Hmm, I had a similar outlook (although with Magic rather than chess :P), but got over it. Learning theory isn&#x27;t like looking at the solution for a puzzle, it&#x27;s like learning specific problem-solving skills. It doesn&#x27;t take the challenge away but rather enables you to play at a higher level which, with a decent game, is going to be deeper, more interesting and more challenging.<p>Now I think of learning enough theory to get to an intermediate level (at least) is more like a ticket to play the game at all: the game I play now is qualitatively different from the game I used to play and broadly better. To be sure, it was still fun when I was floundering around, but competitive play with a high-level mental framework (and yes, some specific information directly copied from others) leads to far higher replay value.<p>I&#x27;m sure chess is the same.