---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: had explicitly been concerned to treat…"
description: "\"“had explicitly been concerned to treat mathematics as if it were a chess game, without asking for a connection with the world. That question was, as i..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/181/andrew-hodges-46413_chess_had-explicitly-been-concerned-to-treat-m_1112660.jpg"
---

#  had explicitly been concerned to treat mathematics as if…

![“had explicitly been concerned to treat mathematics as if it were a chess game, without asking for a connection with the world. That question was, as it were, always left for someone else to tackle.” quote by Andrew Hodges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/181/andrew-hodges-46413_chess_had-explicitly-been-concerned-to-treat-m_1112660.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/181/andrew-hodges-46413_chess_had-explicitly-been-concerned-to-treat-m_1112660.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/181/andrew-hodges-46413_chess_had-explicitly-been-concerned-to-treat-m_1112660.jpg)

> ““had explicitly been concerned to treat mathematics as if it were a chess game, without asking for a connection with the world. That question was, as it were, always left for someone else to tackle.””

[Andrew Hodges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-hodges/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He critiqued treating mathematics as an abstract game detached from real-world relevance, urging practical connections.

**In simple terms:** Math should link to real life, not just be a game.

Key Takeaway

Seek practical applications of mathematical ideas.

Themes

education mathematics relevance

Mood

thoughtful critical inquisitive

Type

philosophical educational

When to use this quote

- teaching
- research
- policy making
- curriculum design

Key Concepts

abstraction pedagogy worldly context

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we make math more applicable?
- What real-world problems illustrate abstract concepts?

A Different Perspective

Mathematical abstraction can hinder understanding without concrete examples.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Chess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chess/) [Chess game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chess-game/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/)

## Related quotes

> [Chess is not Mathematics, where ten is always more than one; in chess the King with a pawn can beat opponent's King with all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashot-nadanian/chess-is-not-mathematics-where-ten-is-always-more-than-one-in-chess/)

[Ashot Nadanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashot-nadanian/)

> [The broader the chess player you are, the easier it is to be competitive, and the same seems to be true of mathematics -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viswanathan-anand/the-broader-the-chess-player-you-are-the-easier-it-is-to-be/)

[Viswanathan Anand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viswanathan-anand/)

> [There are three intellectual pursuits, and, so far as I am aware, only three, in which human beings have performed major feats before the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/there-are-three-intellectual-pursuits-and-so-far-as-i-am-aware-only/)

[George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/)

> [My sister Susan, who was the first one, was pretty good in mathematics and then chess, and my father chose chess because it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judit-polgar/my-sister-susan-who-was-the-first-one-was-pretty-good-in-mathematics/)

[Judit Polgar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judit-polgar/)

> [Remy you're my king." I hug him hard. "There's no chess game for me without you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-evans/remy-you-re-my-king-i-hug-him-hard-there-s-no-chess-game-for-me/)

[Katy Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-evans/)

> [The hardest game to win is a won game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emanuel-lasker/the-hardest-game-to-win-is-a-won-game/)

[Emanuel Lasker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emanuel-lasker/)

> [Good positions don't win games, good moves do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-abrahams/good-positions-don-t-win-games-good-moves-do/)

[Gerald Abrahams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-abrahams/)

> [Chess is a game where all different sorts of people can come together, not a game in which people are divided because of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hikaru-nakamura/chess-is-a-game-where-all-different-sorts-of-people-can-come-together/)

[Hikaru Nakamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hikaru-nakamura/)

> [Human affairs are like a chess game. Only those who do not take it seriously can be called good players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zicheng-hong/human-affairs-are-like-a-chess-game-only-those-who-do-not-take-it/)

[Zicheng Hong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zicheng-hong/)

> [Later, I began to succeed in decisive games. Perhaps because I realized a very simple truth: not only was I worried, but also my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-tal/later-i-began-to-succeed-in-decisive-games-perhaps-because-i-realized/)

[Mikhail Tal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-tal/)

> [I stopped taking notes on my Palm Pilot and started playing the little chess game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/i-stopped-taking-notes-on-my-palm-pilot-and-started-playing-the/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [Blessed be the memory of him who gave the world this immortal game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-george-gardiner/blessed-be-the-memory-of-him-who-gave-the-world-this-immortal-game/)

Alfred George Gardiner

> [I had a toothache during the first game. In the second game I had a headache. In the third game it was an attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siegbert-tarrasch/i-had-a-toothache-during-the-first-game-in-the-second-game-i-had-a/)

[Siegbert Tarrasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siegbert-tarrasch/)

> [Modern Chess is too much concerned with things like Pawn structure. Forget it, Checkmate ends the game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-short/modern-chess-is-too-much-concerned-with-things-like-pawn-structure/)

[Nigel Short](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-short/)

> [For 'Inhuman,' it's a 'chess game' series. You have a lot of pieces moving different ways at once, and it's about what they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-soule/for-inhuman-it-s-a-chess-game-series-you-have-a-lot-of-pieces-moving/)

[Charles Soule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-soule/)

## More by Andrew Hodges

> [“he talked excitedly of the future of automatic computers, and reassured them that mathematicians would not be put out of work. In”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-hodges/he-talked-excitedly-of-the-future-of-automatic-computers-and/)

[Andrew Hodges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-hodges/)

> [“The whole thinking process is still rather mysterious to us, but I believe that the attempt to make a thinking machine will help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-hodges/the-whole-thinking-process-is-still-rather-mysterious-to-us-but-i/)

[Andrew Hodges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-hodges/)

> [“It was difficult enough being a mathematician, this being the frightening subject of which even educated people knew nothing, not even what it was,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-hodges/it-was-difficult-enough-being-a-mathematician-this-being-the/)

[Andrew Hodges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-hodges/)

> [“The popular view that scientists proceed inexorably from well-established fact to well-established fact, never being influenced by any unproved conjecture, is quite mistaken. Provided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-hodges/the-popular-view-that-scientists-proceed-inexorably-from-well/)

[Andrew Hodges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-hodges/)

> [“God, having created his Universe, has now screwed the cap on His pen, put His feet on the mantelpiece and left the work to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-hodges/god-having-created-his-universe-has-now-screwed-the-cap-on-his-pen/)

[Andrew Hodges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-hodges/)

[Explore all 6 Andrew Hodges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-hodges/)

## More Chess quotes

> [I have known many chess players, but among them there has been only one genius - Capablanca!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emanuel-lasker/i-have-known-many-chess-players-but-among-them-there-has-been-only/)

[Emanuel Lasker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emanuel-lasker/)

> [Real chessplayers think about chess more or less 24 hours a day. It is a passion and a fate that one has to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simen-agdestein/real-chessplayers-think-about-chess-more-or-less-24-hours-a-day-it-is/)

Simen Agdestein

> [It's interesting that the greatest minds of computer science, the founding fathers, like Alan Turing and Claude Shannon and Norbert Wiener, they all looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-kasparov/it-s-interesting-that-the-greatest-minds-of-computer-science-the/)

[Garry Kasparov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-kasparov/)

> [“Relationships are chess for women," he said. "They can see the whole board, plan way ahead. They're the queens, after all. We're the kings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-lippman/relationships-are-chess-for-women-he-said-they-can-see-the-whole/)

[Laura Lippman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-lippman/)

> [The election of Trump threw the chess board up. The pieces are all over the place. That's upsetting to a lot of people, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-rubin/the-election-of-trump-threw-the-chess-board-up-the-pieces-are-all/)

[Dave Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-rubin/)

> [Playing for complications is an extreme measure that a player should adopt only when he cannot find a clear and logical plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-alekhine/playing-for-complications-is-an-extreme-measure-that-a-player-should/)

[Alexander Alekhine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-alekhine/)

> [“the shadows. “Why do you think they invented chess?” “He’s got you there,” said the captain, following Fletcher. Jake jogged slightly to catch up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-blake/the-shadows-why-do-you-think-they-invented-chess-he-s-got-you-there/)

[Russell Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-blake/)

> [ \[Photographer Julian Wasser\] had this great idea that I should play chess naked with Marcel Duchamp and it seem to be such a great… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-babitz/photographer-julian-wasser-had-this-great-idea-that-i-should-play/)

[Eve Babitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-babitz/)

> [Chess is a good mistress but a bad master.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-abrahams/chess-is-a-good-mistress-but-a-bad-master/)

[Gerald Abrahams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-abrahams/)

> [I am not some sort of freak. I might be very good at chess but I'm just a normal person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magnus-carlsen/i-am-not-some-sort-of-freak-i-might-be-very-good-at-chess-but-i-m/)

[Magnus Carlsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magnus-carlsen/)

> [Some sacrifices are sound; the rest are mine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-tal/some-sacrifices-are-sound-the-rest-are-mine/)

[Mikhail Tal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-tal/)

> [My parents were very supportive of my chess. When I got home after a game of chess, having missed school or something, they always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viswanathan-anand/my-parents-were-very-supportive-of-my-chess-when-i-got-home-after-a/)

[Viswanathan Anand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viswanathan-anand/)

> [Amberley excelled at chess - a mark, Watson, of a scheming mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/amberley-excelled-at-chess-a-mark-watson-of-a-scheming-mind/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [In high school, my sister went out with the captain of the chess team. My parents loved him... They figured that any guy that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kiley/in-high-school-my-sister-went-out-with-the-captain-of-the-chess-team/)

[Brian Kiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-kiley/)

> [The King is a fighting piece. Use it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-steinitz/the-king-is-a-fighting-piece-use-it/)

[Wilhelm Steinitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-steinitz/)

[Browse all 2,003 Chess quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chess/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“had explicitly been concerned to treat mathematics as if it were a chess game, without asking for a connection with the world. That question was, as it were, always left for someone else to tackle.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Andrew Hodges"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-hodges/had-explicitly-been-concerned-to-treat-mathematics-as-if-it-were-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Chess"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-hodges/had-explicitly-been-concerned-to-treat-mathematics-as-if-it-were-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/181/andrew-hodges-46413_chess_had-explicitly-been-concerned-to-treat-m_1112660.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/181/andrew-hodges-46413_chess_had-explicitly-been-concerned-to-treat-m_1112660.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/181/andrew-hodges-46413_chess_had-explicitly-been-concerned-to-treat-m_1112660.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“had explicitly been concerned to treat mathematics as if it were a chess game, without asking for a…” — Andrew Hodges",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Andrew Hodges",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-hodges/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“had explicitly been concerned to treat...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-hodges/had-explicitly-been-concerned-to-treat-mathematics-as-if-it-were-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-hodges/had-explicitly-been-concerned-to-treat-mathematics-as-if-it-were-a/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
