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ChessPub Forum - High dropout rate of tnmt chess players
Nez-Prince asked a great rhetorical question in another thread.
Why do we have such a huge drop-out rate of chess players?
I believe that even those who drop out of tournament chess still continue to play among their friends and read newspaper accounts, so I changed the question slightly.
Why do people drop out of tournament and club chess (and competitive internet chess as well)?
???
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Prince-Nez, actually.
For the record, my handle refers to the type of spectacles that Tarrasch (and others) wore back in the day.
You ask a good and sad question.
There are probably a number of reasons.
In no particular order:
a.
Chess is not cool.
Back in high school you didn't brag that you were on the chess team and you might be made fun of if you were on it.
Let's face it, a lot of chess players are nerds (I don't think that is a bad thing) who might not be all that successful with women.
I recall a few chess players who once they got girlfriends stopped playing.
Coincidence?
I think there is a general inferiority complex chess players have about their game.
We are at least partially embarrassed by it.
I don't think we should be.
It is a great game and hobby.
b.
It is time consuming.
All hobbies are but chess might be more so.
Take golf: most golfers will probably golf once a week.
They may start early in the morning (on a Saturday) but they will still be home in the early afternoon.
This is much more acceptable to wives, girlfriends and families.
With tournament chess, even if it is only a one day tournament, it will most likely take the whole day.
And if it is a big tournament like the HB or World or Chicago Opens....
c.
Chess hurts. Chess is a hard game and it hurts to lose.
I am sure there are frustrated golfers, etc., out there who get fed up with their hobby because they don't improve at it or are consistently beaten by their friends.
I believe this is worse in chess because I think losing at something mentally (chess) is more painful than losing at something physically (golf, bowling, etc.,)
I have probably only scratched the surface but it is a start.
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I always thought they were pince nez, french for "pinch nose"...
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[Quote: author=HgMan link=1124037062/0#2 date=1124023275]I always thought they were pince nez, french for "pinch nose"...
[/Quote: ]
Interesting.
I don't want to take us off the subject of this thread for too long but I am certain I have an old chess book with a picture of Tarrasch that mentions he wore a "prince-nez." I googled the term and found several references to the eye wear in question.
Actually, one of them called it both a "prince-nez" and a "pince-nez."
What you wrote makes sense.
I don't know any French so I never gave it any thought.
I wonder how it came to be called both.
From so many people making the same mistake I did that it became common usage?
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Did a little more research and clearly I made a mistake.
I'll take solace in the fact that many others have made it too.
Moderator, can I change my handle?
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Prince-Nez, I had assumed that your handle was not a mistake but a witty joke, playing upon the term "pince-nez"!
I'm sure you could change it if you wanted, but I think it's rather good as it is!
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I agree--I quite liked it.
And, of course, Tarrasch was a prince of a pince-nez-wearer...
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[Quote: author=Michael Ayton link=1124037062/0#5 date=1124031766]Prince-Nez, I had assumed that your handle was not a mistake but a witty joke, playing upon the term "pince-nez"!
I'm sure you could change it if you wanted, but I think it's rather good as it is!
[/Quote: ]
Thanks.
I guess I can live with it as is.
Also, wasn't there a British boxer with a similar name?
Prince Naseem or Prince Naz for short?
Something like that.
I do hope others will respond to Smyslov_Fan's original post.
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There is another reason: tournament chess is inherently anti-social.
Going out to play golf on Sunday is like going to the chess club on Tuesday night.
I imagine that both are generally viewed as acceptable, and can be good fun.
Spending a weekend playing chess silently for hours -- many of us enjoy it, to be sure, but I am not surprised that it is viewed with amazement by others.
Playing tournament chess requires a different mindset than playing chess socially, even if you are a strong player.
Moreover, if you are not IM strength or better, you are unlikely to win many tournaments.
So playing in tournaments is reserved for those who enjoy the competitive aspects of chess, but who are comfortable with losing.
(Not the most common combination!)
It is a matter of what you find enjoyable in chess.
It is the reason (to continue the golf analogy) that you see so few players spending their Saturdays working on their short game.
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[Quote: author=Scholar link=1124037062/0#8 date=1124047752]There is another reason: tournament chess is inherently anti-social.
Going out to play golf on Sunday is like going to the chess club on Tuesday night.
I imagine that both are generally viewed as acceptable, and can be good fun.
Spending a weekend playing chess silently for hours -- many of us enjoy it, to be sure, but I am not surprised that it is viewed with amazement by others.
Playing tournament chess requires a different mindset than playing chess socially, even if you are a strong player.
Moreover, if you are not IM strength or better, you are unlikely to win many tournaments.
So playing in tournaments is reserved for those who enjoy the competitive aspects of chess, but who are comfortable with losing.
(Not the most common combination!)
It is a matter of what you find enjoyable in chess.
It is the reason (to continue the golf analogy) that you see so few players spending their Saturdays working on their short game.
[/Quote: ]
I think I might disagree in part or to some degree.
True, tournament chess itself is inherently anti-social but what about between rounds?
I recall having lunch with friends or with new people I met at the tournament and it being very social.
Then, of course, there is the skittles/analysis room.
That is pretty social.
To continue with the golf analogy too, I know some casual golfers who take it pretty darn seriously and really have nothing much to say (except for the usual pleasantries) to their partners until the round is over.
As far as winning goes, it is true that most of us will never win the open section but that is why God created class prizes.
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Well, I always golf with friends, and see it as a good way to spend a day with buddies.
I couldn't say the same about chess tournaments.
Maybe part of the reason is that I had the big standard time control tournaments in mind while writing this, where my games would often end late into the night, and the time between rounds is barely enough to eat lunch.
So even if I was there with friends, I didn't see much of them (except silently walking by their board during the round).
A couple of hours with people versus 10 hours at a board, it's hard to call that a social experience.
Perhaps more typical would be a one-day action event, and I guess these are a bit better for human interaction.
If there were more local clubs, you'd probably see more tournament players.
How to accomplish those goals seems to be the $64,000 question for the UCSF.
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[Quote: author=Scholar link=1124037062/0#10 date=1124051495]Maybe part of the reason is that I had the big standard time control tournaments in mind while writing this, where my games would often end late into the night, and the time between rounds is barely enough to eat lunch.
So even if I was there with friends, I didn't see much of them (except silently walking by their board during the round).
If there were more local clubs, you'd probably see more tournament players.
How to accomplish those goals seems to be the $64,000 question for the UCSF.
[/Quote: ]
I was thinking back from my experiences at all sizes of tournaments.
I too remember what you described.
There were times where lunch wasn't possible much less then lunch with friends.
Heck, I remember adjourning a game and then having to go right into playing the next round's game.
I was just a teenager so I had the energy.
Still, I do remember many social experiences at tournaments of all sizes.
I preferred the big ones because of all the people at them.
I am sure many friendships have been made/solidified at the World Open (to give one example).
I agree completely with your last paragraph.
I can't say I have high hopes in that regard.
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[Quote: author=Smyslov_Fan link=1124037062/0#0 date=1124019061]
Why do people drop out of tournament and club chess (and competitive internet chess as well)?
???
[/Quote: ]
Perhaps there are players who enjoy otb pickup chess
and don't care about rating points or cash prizes
I like playing 5.0 pickup chess and standard chess.
Internet Chess is easy one too much cheating is the
reason.
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