I have been playing the game for about 40 years (started at five). Love it. No cheating or luck. I'm not too good at it though... Never read a book on it until last year when I got my ass handed to me by a friend, who unbeknownst to me, was a competitive national champion. I used to just like to play the game, figuring out strategies on my own. After reading up on openings, mid and end games, I'm sad to report that the top players have a strategy and series of moves to make in response to their opponent's opening move, or vise versa. I have no interest in memorizing strategies.
