I’ve always really loved chess but have consistently been terrible at it. I’m personally very bad with games that you play with other people that you don’t know – I rarely play multiplayer shooter games now even though that was my usual downtime activity when I was younger.
I’ve played a few games online with my friends, but even those tend to set off the panic and anxiety associated with playing competitive games. Instead I’ve started to work through a chess book, by playing out different openings and tactics on a physical board. I think it tickles the part of my brain that finds chess appealing, without unleashing all of the other complexes I have about playing games these days.
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