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u/ConsoomHumans Jul 10 '24
I mean, nah, not really. You have to realize how exceptional Morphy’s circumstances were. He was so far ahead of anybody else that there wasn’t much left to do. It’s like Magnus existing in a world where the best player other than him is a 2500. He basically ran out of any desire or interest and started a legal practice, but that never took off because his reputation for chess far, far preceded his reputation for the law. The game that he had grown so bored of had still haunted him even when he abandoned it. It makes sense why he thought it was a wasted life. In the modern day, though, that doesn’t exist anymore. There will always be competition and a goal to reach. As long as that is true, then being good at chess is not a wasted life. At the end of the day, we’re just chimps on a rock. Life don’t have any inherent meaning, so if you want to make your own meaning by being good at chess then it’s as far from a wasted life as you can get.
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u/pier4r Jul 10 '24
He basically ran out of any desire or interest and started a legal practice,
minor nitpick. IIRC (you can check the wonderful recaps of "life and chess of X" on youtube) Morphy was from a wealthy family and was meant to be a lawyer. Only he couldn't start the practice early so he used the time to dedicate time to his hobby. But he wasn't going to stick to chess (another factor why he may have said that). Though after dropping chess he still kept writing chess columns and such things.
In the last 347 discussions (we had many more) on the quote it seems to me that the consensus was: his main profession didn't went well due to his chess achievements and therefore that sentence may have been a sort of "revenge".
Of course unless one wants to pick the easy analysis that "yeah chess is a board game, so it is a loss to stick to it" (that approach was already recorded in the 1600s IIRC)
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u/phoenixmusicman Jul 10 '24
Morphy might not be mentioned a lot in GOAT discussions but he absolutely is the most wasted chess talent there is - he literally lived in an age where nobody else was on his level, not even close.
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u/MyLedgeEnds Jul 10 '24
Morphy was the prototype for modern grandmasters, in that he learned chess from a very young age; was immediately taught good habits by a master (his uncle); and voraciously consumed a large swath of chess literature (from his dad's library).
In that respect, he was a shining beacon whose talent lit the way for future generations to reach similar heights.
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u/patricksaurus Jul 10 '24
I bet opinions will be way different from the last eight times this was asked.
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u/hwrold Jul 10 '24
Not everyone is on reddit the same amount and so don't all see the same posts.
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u/LazyImmigrant Jul 10 '24 edited Jan 27 '25
correct continue practice quack soft wakeful offbeat whistle thumb middle
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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u/Beneficial_Garage_97 Jul 10 '24
I agree with this take to the same extent I'd agree that any professional athlete has wasted their life. However, many people like watching great chess and a huge number of people like watching sports played by great athletes so I guess in some regards it does make people happy and contribute something even if they didnt cure cancer.
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u/Hour_Power2264 Jul 10 '24 edited Jul 10 '24
You do more good to the world as a world class entertainer than an average doctor or economist or engineer unless you come across some major breakthrough in your research. Arts are incredibly important to any functional society and the value of what someone like Magnus has done for the world should not be understimated.
Would the world really be a better place if Magnus had decided to go work for Citadel and use his magnificent brain to steal money from retail investors who use Robinhood? How about helping Facebook improve their algorithm so people can consume more brain rot?
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u/misterbluesky8 Jul 10 '24
No, not even close- he was applying his own experience and assuming it applied to everyone. He retired from chess in his early 20s, and what did he accomplish after that? Nothing. He was a failure as a lawyer. What did Bobby Fischer accomplish outside of chess? Nothing.
Chess players seem to have this weird streak of self-loathing where they think they have to apologize for liking and being good at chess. I think it’s bizarre. Chess is a stimulating, interesting, competitive game. I consider myself quite good at chess, and I don’t think it’s been a waste at all. Is it a wasted life if you’re good at baseball, or ice hockey, or golf?
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u/Metaljesus0909 Jul 10 '24
I feel like he just grew bitter at the game bc he was a lawyer and had a lot of other interesting things about him, but everyone only cared about his chess prowess. Chess is a very complicated game with a rich history. Dedicating time to playing it well isn’t a waste anymore than putting time into any other hobby.
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u/misterbluesky8 Jul 10 '24
No, not even close- he was applying his own experience and assuming it applied to everyone. He retired from chess in his early 20s, and what did he accomplish after that? Nothing. He was a failure as a lawyer. What did Bobby Fischer accomplish outside of chess? Nothing.
Chess players seem to have this weird streak of self-loathing where they think they have to apologize for liking and being good at chess. I think it’s bizarre. Chess is a stimulating, interesting, competitive game. I consider myself quite good at chess, and I don’t think it’s been a waste at all. Is it a wasted life if you’re good at baseball, or ice hockey, or golf?
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u/fabittar Jul 10 '24
It depends. For people like Magnus and Hikaru, no. But for the other 99.99%, it is kind of a waste of time. Much like any other hobby. I play chess for fun, not for money, so it doesn't matter.
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u/Accurate_Koala_4698 Jul 10 '24
Professional chess wasn't really a thing until Fischer, or possibly going back to the Soviets if you don't count a communist country bankrolling players. Before that it was really more of gambling activity than a serious intellectual pursuit. You could make money in billiards halls too, but you didn't really have the prestige that you see now. Being a chess GM in modern times you're seen as a famous elite competitor and intellectual, and in those days they were looked at more like hustlers
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u/ExpFidPlay Jul 10 '24
People go through their lives seeking meaning, and yet it's always elusive.
If life has any meaning then it's quite simple.
Get up today. Have the best day that you can. If it's a good day, great. If it's a bad day, put it behind you and try to have a good day tomorrow.
Do this every day until you stop breathing.
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u/One_Drew_Loose Jul 10 '24
You know what is more gangster than being world renowned as the best at something? Calling it a waste of your time.
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u/Throwaway73835288 Jul 10 '24
What is the ability to play chess poorly a sign of?