Awakes says playing Chess is evil not for Witnesses! (page 2)

Earnest

While the article did not suggest that chess was evil (as the OP claims), I was a keen chess player at the time and can remember I gave up competitive chess (i.e. club chess) as a result of the article.

But BluesBrother is correct that they subsequently endorsed chess, saying it is a "board game that has long provided many persons much pleasure" here. Then there was the life story of Josephine Elias, who "carried a chessboard when visiting interested people at their homes so that others would think I was merely playing chess" when preaching in Indonesia.

If one reads the whole article it is quite balanced and I would only fault it in saying that the competitive spirit helps explain why there are no topflight women chess players. Of course, that was before the Polgar sisters.

Marbles

The only thing that comes to mind is that great song by Murray Head, "One Night in Bangkok."

joey jojo

So surprising to read that.

It doesn't sound like the org to try and stifle an enjoyable pastime that involves strategy and creativity. 🙄

Witness 007

This article is very realiavant today. It shows how the faithful slave enjoys controlling all aspects of our lives....we have the illusion of having a conscience yet we are just Watchtower robots they are our Christian (dictatorship) conscience.

Dagney

Boy I remember this article very well. My brother and I played chess. I don’t think we stopped playing, just kept it quiet. A lot of us knew the WT was just finding ridiculous things to try and keep control.

Fisherman

I gave up competitive chess (i.e. club chess) as a result of the article.

Never gave up chess because of the article. During that Bobby Fischer era, the article came out very interestingly at the same time as many in BB were playing chess all over the place. After the article, everybody stopped.

shadowclone

I was playing chess in BB during late 70s

Awakes says playing Chess is evil not for Witnesses!