Chess takes a village...

Thread Starter

cmartinez

Joined Jan 17, 2007
8,220
The world would be a very different place if people took to at least one intellectual activity as a hobby or form of entertainment:


Fifty years ago, Marottichal was rife with alcoholism and illicit gambling, but everything changed after one man taught the town to play an ancient game of strategy ... Baby John: "We don't watch television here; we play chess and talk to each other"
 

Thread Starter

cmartinez

Joined Jan 17, 2007
8,220
Most people aren't smart enough to participate in an intellectual activity. ;)
That's the point... intellectual activity encourages you to use your brains! ...

Personally, I stopped playing chess years ago because it consumes too many brain resources on my part... I spent all day solving problems and planning strategies already... but for those whose employment is dull and repetitive this would be the perfect pastime.

I'm more into backgammon now. It's quick, and it requires the player to contemplate the big picture.
 

spinnaker

Joined Oct 29, 2009
7,830
That's the point... intellectual activity encourages you to use your brains! ...

Personally, I stopped playing chess years ago because it consumes too many brain resources on my part... I spent all day solving problems and planning strategies already... but for those whose employment is dull and repetitive this would be the perfect pastime.

I'm more into backgammon now. It's quick, and it requires the player to contemplate the big picture.
I prefer backgammon too. I never really got chess, I could never understand how you could strategize against an opponent that has multiple choices of his own. But then again I never really studied it as an adult. Just messed around as a kid.

Are dominoes big in Mexico?
 

Thread Starter

cmartinez

Joined Jan 17, 2007
8,220
Are dominoes big in Mexico?
Ohhhh they're very big! ... that's a game that's originally from Europe, and is played mainly by the french and spaniards... it's a team game, with two against two opponents. The thing is that since it's a strategy game the players are (supposedly) not allowed to talk during play, since they could cheat by speaking in code to each other... I guess that's the main reason why it isn't more popular in the rest of the world.
 

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
Ohhhh they're very big! ... that's a game that's originally from Europe, and is played mainly by the french and spaniards... it's a team game, with two against two opponents. The thing is that since it's a strategy game the players are (supposedly) not allowed to talk during play, since they could cheat by speaking in code to each other... I guess that's the main reason why it isn't more popular in the rest of the world.
Do you stop the French from sending codes across the table by waving their cigarettes, too?
 
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