess tournament in Ankeny, Iowa on Saturday and surveyed a few of the participants between rounds.  Here are their descriptions of other chess players (first) and themselves.

  “Genius is 1 percent inspiration; 99 percent perspiration.” --Thomas Edison

Tournament crowds are very diverse.  Chess players come from every background.  People who would not otherwise associate will sit across from each other for hours to play chess.  Many have their "quirks" and "eccentricities," but most have learned to get along with and accept each other.

A person does not have to be normal to be nice.  The "Barefoot" chess player, who never wears socks or shoes anywhere is a nice person.  I would not consider myself normal; is anyone?  But...I still do have a hard time accepting the finger-nail biters, table shakers, under-the-table tap dancers,  and finger tappers.  The little things can be annoying when one is concentrating under time pressure!

Yet, the little things make chess player psychology fascinating.  Determined, brilliant, methodical,  and smart workhorses keep the world in motion.  Intuitive and curious learners discover new things, and the swashbuckling and insane keep life interesting.  I'm thankful I've had the privilege to compete with so many people.

I'd like to thank the kind people who answered my survey at Blaine's Farm and Fleet, a church, McDonald's, JoAnn's Fabrics, Pizza Ranch, and gas stations, and the chess players who generously gave their opinions.

How would you describe yourself in one word?

What "little things" do you find annoying?
What are your thoughts on chess players?
Have your interests influenced your perspective on life?