Re: Cartofeminism
Posted: 19 Oct 2009, 21:24
When I was about 10, my sister (who is a few years older than me) bought a pocket chess set, and we both learned to play. We were quite well matched - she was a bit older, and maybe a bit stronger. But I became quite obsessed, and she lost interest. I don't think that it was too difficult for her - I think that she couldn't see the point. I became a reasonable amateur, and played regularly at one time. Winning gave me a buzz - I wasn't too hot at sports, but I was quite good at this. It is true - there still are a lot more male than female chess players in the top rank. I suspect that is largely because men are more competitive.
A long chess combination can be extraordinarily beautiful, but in the end I lost interest because I felt uneasy about devoting large amounts of time to a game, and if I did play, I wanted to play well. It is an activity that can easily become obsessive. I have heard Bobby Fischer described as 'the ego crusher' in comparisons of players' styles. I think that fewer women than men get off on crushing egos.
A long chess combination can be extraordinarily beautiful, but in the end I lost interest because I felt uneasy about devoting large amounts of time to a game, and if I did play, I wanted to play well. It is an activity that can easily become obsessive. I have heard Bobby Fischer described as 'the ego crusher' in comparisons of players' styles. I think that fewer women than men get off on crushing egos.