[moron4hire]

I like the idea of playing chess a lot more than the reality of it. I usually go through a period with games where I don't understand them, find them bewildering, spend a short time on my own to learn the rules, then I'm good to go and can quite enjoy the game. Even with watching pro sports, if I at least know the rules, I can follow the progression of play and know when good plays happen. With chess, I've tried to read about it and learn how to play more than just the basics of moving pieces and still, I still don't "see" the game.

I guess it's the memorization needed for the opening and end games. I memorize by exercise. The things I can rattle of the top of my head are usually facts and figures and formulas I've had to use frequently. With chess, it seems to require a significant amount of pre-memorization, the broader, the better. I have always resisted such memorization tasks, even as a little kid. I prefer understanding core principles and reasoning my way to the details on the fly.

Most people who know my work think of me as an excellent programmer, so if chess has an impact on programmer skill, it's at the very least not required.