I have always enjoyed playing chess. I'm pretty competitive by nature. I don't like getting beat, especially at chess. But getting beaten, as you point out, is the key to building one's chess skills and strength. Lately I have preferred playing against 'bots' so that I can measure my strength and progress quantitatively. Since I am age 81, its a real challenge just staying as good as I was even a few years ago, let alone during my youth, but I'm still hanging in there and still learning new stuff, especially about how to analyze a position. The chess puzzles on chess.com are a terrific way to try to maintain my chess skills. Like you, I have never shied away from things that are intellectually challenging and stimulating. My degree(s) and work background are in electrical engineering. I am a registered Professional Engineer (P.E.) in California also a registered patent agent with the USPTO.