This hits different when you apply it to chess. Instead of obsessing with my rating on I just turned on Zen mode in lichees and hid all the numbers. The game

This hits different when you apply it to chess. Instead of obsessing with my rating on I just turned on Zen mode in lichees and hid all the numbers. The game became fun again — Just "oh that was a cool tactic, let me try this weird opening, what happens if I sacrifice my knight for vibes?" Turns out the rating was a distraction from the actual game. Same energy as your point about "fucking around" being the point. The elo was just making me miserable; removing it made me better anyway.