This is probably biased af but most "normal" people (those sticking to alcohol, no bs and 9-5s) I know and have talked with don't even know how to play or think it's boring. Most gamers don't even like it, and if they do, I tend to beat them with my limited knowledge of chess. In middle-school it was defo not something you talked about unless you wanted to risk something that may escalate to a asswhooping. You know who beats me tho?
Drug dealers, gangsters and people on rap-forums. The same people that used to fuck with chess nerds. I know everyone can like chess but this is somewhat strange to me.
This one dude I used to smoke up with that sold weed and amphetamine sent invites to play from the chess.com app on the reg for a while. I think he had a rating of 1700 at one point and all that jazz. Dude beat most people I saw him play against. This other guy comes along on visit, done some heinous crimes, dude beat him in a close match up. I mean, I can understand the latter dude cus he started playing in prison where there's nothing to do and read up on it, but my friend? Or quite a few of y'all? I don't get surprised when I see a chess board going to a new weed dealers house anymore. I don't get surprised when wolla gangsters tell people to sit down for a round of chess cus it's happened at random parties in a haze of pot smoke more than once to put it like that. Two people almost started to fight cus the winner didn't want to play a re.
I refuse to believe this scene is the cause:
but it'd at least explain the draw for people you wouldn't expect to actually know about gambits, openings, mid and late game plays.
What got y'all into it?