Hi everyone! I just wanted to let you know that I added a paid subscription level to the newsletter. My regular weekly posts will still be free and available for everyone, but paid subscribers will also have the chance to send in questions that I’ll answer in a monthly mailbag column. Mostly though the paid level is a way to contribute if you enjoy Zwischenzug and want to show your support. Either way, I hope you’ll continue to read and enjoy the newsletter! -Nate
> He made most of the discoveries he’s famous for in a single year
That’s often repeated, but simply untrue. Firstly he developed those ideas over multiple years before publishing them, but more importantly there are a number of other important discoveries that came later, such as General Relativity, the prediction of lasers and Bose-Einstein condensates and the EPR paradox.
Sometimes we don’t know if our life’s work is a waste and we never will know because we may be long gone by then. Take Edgar Allen Poe for example, or even Van Gogh, both relatively unappreciated during their lifetimes. Chess can be beneficial to mainting mental strength and even being a preventative measure against Alzheimer’s, so regardless of whether one of us is the next Morphy, chess will have its benefits on our lives. Either way chess is art hands down, especially at higher levels where a sort of chess personality comes to life for each individual player.
I read in an interview that Nakamura tried an academic career and stopped playing chess for 6 months. The grass is always greener on the other side as he fortunately (?) realized and returned back to chess. Change is sometimes needed but as often people just change while disaster is almost guaranteed. My advise is therefore try to speak with experts and don't make such decisions on your own.
Is Chess A Waste Of Time?
Another good example:
Ken Rogoff.
This post sold me on subscribing. Thank you.
Really enjoyed reading this post. Thank you for the energy that went into writing it.
> He made most of the discoveries he’s famous for in a single year
That’s often repeated, but simply untrue. Firstly he developed those ideas over multiple years before publishing them, but more importantly there are a number of other important discoveries that came later, such as General Relativity, the prediction of lasers and Bose-Einstein condensates and the EPR paradox.
Really great post.
Thanks.
Sometimes we don’t know if our life’s work is a waste and we never will know because we may be long gone by then. Take Edgar Allen Poe for example, or even Van Gogh, both relatively unappreciated during their lifetimes. Chess can be beneficial to mainting mental strength and even being a preventative measure against Alzheimer’s, so regardless of whether one of us is the next Morphy, chess will have its benefits on our lives. Either way chess is art hands down, especially at higher levels where a sort of chess personality comes to life for each individual player.
I read in an interview that Nakamura tried an academic career and stopped playing chess for 6 months. The grass is always greener on the other side as he fortunately (?) realized and returned back to chess. Change is sometimes needed but as often people just change while disaster is almost guaranteed. My advise is therefore try to speak with experts and don't make such decisions on your own.
What is your opinion about Garry Kasparov? He quit chess in 2005 but what did he accomplish afterwards?