It's not all bloodthirsty competition:
The two were not evenly matched. [Marcel] Duchamp was one of the best players in France, and no doubt swept [Samuel] Beckett off the board in most of their encounters. But still they enjoyed each other's company, and continued to play.... All summer they played lengthy chess games together in a seafront café.
—David Shenk, The Immortal Game: A History of Chess
Sounds nice, doesn't it?
