As you correctly identified, it is not enough to merely play. You must train. I highly recommend spending 1 hour to 90 minutes every morning on chess.emrald.net. (Its free) or get some books but they are not as good as the server. This will improve your tactical vision to a huge degree. It will only take a few months to see massive improvement. Then you need to studying typical middlegame plans. For this you need to read annotated games, going through all the variations and studying them with a board. You should forget blitz chess and aim to play at least 3 long games a week (ideally at least 45 minutes - 1 hour per side). Analyse the games afterwards with a computer to find tactical errors, and with a stronger player to find planning and strategical errors. You must play with a plan! Also you should get a book on the endgame and study it properly with a board, again going through all variations. Silmans Complete engame course is ideal. Revise everything and within 10 years you can be a master.
By the way I am currently rated about 1600 and my IQ is 160 so forget that formula. The only formula you need is hard work. I have been playing for 14 years but I did not train properly, I was just playing for fun, and playing blitz chess too much. Now that I have changed my approach I am improving. The younger you start the faster you will progress, but you can reach expert level at any age according to the IMs and GMs I have spoken with. My rating has increased rapidly since starting this training regimen.
Originally posted by eatmybishopActually I could play the piano all day every day and never, I mean NEVER be near as good as like Bethoven. Some people are born with gifts. However, I think that with hardwork and doing lots and lots of tactics, most can get expert or higher.
some people, it would seem, are born great chess players - though it still takes a lot of work to enhance on that gift they are still naturally good. my point is can anyone become a grandmaster?
i've been playing chess for just under 20 years now, for most of those years i've played every day. now, if i played the piano that much or football i would b ...[text shortened]... an me, and then they beat me... is there a way you can improve by not 'just playing'??????
Obviously the later in life you start, the less time you can devote to the study of chess because of either school, work or family.
Myself I have a fulltime job, a family, house and misc stuff to take care of on a daily basis. I didn't start to play chess seriously until just recently. I can probably sneak in 1 hour, may 2 tops, to total chess study a day. At that rate I doubt I'd reach master status in the next 2 decades. 1800 is probably the highest I'd achieve, realistically. Had I started earlier with the same passion as I have now (instead of collecting video games) I'd probably have a more realistic chance of hitting 2000+
Originally posted by UndeadNightOrcSo to summarise.
Obviously the later in life you start, the less time you can devote to the study of chess because of either school, work or family.
Myself I have a fulltime job, a family, house and misc stuff to take care of on a daily basis. I didn't start to play chess seriously until just recently. I can probably sneak in 1 hour, may 2 tops, to total chess stu ...[text shortened]... nstead of collecting video games) I'd probably have a more realistic chance of hitting 2000+
Chess mastery is open to most of us with reasonable intellect, above average spatial awarness, good pattern recognition, and decent calculative ability IF we devote sufficient time and energy to studying the game.
Chess genius however is spread more thinly. The reason is that to achieve what Kasparov, Fischer, Capablanca et al achieved you need something else, something truly rare. Despite the impression to the contrary that some World Champions portrayed in their later years, ALL had to study full time, and make chess their life initially, but only reached the pinnacle of their professional due to something innate, probably genetic, in their make up.
I have a scientific mind / background, studied at Oxford, and have mathematical and muscial abilities I believe are genetic, but never, never, never, with all the training in the world, and all the time in the Universe, could I reach the levels these guys hit.
Mozart once said "I just play", and Capablanca "I just see the right move". It is that ability to rise above the work ethic into genius - into instinct - that sets them apart.
hey police... You look like a decent chess player... Obviously you just beat some 1900s... How do you really know where to move and stuff? I mean... You just obviously predict their moves and counter them... How do you do that??? Just wondering... Cuz I really need help on chess... I can beat 1500s in fritz and stuff... But i needa get better.. Can you help me out by analyzing some games or looking at em for me?
Originally posted by range blastsexcuse my offense, but that's just too lazy and general, and actually unrelevant. I'd recommend other threads for those questions like "need help getting to 1600?" and stuff. it's in the forums, search for it.
hey police... You look like a decent chess player... Obviously you just beat some 1900s... How do you really know where to move and stuff? I mean... You just obviously predict their moves and counter them... How do you do that??? Just wondering... Cuz I really need help on chess... I can beat 1500s in fritz and stuff... But i needa get better.. Can you help me out by analyzing some games or looking at em for me?
Originally posted by range blasts
... How do you really know where to move and stuff? I mean... You just obviously predict their moves and counter them... How do you do that???
No offense but that's a really strange question being asked by someone who can beat 1500 rated players. Obviously 1500 rating is not master level, but it's not a beginners level either.
I believe that most people (who are not retards) can reach GM level. Though this really requires a lot of work put into it, decades dedicated to chess. Studying hard does it all. That's what I feel now. A year ago I played like a 800 here and was a beginner. Now I'm a 1st category player and (that's not very good) a 1400+ here and 1600~ at GameKnot. All this progress happened in a year just because of lot of work put into it and visiting the local chess school often and playing in as much as possible OTB tournaments.
From what I've picked up from many strong players and other chess players. I don't think the average player can become a GM, I seriously think it requires some very natural talent, unfortunately not many of us. There are only around less than 1000 GM's, all of them are gifted, Magnus Carlsen has an incredible memory since when he was young and jumped from 1000 to 1900 in just a year and then jumped 300+ points from being a FM to a GM in very short amount of time. Anyway on a good note, I believe if you put hardwork in anyone can become at least a FM strength and with programs like chessbase and fritz out now you can work a bit harder and you can probably become at IM strength. But no I believe getting the GM title is something you are born with even if the average player works really hard at it he'll peak out somewhere. Don't get me wrong, don't give up in working at this game!
You will never know if you can be a GM if you don't try to be one. Stop worrying about the things you can't change (inherent ability), and start focusing on what you have. I mean, for the love of God, look at Beethoven. Beautiful pieces like Fur Elise were written when he was deaf. He did not let any obstacle hinder his dreams.
The greats all have common traits between them. Love, passion, desire, mental fortitude. Everything else falls in place. If you really want it, you will achieve it.
Originally posted by z00tSome people's defination of hard work is different to others, for example when I said at a dinner party that I had been working hard recently and for a quite a long time, others said they had been working long hours too. The conversation continued and it turned out that some people thought working an extra hour or two 3 or 4 evenings a week was long hours. They asked what time I had left the office that evening, I answered 6pm (it was friday evening) the response was, well that's not very late, when I pointed out that it was a late finish from thursday it clarified what I meant by working hard. A lot of people think the world owes them and do not realise that if you want something it's up to you to go and get it, subject to having the talent/ability in the first place of course.
Yes but the thing is that you've gotta work hard at it. Coming to think of it it takes hard work even to be a troll :] no-one is born a GM or a troll, they have to put the effort in.