Why does chess have such a geeky reputation when there's a lot of cool people and street kids who play?
by 
Clementine
ANSWERS: 2
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I don't see it having a geeky reputation, but then again, my view is biased because one of my old friends was an excellent chess player. I think that because you have to concentrate, strategize, and move in such a short period of time that those who aren't used to sitting down and learning different techniques feel threatened by it. Maybe, maybe not.
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I play a lot of chess. From hanging around the local chess center, I can see exactly why it has this reputation. Chess players are diverse in many ways. There are chess players who are also athletic, there are chess player who haven't seen sunlight in ten years. But chess has a geeky reputation. Here's why: the mental facilities used and the elites. Chess is an intense game of logic and planning. It requires absolute attention and concentration. It is one mind battling against another. This fact intimidates many people, especially those unable to grasp anything beyond the basics of chess. The elites in chess are the grandmasters. Judging from pictures of them (stereotypically old Russian men) and my actual experience in tournaments, they obviously are not fighting the stereotype very hard. Perhaps people who are bad at chess call chess players geeky as an excuse not to play. It is an aggressive excuse for their inabilities.
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