Outlet for confined minds

On Chess: Royal game is outlet for confined minds

Columbus Dispatch

As a teenager, I found something special in chess.

Unlike with school, little had to be memorized. Instead, I was presented with a never-ending frontier in which I could discover new ideas and moves in response to the exigencies of chess combat.

There are so many paths to take in a typical chess position that one might play a lifetime of games, each different from the other.

Every game was an adventure in which I could prevail if I were clever and brave enough.

One could make mistakes, but the embarrassment of losing seemed small compared with the excitement of engagement and the windfall of discovery.

The chess experience contrasts with formal education, which, regrettably, is often repressive. As a former college teacher, I am reminded of Thorstein Veblen’s striking observation that a university education often creates a “trained incapacity.”

People frequently visit chess clubs to engage abilities suppressed and frustrated in their careers.

The game is growing in popularity. It seems to have deep and mysterious roots in life itself, offering something transcendent on a seemingly prosaic 64-square board.

Source: http://www.dispatch.com