I took it up for two years. Got to a 1300 rating, which is good for a near-beginner, and I was even having dreams about move sequences. I carried a small, foldable pocket magnetic chess board from class to class in high school, which would save games I was playing with certain students. We'd sneak a few moves in during class. My dad was much better than me -- an 1800 player -- having had much more experience at the game, and his good friend (and mine) is an actual chess master (2100), and publishes chess books for a living. When I, by some crazy freak stroke of luck, nearly beat him (the chess master) at a game, he almost angrily challenged me to a rematch!
A bad move in chess can inspire the same kind of rage that bends or breaks golf clubs. I found it wasn't quite a high enough fun ratio for me, plus there weren't many worthy opponents around, so I eventually let it go. I did have quite a bit of fun with internet chess, though.
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Christianity is different than Judaism only in people's minds -- not in the Bible.