Oh, and just to add to Blondies list about Chess:
IS CHESS A SAFE GAME TO PLAY?
NO - g73 3/22 p. 14 Chess—What Kind of Game Is It?
Some chess players have recognized the harm that can result from playing the game.
The extreme fascination of chess can result in its consuming large amounts of one’s time and attention to the exclusion of more important matters. Also, in playing it there is the danger of “stirring up competition with one another,” even developing hostility toward another, something the Bible warns Christians to avoid doing.
Then, too, grown-ups may not consider it proper for children to play with war toys, or at games of a military nature. Is it consistent, then, that they play a game noted to be, in the opinion of some, an “intellectualized equivalent of the maneuvers enacted by little boys with toy soldiers”? What effect does playing chess really have upon one? Is it a wholesome effect?
Surely chess is a fascinating game. But there are questions regarding it that are good for each one who plays chess to consider.
YES - g79 1/22 p. 10 Playing Indoor Games
And, of course, chess is another board game that has long provided many persons much pleasure.
NO - g94 1/22 p. 29 Watching the World
There is growing concern that such amusement encourages violence. University of Calgary sociology professor Robert Stebbins said in The Globe: “There is a fuzzy line between war games considered problematic and those considered acceptable, such as chess with its castles and armies. The intent is violent.” One teenage player said: “It seems kind of weird to promote a game for pleasure that is associated with war. . . . When you think of the message this gives, it doesn’t seem right.”
YES - g96 9/22 p. 22 How Can I Have a Good Time?
What are some things you can do at a gathering—besides simply watching TV, listening to music, or conversing? “We usually plan the evening in advance,” says Sanchia. “We’ve played games or had someone play the piano, so we could sing songs together.” An African youth named Masene says: “We sometimes play cards, draughts [checkers], and chess.”
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