Chess has always been one of my favorite sports, but I never had enough time to become an official Master or Grandmaster. There’s a sickness in me — I play once in a while, gain a few points, then frustrate myself after some time and realize, “Oh man! I’m a researcher, not a chess player.”
You see, science carries enough weight! You have to update yourself daily, especially when you’re working in fields like Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or Information Science. I’m grateful that nowadays we have access to the internet and many AI tools that help us learn faster, but the time I have to spend on it is inevitable.
Chess is a memory game — you have to spend a lot of time memorizing openings, practicing tactics, and improving positional play. If I ever want to become a GM someday, I must dedicate a significant portion of my time to it. Simply put, I don’t have that time.
One more thing: there are many cheaters. I hate them. With Stockfish around, it’s almost impossible not to face a cowardly cheater and waste more of your time feeling angry. Although cheaters get banned and your rating gets compensated, that’s not always the case. They don’t have to cheat all the time — just two critical moves can bring you to your knees.