Chess and Music - Differences and Similarities

One of the things that makes me believe that there is God is the existence of music. I cannot claim to know much music, but when I see/hear a beautiful final product, it is amazing to consider that somebody conceived it from scratch, and that people can read whatever is written down and then come up with the right “coordination”, “tones”, “instruments” etc to turn the work into something as glorious as the music that people love. I saw this video at youtube and I started thinking about music and chess. A lot has been said about chess and music, for example, that “chess, like music, has the power to make men happy.” So what are the similarities and differences between the two?

Similarities:
1. They both require a lot of creativity.
2. Writing the music itself, (not playing it), is similar to Chess because it requires intellectual discipline and struggle.
3. Both require study.
4. For both, the earlier you begin the higher the chances that you will be better at it.

Differences:
1. Chess requires silence to focus. I am not sure if writing music requires silence ;-) (I need help here!)
2. Chess is competitive. There is an opponent in front of you that you want to defeat.
3. There is resistance to your creativity - this is related to 2. above. You may want to create something, but it will not happen if your opponent will not let you.
4. There is loss, pain and defeat in Chess. Music does not even come close.
I guess, in the end, chess has elements of sport that music does not have.

Here is a link that you may enjoy watching and listening to.

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