[jen729w]

Yeah but that's like saying that there are so many "openings" in chess, it makes it hard for newcomers.

That's the game! The 'inside rules' for a cryptic are what makes it cryptic. Without them you just have a word puzzle.

[asutekku]

The thing with chess, even if you don't know the rules, you can still play and (potentially) lose the game. If you don't know some random american trivia, you're stuck forever.