There was a time when a free afternoon was a real problem, because it meant having to invent something. Taking a bicycle without knowing where to go. Coming home with scraped knees and a story. Building imaginary worlds out of nothing.
There is something deeply reassuring about chess. Every piece knows its role. The king must survive, the queen can do almost anything, the knights slip around the rules, and the pawns are sent out first to take the beating. Basically, society on a more elegant board...