How Many Photogs/Chessplayers?

[Peter]

Dear Friends,

Just out of curiosity. I have a few photography and painter friends here in Singapore who are also chess enthusiasts. I am wondering if there is a correlation between visual art forms and the love for mental fencing?

Regards,
Peter

 

[foon]

I like chess but no enthusiat. I enjoyed physical fencing too.

 

[DougK]

I used to play chess a fair bit, but I wasn't then and am not now a very good player. I also used to fence in college... again, not very good but I had a lot of fun.

 

[cp_ste.croix]

i enjoy chess, but don't play very often. A sadistic friend bought me a shot glass chess set for my birhtday the other day. We filled pawns with my grandfathers home made creme de menth and the back row with cheap rye.


I lost pretty badly.


please excuse the shots, they were taken with my gf's p&s.

 

[Biber]

I prefer go now, but I played chess a lot when I was younger.

 

[bobofish]

I'm a very avid chess player, but these days I don't have anybody to play with, so I mostly play on my cell phone, which is a very poor substitute indeed. Instead of mental fencing, I have to deal with the stupid computer's complete predictability and bloodthirstiness.

 

[bobofish]

By the way, Biber, are there any online tutorials for Go? I've wanted to learn for years, but I'm too lazy to go by a book. (pun?)

 

[hoot]

Same here; used to play chess more often, but prefer Go now; it's much cooler. I still play chess with my pupils.

 

[Biber]

Bobofish;
http://playgo.to/interactive/
http://gobase.org/
http://www.goproblems.com/
http://senseis.xmp.net/
http://www.telgo.com/

This site is great if you want to play with other people online:
http://www.pandanet.co.jp/English/

 

[bobofish]

Thanks Biber, I'll check it out. For some reason, I never was able to find anything via google or yahoo, etc.

 

[CleverName]

I used to play quite a bit. I had a USFC rating around 1400, with a speed chess rating just over 1600 (go figure). I played in a few tournaments and actually got a draw from a Master once, but I've also lost winning positions against 9 year old girls.
I'd kinda reached a plateau, and didn't have the time for study and practice.

 

[djon]

I don't like games. Easily bored.

I do traditional archery (wooden bows, wooden arrows) and hike, play gypsy jazz guitar (very badly).

 

[nomade]

I love chess, but rarely find someone to play with for more than once/year...Everyone seems tog et bored of it, and i hate online games..

But i love it still..

 

[pvdhaar]

No, I'm not a chessplayer. I do like to watch a game though. It's just that I'm so bad at it..

 

[hoot]

I do traditional archery (wooden bows, wooden arrows)

I heard somewhere that HCB read a book called "Zen in the Art of Archery" while he was getting into photography as a young man. I have since read it myself, and it's astounding how similar photography and archery are.

 

[djon]

Zen and the Art of Archery by Eugene Herringill is a very popular book among literate traditional bow hunters. Possibly even better for photographers is his Book of Tea, which has to do with quiet, care, precision, simplicity...

 

[Peter]

I personally think the intense concentration during a chess game helps in developing observation skills in photography. As for Zen, there is Zen in all human endeavours. The quiet contemplation in chess is applicable in photography. In fact, I play chess best when there is no thought of winning or losing and just concentrate on the centre of the board and develop the pieces quickly. It is with the same type of mindset that I adopt when I do street-photography. By the way, if you guys want a game, you could go to www.gameknot.com for correspondence chess. 🙂

 

[Peter]

I forgot to add. My nick is Voigtlander! 🙂

 

[bobofish]

As of about 5 minutes ago, I am a member of gameknot. Of course under the humble name of bobofish. At the moment I'm too tired to start a game, but soon!

 

[GeneW]

I played chess often when I was younger and still love the elegance of the game. I don't play often now, but still enjoy the occasional game. I'm a duffer.

Gene