<p>This is my short answer in the Common App: What do you think?</p>
<p>Chess has to be one of my favorite extracurricular activities. I often think of it as the ultimate test of logic, creativity and brute intelligence all rolled into one. When you play chess, you don’t pit yourself against your opponent, but against his mind. You go into this trance and almost find yourself entering the battlefield which is unraveling itself under your eyes. You elaborate plans and try to guess your opponent’s.
Your entire brain has entered the game and you get this rush of adrenaline every time the other player makes a move you could not predict. The entire thing is just incomparable to any other game whatsoever.
I often play with my father, and chess has been a part of our relationship for a log time. He taught me how to play around when I was four. I learned how to play chess before I could actually write, and chess has become an important element of my life, especially in the past few years.</p>
<p>*Check “log time” should be “long time”…
*Unraveling itself…Unraveling implies falling apart. Is there another word better suited for the context?
*Instead of, “you elaborate plans”, you “develop elaborate plans”</p>
<p>I know exactly what you’re describing here, as I love the game as well. I would start with your fathers relationship and how from that first lesson chess has grown into what it means for you today (invert your structure.) also in your first sentence you don’t need to declare that chess is your favorite, just start talking about it. Would u also be able to give feedback on mine?</p>
<p>Here you go!
I have been playing chess for a long time. I started before i could even write, at age 4. My father taught me how to play, and it quickly became an important part of our relationship, and even today I cannot play one game of chess without thinking about all the advice he gave me, as if he were right there talking to me.
Chess, to me, is the ultimate test of logic, creativity and brute intelligence all rolled into one. When you play chess, you don’t pit yourself against your opponent, but against his mind. You go into this trance and almost find yourself entering the battlefield which is opening up under your eyes. You elaborate plans and try to guess your opponent’s, the whole board moves around in your mind. Your entire brain has entered the game and you get this rush of adrenaline every time the other player makes a move you could not predict. The entire thing is just incomparable to any other mind experience whatsoever.</p>