Chess can be different things to different people. One of those things is a fun hobby. So yes, chess is a hobby and so many other things as well.
For most non-professional chess players, chess can be seen as a hobby as it is regularly played for enjoyment during one’s leisure time. You may bring your chess sets outdoor if you want to enjoy some non-technological game time that will be rewarding for your mind and body.
At the same time, Chess.com and Lichess are two great online platforms that people go to during their sparetime to play chess.
Playing chess is one of the most rewarding hobbies you can bring into your life. There are many benefits to playing chess, which range from practical benefits such as cognitive and mental benefits; as well as more subtle benefits, such as finding something to occupy your time that doesn’t involve a smartphone or other electronic device. When you bring out your chess sets, you can enjoy some non-technological game time that will be rewarding for your mind and body.
Here are 9 reasons why chess is a hobby:
- It’s fun
- It can be done in your leisure time
- It’s not done for money
- It can be played regularly
- You don’t have to play it professionally
- It’s amusing
- Chess can be engaged in creative and artistic pursuit
- It’s rewarding
- Pleasurable activity requiring little or no preparation
How Does Chess Qualify as a Hobby?
A hobby is something someone participates in regularly and does for enjoyment and without financial compensation. So if you play chess for fun, regularly, and do not generate any income for playing chess, chess is a hobby for you.
Speaking of income, many professional chess players take up coaching during their spare time. You can coach students at any level, helping them to learn rules and pieces, improve their chess strategy, and prepare for national games. One website where you can sign up to become a chess coach is Jooble.org.
Jooble is a vertical job search engine that aggregates and displays job ads from thousands of job boards, corporate, recruiter pages and newspapers.
You can access the hottest gigs, part time job, and full time jobs at your fingertips in real time. If that sounds like something you are interested in, then be sure to check out their available vacancies on Chess Teacher Jobs.
If you are looking for a good hobby to add to your life, chess is a great choice. Chess is a popular hobby that will allow you to find other people to play with.
Chess teaches you specific skills or strengthens ones you already have such as problem solving, pattern recognition, creativity, imagination, and logic. Finally, chess can be a lot of fun. One of the reasons it is fun is that it is unpredictable, there are so many ways to play the game from the first to last move!
There is a long-standing debate on whether chess can be considered a sport. Most people’s first inclination is to say no, it is just a board game. However, if you break down the criteria of what makes a sport a sport, a strong argument can be made that chess is indeed a sport.
Sports have a set of rules to be followed. Chess has this in common with sports – there are rules that each player must follow and if the rules are broken there will be consequences – such as being thrown out of the game or a match they are caught cheating into being banned from competitive versions of that game for life.
Both Chess and Sports are games of skill, not chance. To be good at chess you need more than luck, you need skill. This skill is usually a combination of talent and years of practice and study.
Both chess and sports are highly competitive. There are many activities recognized as sports that are individual sports, just like chess. These individuals are highly competitive and live to gain more skill and win whenever possible.
Chess requires physical exertion, just like other sports. This exertion is mentally taxing which creates a physical response.
Any of these different characteristics by themselves do not make any activity a sport, however, added all together an argument can be made that chess is indeed a sport.
Is Chess a Viable Career Option?
While it is possible to have a career playing chess, it is a difficult path. It is not even that easy to find out what the possible income is because it will depend on many factors including the number of tournaments entered, the chess players ranking, the opponent’s rank as well as whether there is any sponsorship available.
However, if you want to take a job with chess outside the tournament circuit and sponsorship, this is also possible. The most obvious way would be with teaching. This could mean one on one tutoring sessions, teaching a large class full of students, or writing books, articles, or strategy guides.
You could also do something more modern with making money like teaching a master class online, selling online classes, writing e-books, making chess-related supplies and decorative items, and selling them online.
Is Chess a Life Skill?
Some people look at chess as a simple game that you play to pass the time with family or friends. However, chess is a game that can teach many life skills. Here are some skills that you can learn from chess, or improve with continued and regular play:
Focus
Being able to focus is the ability to direct your attention on one idea or task. It sounds really easy, but it takes time and effort to learn how to focus properly without outside distractions. We do live in a world full of distractions, so this skill is harder to master than ever before.
The benefits of having this ability include reducing stress, increasing productivity, being more efficient, and having the ability to eliminate distractions and produce a better quality of work regardless of what you are doing or creating.
Logic
Logic and reasoning often go together. To have a good handle on logic, a person would understand the correct or reasonable way to think about things or the ability to take information and make good inferences from the facts known.
The benefits of being a logical person include the ability to solve problems, generate ideas, set goals, and use reasoning correctly to make good life decisions.
Problem-Solving
To solve a problem you need to be able to identify the issue, define the problem, come up with a strategy to address the problem, organize all information you have, come up with multiple possible solutions, and follow through on the results.
People who are good problem-solvers have less stress, usually have a calmer demeanor, have more confidence overall as they are not afraid of any problem that could come their way, and have clear and reasonable thinking skills.
Creativity
Creativity can cover a wide range of topics, however, it is best described as using imagination to create new and original ideas that can be used in all areas of life but especially in the arts.
The benefits of creativity are numerous. Creativity is also linked to stress relief as well as problem-solving. When you can think creatively, your options are open when trying to solve a problem. You are not constrained by the usual solutions. You are also less afraid to try new things. Furthermore, you will also feel a sense of accomplishment when you create something new on your own, including new strategies for a game of stress. You will feel resourceful, fulfilled, and the ability to better express yourself.
As you can see, you will learn and improve upon many life skills just by playing chess. This is true even if you only play chess as a hobby to pass the time or because you get enjoyment out of a good game of chess against other opponents.
