Is chess immoral?

Second Summer

Second Summer

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I was just reading a letter to a newspaper where a retired lecturer argued that chess is an immoral war game with a medieval mind-set where peasants are routinely sacrificed, as if they have no value, and the kings reign supreme. (Well, the queen is the most powerful though, but not essential to win.) At the same time people are worried about children playing violent computer games. What sort of message does chess send to young, impressionable minds?
 
Yes, I don't quite see a problem myself. In some of the online comments to the letter, someone pointed out that the peasants can, if they make it to the other side of the board, change into any other piece (except the king), they can even become queens. How is that for social mobility? Also, one of the pieces is a horse, and who does't love horses? It's a great piece, and quite unpredictable, as it's the only one who can jump over other pieces. And like I said, the queen is the most powerful. So when you look closer, it's actually a somewhat progressive game.
 
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Hm this may be only anecdotal, but everyone I know who plays chess is a bully that is violent towards poor people, so I think this makes a lot of sense.

:p No but seriously, if the young minds of today manage to relate pieces of chess to people, war and morality - good luck to them, I think the subtlety is largely lost on generations who are used to seeing realistic looking people beating up prostitutes on video games.
 
I learned to play chess at a very early age and thought it was fun. It is all about strategic thinking and logic and it is
actually not very easy to play as you can checkmate in 3 moves.
I really don't see how one can compare a violent computer game to chess. You really need peace a quiet and a logical frame of mind to be able to play.
I'm not too sure whether the young generation are really interested in board games. It would be interesting to know the answer.
 
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shyvas said:
I'm not too sure whether the young generation are really interested in board games. It would be interesting to know the answer.
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I'm not part of the young generation, but I can defeintely say that I've lost my patience with them. All those pieces to pick up and put away, waiting for other people to complete their turns, and in particular for me, always having to be the one to keep score.."but BC, you the numbers person in the group":rolleyes:...
 
:D I like board games, mostly wordy ones. But I'm not your average member of the younger generations, too much scrabble, not enough nightclubbing.

I played lots of board games with kids at a playgroup* I volunteered with and they loved them. I think board games mean proper attention from others/adults - if you're sat playing a game with someone you get 100% of their attention, kids like that.

* ETA that was a type, playgroup not playground. :)
 
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SummerRain said:
:D I like board games, mostly wordy ones. But I'm not your average member of the younger generations, too much scrabble, not enough nightclubbing.

I played lots of board games with kids at a playground I volunteered with and they loved them. I think board games mean proper attention from others/adults - if you're sat playing a game with someone you get 100% of their attention, kids like that.
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I love the way the very tiny tots play snakes & ladders and how they cheat. I love them trying to get away with going up the snake !

I used to spend hours playing Monopoly and always used to feel so rich when I'd bought the most expensive property.
 
SummerRain said:
:D I like board games, mostly wordy ones. But I'm not your average member of the younger generations, too much scrabble, not enough nightclubbing.

I played lots of board games with kids at a playground I volunteered with and they loved them. I think board games mean proper attention from others/adults - if you're sat playing a game with someone you get 100% of their attention, kids like that.
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^^agree. We always had game night on fridays when the kids were young. Sometimes board games, sometimes charades or something. Lots of fun, and they could bring a friend or two as they got older. I had lots of even high schoolers playing monopoly, Life, Trivial Pursuit, etc. My husband was a chess master, so he's taught a lot of kids to play. I still suck at it though. :)
 
ledboots said:
^^agree. We always had game night on fridays when the kids were young. Sometimes board games, sometimes charades or something. Lots of fun, and they could bring a friend or two as they got older. I had lots of even high schoolers playing monopoly, Life, Trivial Pursuit, etc. My husband was a chess master, so he's taught a lot of kids to play. I still suck at it though. :)
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I used to love playing Trivial Pursuit.
I think children should play more board games and furthermore it would save parents a lot of money, instead of buying all thses computer ones.
 
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I played chess as a kid - I was obsessed with it. There was a friend of mine who was so good at it - he beat me every single time we played but I kept at it. I beat him once and it was glorious. When I lived by myself I got one of those electronic chess boards where a computer plays against you. (Not a PC/MAC - an actual chess board.) Some games lasted for weeks! (I didn't have a lot of free time in those days.)

When actual computer chess came around it was much less interesting. I really need to have a board and the pieces in front of me. I still have a couple of awesome sets: one is the Conquistadors vs the Aztecs, the other is a medieval dungeons and dragons theme. :cool:

Back on the topic - I think more young people should play chess. The idea that it's immoral is ridiculous. Yes, and heavy metal will drive you to worship Satan. :devil:
 
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I played chess when I was young and impressionable. I never made the connection.
 
The notion of killing horses always bothered me. Castles, not so much. As for the rest, we're all misanthropes, right? Who cares?
 
I got a lot better at chess when I started to learn the piano. Learning the piano was good for my concentration.
 
I don't consider it immoral because no one is actually getting hurt, so.. o_o;;
When I played violent video games as a kid, I knew it was ok to do it in a game but not in real life... Because it's just a game.
 
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Danielle said:
I don't consider it immoral because no one is actually getting hurt, so.. o_o;;
When I played violent video games as a kid, I knew it was ok to do it in a game but not in real life... Because it's just a game.
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I've heard that some chess people kick each other under the table.:D
 
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