6+ hour, 32+ min ago (1044+ words) The celebrated world of competitive chess is sustained by prodigious talent but shadowed by emotional strain. From Morphy to Naroditsky, the game reveals how genius and fragility often travel together. Behind the clean geometry of the board lies a harsher truth about pressure, isolation, and the toll of brilliance. The pride and sorrow of chess Published : Nov 30, 2025 13:30 IST - 6 MINS READ For all its appearance of sedentary serenity, stripped down, chess is a brutal sport, more so when played at the highest competitive level. Though an ancient game of enormous elegance, subtlety and sophistication, it is not for the faint-hearted. To put the argument in context, one need only recall the chilling answer of the 11th World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer (1943-2008) when asked what gave him pleasure in chess: "I like the moment when I break a man's ego." Chess is a…...