I in general agree with his point.
Many people have this min-maxing attitude which is very useful for society when correctly directed.
But often we just use it for tasks which aren't truly productive.
So what is important then? You can take Occam's Razor to most things in life... At the root of it we're just animals and we don't need much above subsistence to live life. Everything we enjoy and desire are just products of our culture.<p>I've come across a few posts recently talking about relationships and friendships. When you're in your old age and look back, this is what you remember. If chess is a proxy to that, then it's meaningful.
For context, this comes in reply to the cohost complaining that a lot of talented young players quit chess to pursue a college education. Caruana is basically replying that it’s a bit strange to regret people choosing to stop playing a board game to go do things with potentially broader impact instead.