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I would disagree with the idea that you need to enjoy Chess for playing it
to make you smarter. It would still be mental exercise, and like physical
exercise, which can make you stronger even when you don't enjoy it, I
think mental exercise would help make you smarter even when you don't
enjoy it. I do agree that some people could play Chess without enjoying it
and get nothing from it. When I was in high school, I played various sports
in gym class without enjoying it and got nothing out of it. This is because
I'm ill-suited for sports. When I played rugby, for example, my object was
just to stay away from everyone else. Likewise, some people might be
ill-suited for Chess. But there is one big disanalogy here. In team
sports, someone who isn't nearly as good as everyone else is not going to
get to do much and won't get much out of it. But with Chess, bad players
can play against children or weak computer programs and have some chance
of winning. The important thing I think is sticking to it. If you enjoy
it, that helps, but as long as you stick to it and try to improve your
game, playing Chess should help you get smarter. If you don't enjoy it
but stick to it long enough, then you probably will come to enjoy it.