Chess - A game of Destruction

Chess is on of the most popular board game ever existed. It is the ultimate strategy game that involves high level analytical skills. It is also the most destructive game ever created. In this post, I will walk you through on the benefits and the concept of Chess.

A game of Chess is good because:
1) Chess improves concentration. During the game you are focused on only one main goal -- to checkmate and become the victor.
2) Chess develops logical thinking. Chess requires some understanding of logical strategy. For example, you will know that it is important to bring your pieces out into the game at the beginning, to keep your king safe at all times, not to make big weaknesses in your position and not to blunder your pieces away for free. (Although you will find yourself doing that occasionally through your chess career. Mistakes are inevitable and chess, like life, is a never-ending learning process.)
3) Chess teaches independence. You are forced to make important decisions influenced only by your own judgment.
4) Chess develops the capability to predict and foresee consequences of action. It requires you to predict an opponent's move and the consequences it brings to your army. Consequently it encourages you to develop steps to counter an opponent's possible movement as well as to leverage your advantage.
[Source: http://www.quadcitychess.com/benefits_of_chess.html#why]

True, a game of Chess is beneficial to players. However if you look at the game as a whole, Chess is one terrible game that stresses on the concept of DESTRUCTION.

If you do not know what is Chess; Chess is a game consisting of 2 players. The ultimate goal is to be the first player to kill the opposing king. You have 16 units at your command (8pawns, 2knights, 2bishops, 2rooks, 1queen and 1 king)

In ALL Chess game the following rule apply:
1) To win, you are expected to make sacrifices.
2) To win, you have to destroy your opponent's king.

In chess, any move chosen will leave one worse off than before they moved. It is a no-win situation. In a player's point of view, the best scenario is to able to keep all 16 pieces alive while killing off the opponent's king. Even in the best scenario, you have to destroy something - your opponent's king.

Chess is in fact a game of destruction. Sure it develops your analytical skills and logical thinking, but not many people came to realize that chess players are developing their analytical skills for the sole purpose of destruction.

Then again, you can argue that chess is a game that teaches its player how to protect an important piece, the king. And you could use that argument to stress that PROTECTION is a concept being taught in a game of Chess. However, you need to cripple your opponent in order to ensure the safety of the king. In a way, you need to destroy something in order to protect something. Ultimately, it is still a game of DESTRUCTION.

Question is, would you encourage your kids to play Chess?
If you do, you might be encouraging them on how to dispose someone (eg: parents) with the most efficient method. I guess that is why my parents never taught me how to play chess.

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PS: I suck at Chess. That is why I have a grudge against all chess players. As usws mentioned, it never fails to damage my ego and pride every time I play the game. It hurts to lose you know...

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[Top Comment by ColourfulWorld]
Chess also promotes sportsmanship. In tournaments, we don't checkmate people. Instead, we move around to the extent that the opponent resign so basically it's not destructive at all. Guess you must have played so little chess that you don't know how Grand Masters play. Anyway, the correct term is "capture", not "destroy" so it's not as damaging as you think.