anotheranon | Quote: fencing or chess?

From Perez-Reverte's Flanders Panel. The chess master Munoz discusses what motivates him to play, but I think his reason could apply equally to fencing:

The games can last for hours, during which time, family, problems, work, all get left behind, pushed to one side. That's common to everyone. What happens is that while some see it as a battle they have to win, others, like myself, see it as an arena rich in fantasy and spatial combinations, where victory and defeat are meaningless words. p. 158, English translation

If only I could grok that winning and losing are meaningless...