Chess

 I've played a lot of chess. I started 2 years ago. I finally said during the pandemic that I ought to play chess online. I play 10-20 games a day. It's really quite rich and exciting. I sometimes play with too many distractions around me, and lose, but I want to play so badly I'll choose it when I can't completely concentrate. Concentration is key, to think about all the moving pieces, and possibilities. There are well worn grooves of action that are created by playing a lot. If they do this, I do this, and bing bang boom, it takes many moves to get to the place where I actually have to think. I play 5 minute games which are called "Blitz" games, because they are exciting. I find 10 minute games boring at times, I lose interest. They are called Rapid. World Championship games are  

I lose a lot. I think I have to lose 10 games from not moving up a pawn to give the king options, before that becomes a standard part of my moves. I think I'll win so I don't do it. Sometimes games are like two people trying to choke each other out, and just before you pass out, the other person passes out and loosens their grip. Sometimes they are carefully built wins, with long endgames. Sometimes there are snake in the grass wins, where you're losing or just about to lose on time when checkmate. 

You get a lot of resignation games, and sometimes I rage quit, but I've also had some great comebacks, so I know if I want to keep fighting, I can sometimes get a win or even a draw.

I've turned off the chat, so people who want to talk smack or tell me they're drunk or whatever, they can't. I just interact with the chess pieces. I do look at where people are from and I really enjoy it that I've played people from 129 countries out of 195. I watch my projections and what my mind does with each flag, and remind myself that whatever little I know about a country cannot encompass that country, or that person.