Chess is a very beautiful game. Personally I believe it is the most beautiful game that is in existence. Only the fact that the number of possible unique chess games is much greater than the number of electrons in the universe is just mind blowing. The number of electrons is estimated to be about 10^79, while the number of unique chess games is 10^120. Incredible!
But just like every beautiful thing, it's numerous pros is accompanied by handful of cons which I'll be talking about in this post.
Difficulty In Mastery
Thus far; it seems if you didn't start chess as a child, you'd be at a great disadvantage. This has been my major issue with the game. Learning the game is relatively easy but mastering the game is one hell of a task. In order to attain GM (Grandmaster; the highest title attained by a chess player) playing strength, one is required to do enormous amount of work & even years of practice.
Just moving from one strength level to the next requires hours on hours of proper practice, training & dedication. This can lead to the next con which is:
Addiction
Source
Chess can be very obsessive which can be damaging to other area of one's life.
From the urge to beat a stronger player, increase rating points, or even beat a nemesis, chess players often get addicted to the game quickly. I personally have suffered from being obsessed with the game in the past, this is because Chess gives increased levels of hormones such as dopamine, providing a feeling of euphoria and happiness and thus the brain associates that feeling with playing chess.
This feeling of euphoria & satisfaction comes when a player wins a game & this leaves our brain yearning for that feeling time & again.
So, one has to be careful not to get too obsessed or attached to the game especially if you play it as a hubby as it might ruin some other areas of your life.
Lack Of Funds
If you are not amongst the top 100 in the world it is quite hard to make a good living out of playing chess for those who seek to go into the game professionally . Even alot harder here in Africa where there are little to no tournaments.
Although this is not a con for those who play chess as an hubby & have no interest in going professional.
I have been fortunate to have earned pretty decent funds from the game but hardly enough for me to consider going into the game full time. In as much as I'd love to, the financial restraints won't let me.
Unless you're amongst the best in the world, chances are you'll find it hard making good funds from the game.
I consider Chess a blessing!