1. It is so addictive
I find chess more addictive than any computer game or online game.

2. It is a violent game
You practically kill your opponent's ego when he or she loses. No computer game can compare to the violence in killing your opponent mentally. Yeah I do have a sadistic streak to me. There was one time when I lost and wanted to jump across the table and put my hands and strangle my opponent. Thankfully all that happened in my head only. Future opponents who think of beating me - be warned !!!  :)

3. It puts me to sleep
Picking up a chess book always puts me to sleep at night. (ha ha.. reading about chess is the direct opposite as playing it)

4. All my friends are also 'gila chess'
Yeah that's the power of attraction. You are crazy for chess, there is a natural tendency to be drawn to other people who are crazy about chess.

5. It makes me money
No I don't win any cash in competition. The most I ever won was RM 60 (about USD 18). I make money on my chess blogs thru ads and sponsors.

6. It saved my sanity
I broke my leg once and I lost my job after that. It was a difficult time as my leg failed to heal and got worse for about 6 months. Chess saved me by keeping me sane and also making me forget the physical pain. Much better than the pain killers.

7. Help me check my IQ
I knocked my head so hard (same accident that broke my leg) that I lost conciousness for 5-10 minutes. Playing in chess competition helped me gauge whether I suffered any deterioration (in case of brain damage). Thankfully my results were just as bad before and after the accident. The main thing is it didn't get WORSE :)

8. GilaChess is not just my nickname, it represents a community!
With so many readers/friends that are at my level, I regard them as GilaChess members. It's a good feeling to be with people who share the same love for the game.

9. When I blog about how much I suck, many people read about it
For the same reason that there are many people who are not good at chess and trying to improve, there is interest in reading about someone like me struggling to improve.

10. It made me famous
Among the Malaysian Chess community, almost everybody knows GilaChess :)