I’ve picked up chess as a fun hobby as an adult, alongside my kids who are learning it as well. I remember enjoying the game as a kid, but not really having anyone to play with. When I grew older, I was a bit intimidated by it—thinking it as a constant test of intelligence, instead of a fun game. Here are some reframes and steps that I took which made it a delightful part of my life in 2024.
- Chess is not an intelligence test. The AIs can beat us all. Does that make them smarter? Not so fast… Chess is just a game, and the only test is how much you enjoy it and maybe getting a little better over time.
- Chess is social. Go to chess.com and create an account. I bet you’ll see some friends there (and feel free to challenge me). Start playing games with them, it definitely beats doomscrolling.
- You don’t have to play quickly — most of the games I play are a move a day.
- You can play quickly if you want — there are games which are as little as a minute each on the clock. I find these harder.
- You don’t have to play at all — there are a variety of daily puzzles, puzzle games, which aren’t full games but just a challenge to find the right move (or few moves). There are also many free lessons available, including a whole series on chess.com.
- Chess is a fun community. There are personalities to track, and watching other people’s games can be fun too.
I tend to like hobbies where there’s a feeling of improving over time, and I like that chess has ratings and other benchmarks to help me see whether I am. Chess even has a term for someone like this: a “chess improver”. There are some folks who make it a personal quest. For me, I just want to enjoy playing, get better over time, and help my kids have fun with it too.
Want to play me? Find me on chess.com as queencorbett
