Poll of the Day > It may be a minor thing, but I think the thing I'm most petty about my childhood

(+) Yeah! (+)

Is that no one would ever play chess with me.

Some how I found out about chess when I was like 8 or 9 or something. Maybe because we had a cheap plastic travel chessboard or something. So I started asking people if they would play chess with me.

Fast forward a couple months. I've played a few games of chess with I think my cousin and my uncle, and maybe one with one of my friends at this point. My parents got me a couple chess books and this really nice glass chessboard.

So now I'm trying to ask even more people if they'll play chess with me. My parents (mainly my mom since my dad was always working) always answered with "Maybe later." Literally. Every. Time.

My friends and sisters of course would always much rather prefer to play that boring game called checkers.

About a year later, I've played maybe 5 games of chess and a good 50 games of checkers and more or less given up playing chess with people.

Like, why would you get me a chess board like that? Almost nobody lived in this dead town, you wouldn't bring me anywhere where people would play it, and you certainly wouldn't play it with me. Even when you were a stay at home mom and all you were doing was reading, or playing Neopets. Did you expect me to play it against myself or something?

Now, of course I could play on the computer. And I did some. But this was early 2000s when all the computer programs that we had for it were awful and didn't let you castle for some reason and had the AI make literally random moves OR the literally best move. So I stopped.
---

When nobody is around the only option is to play with yourself.
---

Yeah, but nobody explained that to me either, so I just played Pokmon.
---

What annoys me is how often as kids we werent allowed to talk. During class is one thing but a lot of times we had to be silent during lunch and at other generally free times

Why did we have to be quiet for such extended periods of time. People are supposed to speak
---

I had a similar issue. I'm only medium-ok at Chess, but my bro has the potential to be an International Master if he pursued it. As such, he always won. But eventually he just stopped playing since he knew he'd just win...
---

yeah i feel you dude no one would play chess with me cuz I would always beat them, even adults who played chess regularly

just kidding, i'm awful at chess
---

wwinterj25 posted...

When nobody is around the only option is to play with yourself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sJRkj9DP9Y" data-time="
---

Mead posted...

What annoys me is how often as kids we werent allowed to talk. During class is one thing but a lot of times we had to be silent during lunch and at other generally free times

Why did we have to be quiet for such extended periods of time. People are supposed to speak

they really made you be quiet at lunch? sounds like a shitty school
---

Mead posted...

What annoys me is how often as kids we werent allowed to talk. During class is one thing but a lot of times we had to be silent during lunch and at other generally free times

Why did we have to be quiet for such extended periods of time. People are supposed to speak

Kids should be seen but not heard.
---

Smiffwilm posted...

wwinterj25 posted...

When nobody is around the only option is to play with yourself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sJRkj9DP9Y" data-time="

I think the phrasing was perfect and exactly what he wanted...
---

Mead posted...

What annoys me is how often as kids we werent allowed to talk. During class is one thing but a lot of times we had to be silent during lunch and at other generally free times

Why did we have to be quiet for such extended periods of time. People are supposed to speak

For me it was always, "Why don't you ever talk?"

Also, "No, you can't stay inside and read, you have to go outside and play."

Lokarin posted...

I had a similar issue. I'm only medium-ok at Chess, but my bro has the potential to be an International Master if he pursued it. As such, he always won. But eventually he just stopped playing since he knew he'd just win...

That sucks. I wonder how many people fail for the sole reason that their talents and desires were never nurtured.

Greenfox111 posted...

yeah i feel you dude no one would play chess with me cuz I would always beat them, even adults who played chess regularly

just kidding, i'm awful at chess

Same. I didn't even win a good half of those maybe around 10 games I played. So I don't know why no one would ever play with me again.

Smiffwilm posted...

wwinterj25 posted...

When nobody is around the only option is to play with yourself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sJRkj9DP9Y" data-time="

We still doing that?
---