I completely disagree with you, but that does not make me right. I just have a very different view on this.

I started playing chess last year. The main reason was that my dad has been going through some tough time and I persuaded him to try to play chess. We connected through the game. We spend time together and he likes it. It makes him forget his pain. He stops thinking about the stuff that bothers him (the stuff he cannot change) and he is in the moment in the game with his daughter.

I also now play it with my boyfriend and this is one more activity we do together, where just we two are in focus and there is no use of any screens (no TV, no phone). It helps us to strike the conversation, have a little bit of competition.

So chess brought me closer to my dad, helped him forget his pain for a while and also it is fun way to spend time.

Why everyone thinks we need to spend every minute of our life chasing something? Why is it bad just enjoy the game without wanting to be the best?

I think sometimes we forget to live, just enjoy life. Stand and look outside - watch the birds without feeling guilty of not learning a new skill, but just enjoy being.

I am guilty of achievement driven culture too. I am all about let´s not waste this and that and let´s just do this and learn this and run run run.

So I am learning to slow down, enjoy nothingness sometimes.

So the credit goes to chess from me today:)