Do chess players ever get bored of chess? (The truth)
Chess is an astounding game, it has a lot of enjoyable aspects and there are a lot of people who can appreciate all the beauty that this game presents. However not all individuals will have the same perspective.
There are of course others that find this game incredibly boring, but it is understandable since it is focused on thinking and there’s nothing crazy going on the board unless you understand what is happening.
I am going to answer the question: Do chess players ever get bored of chess? Here is what I know:
Chess players do get bored with chess as with other things in life that gets repetitive, competitors however never truly quit and just needed a break. There are a small minority of chess players that never get bored but generally, people do become bored with chess at some point.
I find this question very interesting since I have the same introspection when I am not engaged in chess yet. Now that I know the answer, I will deliver my knowledge using this article.
Without further ado, let’s get started.
Chess players do get bored with chess from time to time
Chess players do get bored with chess if they have been playing consecutively for a long period of time, this is why professional chess players usually spend their time away from professional chess doing other things.
This is unavoidable if you have been doing the same thing over and over again, it will become mundane at some point where you need to take a break in order to not go insane.
It doesn’t matter if the thing that you are doing is something that you love, if you don’t do anything else it will become boring since it is just human nature. We need diversity in our set of activities.
If that is what you are wondering about then yes, chess players do get bored of the game from time to time. Especially if they are a professional where they have to play consecutively for days and still keep up in terms of performance.
A nice breather is not only desirable but is actually necessary, the mind can only take so much for a long period of time.
Occasional breaks due to boredom are present in almost every other activity and not just chess, chess players are not immune to this.
Professional chess players are trained to not be bored with chess
Professional chess players for the most part do get bored with their pursuit, however, part of being a competitor is overcoming the boredom since that will make a competitor excel. Professionals do find a way to overcome boredom.
Because let’s face it, chess can be boring even if you really like the game since not all positions are eventful. There are many games that involve small maneuvering moves that don’t necessarily contribute much until later on.
Boredom is actually a part of chess, players that are able to wait through the boredom are those that get rewarded with opportunities that will give them an advantage.
Overcoming the feelings of boredom is actually a part of being a professional player, though competitors do get bored they have developed mechanisms in order to overcome them.
Even chess professionals do get bored with chess, it is just that they have overcome the feeling and are still able to play at a high level (not always of course, there are many instances where they genuinely enjoy playing).
Chess will be less boring the stronger that you get
There are some out there who never get bored of chess since there are just so many things to learn. It may be the same game, but it will be a different game depending on your level at the moment in time.
This is the thing with chess, there’s no such thing as an update since it has been the way it is since its conception. No new pieces are being introduced nor new rules (at least for the most part) it has remained the same.
You might think that this calls for something that will eventually become boring since it doesn’t change much, however you need to understand that you will view the game differently as you get stronger.
The more knowledge that you have acquired the more that you will view the game differently, you will have a deeper perspective later down the road.
The game would not change much in the future but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it wouldn’t change in your eyes. As you become stronger it will become a completely new game to you since you will have a different approach.
Personal experience, Chess community, and boredom with chess
For me personally the one that keeps my interest in chess is the community at large, there are so many influencers out there that keep this game alive.
Some chess players generally do not get bored because of the support the community has for those who like playing chess.
Agadmator, Hikaru Nakamura, Gothamchess, and all of the other small influencers that have sprouted for the love of the game make things a little bit interesting.
There are many out there who genuinely rely on these influencers’ content in order to not get bored in playing the game. This is why the community I think has one of the biggest roles in keeping the interest in chess.
Because let’s be real, chess would not be as exciting without the rowdy p events and the people that contribute to the excitement every day. People are less likely to be bored since there are influencers who make things interesting.
Some chess players do not get bored because of their personality
There are those who never get bored of playing chess since it just fits their personality type (those that like critical thinking and studying). I will not be surprised if these kinds of chess players rarely get bored.
There will always be an exception to everything, and I think this also applies to this topic. There are individuals out there who will never get bored of the game since they have the personality needed to enjoy it.
Maybe they are one of those obsessive learners who don’t mind using their brains a lot, someone that can thrive on the repetitiveness of something. I’m pretty sure that this only constitutes a small fraction of the population.
There are not a lot of individuals like this, though they probably exist out there since there are just so many people in the world.
Chess players take breaks to not get bored with chess
A lot of chess players do take breaks away from chess in order to do other things and not get bored with the game, but they probably wouldn’t be so bored that they quit the game altogether.
I have sort of addressed this issue above but want to go into it in detail, if we’re talking about “do chess players get bored?” in the sense that they quit the game, then I would say no.
Being bored at something once you have been exposed to it enough is quite normal, it usually isn’t something that will make you so disgusted with the activity that you would quit altogether.
If you have favorite music, you would have probably played it over and over again and eventually decided to move into another music just to change things up a bit, but I bet that you didn’t forget about your favorite music later on.
Even if you play chess until the moment of boredom, it usually doesn’t make you quit the game altogether especially if you genuinely enjoy it.
A break is enough, sometimes we just need a breath of fresh air in order to truly appreciate the things that we are doing.
Chess players rarely get truly bored with chess because they love the game
If you genuinely love what you are doing in life you will never get bored of it indefinitely, your heart will seek out the activity.
This is the same with chess players, chess just cannot be too far away for long periods of time.
Even if a chess player takes a really long break lasting for months, ultimately, they will still seek the game later on since they just have the passion for it. This also applies to everything that you genuinely care about.
Even if you get bored of chess you will still have the passion to keep on playing if you have enough interest, chess players just need a little bit of time for other things on some occasions.
Chess players do get bored with chess as with other things in life
As humans, it is within our nature to get bored at something that hasn’t changed a lot. Even chess players get bored of the game since it doesn’t really change much in a short period of time, but they probably wouldn’t be bored for too long.
In my personal experience, the longest I have gone without playing a game of chess is some 2 weeks at most. Even when I am busy I still slip a game or two in my arsenal since I just enjoy it.
Even when I get bored I still would want to play it eventually, it never really got to the point where I am so bored that I just couldn’t play any longer. I also don’t think it will happen in the future.
Chess players are just humans too, they also get bored with the game once they have spent so much time with it already. But it never really sticks, it will go away with time.
Especially with the existence of online platforms that make playing chess so easy, I don’t think it is that simple to quit playing just because you are bored this one time. Players will go back to it eventually.
Chess players do get bored, but not for a long time
If we’re talking about “do chess players get bored with chess?” The answer is obviously yes, however, these kinds of people do not get bored with it for long periods of time.
As I have stated above, it will only last for weeks for most people, but maybe even for months for professionals.
However we have many cases of chess players that have quitted due to boredom and have eventually returned because they have taken their break. Once you have become invested in something it is hard to forget it.
This is the case with chess players, people who have spent a lot of time getting good at the game and have become bored at some point. They may have become bored, but they do not forget it and will return once the waves have settled.
Final thoughts
Some people say that if you truly love something you never will get bored of it, I personally believe that it is not true in most hobbies.
If you are only exposed to one thing for a long period of time, you will eventually get bored of it, that’s just human nature. We want something different every now and then, we need to experience different things just to get variety.
Chess players that get bored of chess do not necessarily indicate that they do not like playing the game anymore, it’s just that they need a break when they are sick of continuous play.
And that is fine since that should apply to everything (it is healthy behavior). I hope I have satisfied your curiosity, sleep well and play chess.
