Chess, Music and Programming

I love to play chess. I've also played the guitar since I was ten years old, and almost chose music as my profession, but settled instead for the more secure job as a computer programmer. I was surprised to learn that many programmers are also musicians, and I wonder now if many chess players are also musicians. Anela Pasovic has noticed a common thread between chess and music, and here's a few games of musicians who play chess. Some rock musicians play chess between concerts. In fact, the history of chess has some first-rate musicians. Many have debated whether chess is a game, sport, art, or science. I say it's all of these things. Chess lends itself to creativity, as does music (and programming). While some consider chess a metaphor for self-transformation, for me the artistic aspect is more like starting off with a blank canvas. Two artists then begin to slowly create the work, each stroke defining it a little more, removing more and more possibility and actualizing a specific shape. The moves on the board are just an outer record of the dynamic interaction of creative ideas that play out within the artists. I don't despise my opponents and desire to crush them; I try to enjoy a creative process that always produces a unique result.