What Is Chess?

Teachers always tell you not to ask stupid questions, but as we are rebels here at Immortal Game that's exactly what we're going to do...

You probably know the boring answer. Chess is one of the oldest and most popular online games in the world. It is played by two opponents on a checkerboard with specially designed pieces of contrasting colors, commonly white and black.

Yawn.

Isn't it surprising how such a captivating game can sound dull when explained so matter-of-factly?

Now we've got all the boring SEO out of the way, and explained the basics to the noobs. I'm gonna tell you what chess REALLY is!

(Our boss only reads the first paragraph, so I hope we'll not get in trouble by giving you the real secrets on what chess is all about.)

Chess transcends being a mere game; it's a challenge, a puzzle, a mystery, a war, a dance, a story, a masterpiece.

Chess is a game that has been played by some of the greatest mathematicians, scientists, philosophers and geniuses the world has ever known. It has also been played by people like XQC, and Tyler1, who are commonly regarded to be less intelligent than the likes of Albert Einstein.

"Chess grips its exponent, shackling the mind and brain so that the inner freedom and independence of even the strongest character cannot remain unaffected."

-Einstein

Yes, that's a very intelligent quote.

But It's also damn true! Ever since I quit my highly promising poker career I've been practically sleeping at the chess board nights on end, staying up late Googling things like 'Is Chess Addiction A Real Thing?' and 'Should I Be Concerned That I Haven't Seen Sun Light In 12 Days and All My Plants Have Died??"

Chess can take over your life. It can make you obsessed. It can make you forget about everything else. It can make you stare at a position for hours, searching for the perfect move, the perfect plan, the perfect strategy.

Ok sure, but what actually is chess?

What is this game that we are all wasting enjoying our lives playing?

We can tell you how to play chess, or the fact that it’s fascinated millions of people for centuries. We could also tell you that it’s free to play, and available to play on our website. Cough Cough.

But what is the game a battle over?

Space? Resources? Coordination? Pattern recognition? Is it a game or a piece of art?

What are all these things? Is there anyway to answer this question?

At the end of the day, it could be all of them. Chess is whatever you want it to be—a beautiful canvas allowing you to find your meaning and reason for playing.

Image credit https://www.instagram.com/chess_abstract/

"Meaning and morality of One’s life come from within oneself. Healthy, strong individuals seek self expansion by experimenting and by living dangerously. Life consists of an infinite number of possibilities and the healthy person explores as many of them as possible."

-Nietzsche

Another intelligent quote!

Chess is a game of infinite possibilities. And chess is a game of infinite meanings.

You can play chess for fun, competition, education, entertainment, inspiration, passion!

You can play chess to challenge yourself, to improve yourself, to express yourself, to enjoy yourself, to discover yourself.

You can play chess to find your own meaning.

In that sense, chess truly does emulate life.

[The first chess video I ever created] that I made to entertain my mother! Her laughter and enjoyment eventually led to the millions of views that the video has today, and my 5 year career in the chess industry.

And that’s what chess is.

Chess has the power to be whatever you make of it.