Playing at 50+: Part I-- How good can I get?
Perhaps you’re reading this and been bitten by the chess bug. It could be the “Queen’s Gambit” bug, the COVID lockdown bug, the “I have to beat my kid/grandkid” bug, or you heard about the recent massive popularity of chess in passing and have a fear of missing out… what I call, the “zwischen-bug.” Regardless of the reason, congratulations for opening up a Pandora’s box of discovery.
Unfortunately, this Pandora’s box of discovery generally consists of, “I discovered I suck at chess.” If this is you, you’re not alone. Jimmy Carter famously set out to be a chess expert after his presidency. It’s possible he was a better president/peanut farmer/nuclear engineer than a chess player. He remarked, "I found that I don't have any particular talent for chess. I hate to admit it, but that's a fact." However, this is no reason to quit your budding new passion.
Here’s the deal. You’re an adult-- at least this is the intended audience for this article. You have a life, you may have work, a family, bills, pets, and a thousand distractions that part of “adulting.” Chess is not part of any of that, and it shouldn’t be. You do chess because it’s fun—not because you think you can make a living from it. Understand you are not the next Bobby Fischer or Beth Harmon. Understand that you, no matter how smart you think you are, will likely not become a “master,” and definitely not a “grandmaster” no matter how hard you try.
A grandmaster is the equivalent of becoming an NBA starter. Anybody that hasn’t already dedicated his or her life to the game from childhood will not become a grandmaster, nor an NBA starter (unless you’re Manute Bol, but that’s an obvious exception.) Second, know that talent is important in determining your potential. Again, if you’re a slow 5’6, you’re going to have a tougher time being great at basketball just like if you lack “mental agility,” or “visualization ability” you will struggle at chess.
Think of it like this, if a grandmaster is an NBA starter,
An IM is an NBA occasional starter/college standout.
A 2000 rated player is a college starter/high school standout.
An 1800 is a playground star with serious street cred.
A 1600 is most likely a playground star or the first or second to be picked in shirts and skins.
A 1400 is a good playground player respected by fellow players.
1200 is your average playground player, but has his moments.
800 is your below average player.
400 is the sweaty fat kid praying that he doesn’t get picked by the skins.
Most that put in the effort wisely can, IMO, eventually be 1400. That’s pretty good, and a nice long-term goal for novice/beginners.
At 1400, you will be a chess god amongst your peers. You will likely destroy all your friends unless they are similarly dedicated to chess. You will be able to impress by demonstrating variations of the Sicilian Defense and pronounce esoteric terms like “zugzwang” and “zwischenzug.” 1400 is nothing to scoff at. At 1400 you know chess and are “good” at it. I don’t care what the other chess snobs think.
This article is part 1 in a 6-part series about playing and learning chess at 50+.
If you enjoyed these articles, please leave me a nice comment. It will encourage me to add more content. Thanks for reading.
