Q) What are the basic elements of chess?

A) Space, time and force.

 

Q) What are the ancillary elements?
A) Intimidation, talking trash, smoking, drinking too much alcohol or coffee, visual misdirection, sandbagging, cursing, and gambling.

 

Q) Is online chess cool?

A) No. It eliminates too many of the ancillary elements.

 

Q) Can women play chess?

A) No.

 

Q) Is this biological or cultural?

A) Cultural, along the same lines (and for the same reasons) women generally don’t do math, war or auto racing.

 

Q) Have you ever been beaten by a woman in chess?

A) Nope.

 

Q) Where is the best place in Asia to play chess?

A) Rizal Park, Manila, Philippines.

 

Q) Are all the best chess players crazy?

A) Not all, but a high enough percentage to raise eyebrows.

 

Q) Why is that?

A) Human psychology is at its most basic level not rational (and followers of Ayn Rand can jump up and kiss my ass). Extensive training of the human mind to exist in any strictly rational world (Higher mathematics or logic, chess) tweaks the mind in question right out of the plane of social norms.

 

Q) Why do you cite math and logic as examples, but not science?

A) Because science is not rational in the same way math and logic are. Science requires math and logic, but also a healthy dose of creativity and imagination.

 

Q) Who is a better chess player, you or Duane Powell?

A) Me.

 

Q) How about racquetball?

A) Him.

 

Q) Who is the best chess player you have ever played?

A) Jude Acers in New Orleans

 

Q) Was he crazy?

A) As a bedbug.

 

Q) Which is older, Chinese chess or Western (International) chess?

A) Probably Western chess, though Chinese chess is relatively primitive enough to make the question unimportant.

 

Q) How about Japanese chess?

A) Shogi (NOT Go) is at least as difficult as Western chess. Very few play this game outside of Japan. Great game though.