Chess

The original Minecraft. 1500 years old, still trending.

intellectualsocialFree15 mindifficulty 2/5

Chess had its biggest modern renaissance via a Netflix show and Twitch streamers. You can learn the rules in 30 minutes, never master the game, and find a 10-minute match against a stranger at 3am. Beautiful, rage-inducing, endless.

How to start

1
Make a free account at chess.com or lichess.org.
2
Do the 'learn the rules' tutorial (15 min).
3
Play 5 games. Lose all of them. That's fine.
4
Do one 'puzzle rush' per day — it's the gym.
5
Watch a GothamChess recap video. Try what he did.

What you'll need

chess.com or lichess account (free)
Essential
Free
Physical board + pieces
Nice to have
~$25

Where to learn more

Plot twists

Ways to spice this up when the basics get boring.

Only play 1-minute 'bullet' games for a week.
Pick a weird opening and play only that for 50 games.
Analyze every lost game. Find the exact move it went wrong.

ADHD notes

Variable game length (1 min to 30 min) means you can play a session that fits your current focus budget.

Fun fact

The number of possible chess games is greater than 10^120 — more than atoms in the observable universe.

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