There’s no sport or game less expensive than chess

Shelby Lyman on Chess: Chess on the Cheap
Sunday, October 5, 2014
(Published in print: Sunday, October 5, 2014)

One of the beauties of sandlot baseball was its convenience and simplicity. There were no finicky coaches to deal with or moms with schedules of their own to drive you to the game.

No mandatory uniforms or protective gear. You didn’t really need bases; any kind of marker would do.

Nor was grass a necessity for the variant we called stickball, which could be played on city streets.

Today, nothing would seem simpler than computer games — none of that annoying stuff we just inventoried.

Alas, it’s not so simple in fact.

You do need a computer or handheld device, and may need access to the Internet.

There is nothing virtual about a $199 iPod, or Internet usage that eats your wallet seemingly nonstop, although one can always go cheaper, if need be.

On the other hand, there’s no sport or game less expensive than chess. Costs range from little to nothing.

Virtually any objects of small enough scale can be used as pieces: markers whittled from soap bars if you’re in lockup, or whiskey glasses filled to the brim if you’re a chronic inebriate. Capture and imbibe is the strategy of the day.

And who needs pieces anyway? There’s always “blindfold” chess, which can be played under any conditions: humans staring into space, occasional lip movements and indecipherable vocalizations.

What could be cooler than that?

Source: http://www.vnews.com