jesterville wrote:
...umm...I hope I did not offend with my last post, if anyone is, I will delete it.
I actually really like it.
Americans suck at chess...why?
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Feb 16, 2013
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#43
Ziryab wrote:
Americans pay among the lowest taxes in the world. We prefer physical sports and generally look down upon "intellectuals". Chess suffers from our anti-intellectualism. Consider that when a news broadcaster mentions chess, the self-reflective "it is too complicated for me" or "I don't have the patience" is almost obligatory.
I 100% agree that this is the biggest problem, the anti-intellectualism (in US and Canada), and the brushing off of chess as hard or complicated or boring. The worst, to me, is parents saying things like that directly to their kids. No wonder so many kids don't care for abstract thought when their own parents routinely write things off as "too complicated".
I spent a year in New York a few years ago. On my nephews birthday, I visited him. He was about 10 at the time, and had just received a video game as a gift. I was shocked to see that this "game" had him as a sniper on the roof of a building, and he was "killing" people on the streets below...babies, women, police, other races etc. Could you believe that these things are approved by someone?
USA USA USA
You want the honest answer? The typical American "John Smith" that you want to see playing chess is most likely a clueless drone.
I'm an American and so I KNOW the truth about Americans. They are extremely stupid overall. I apologize to the rest of the world for that.
Annabella1 wrote:
I agree.....My son (who is 12) had that issue.....although he likes to play chess, he doesnt want other kids to know he plays....Football looks more "cool".
Football players are competitive.... very competitive. Sure he is not alone on the issue of enjoying playing chess. I bet if the coach sat in the locker room and took out his chess set he have 5 players wanting to play in 5 seconds.
When GM Fischer was "king of the world", chess was taking off like the space shuttle...not just in the US, but everywhere. Sales of chess merchandise was in short supply, and every kid wanted to learn the game that he played. This would have been a major watershed for the growth in chess everywhere, only if the snowball had continued down hill...we all know what happeded. Of course there was some positives that took place due to Fischer, but the expected growth in the chess market was never materialised.
LelaCrosby wrote:
NimzoRoy wrote:
modestmouse_ wrote:
It seems to me there have only been a handful of American chess champions, and although they may have been born in the US they were Jewish, Asian, Indian or Slavic. Id like to see a John Smith at the top of he rankings, will this ever happen? Sure there are good players, but overall pretty lame. Why why why....whatsayyou???
It seems to me you don't know what you're talking about in addition to being a tad bit racist, hopefully unintentionally. Is there a difference between native-born WASP Americans and native-born Jews, Asians, and Indians? If so, please describe it.
Lets see - Morphy, Paulsen, Showalter, Pillsbury, Marshall, Steinitz (a naturalized US citizen when he became the first official WCH), Evans, Reshevsky, Bisguier, Benko, Fischer, Fine, Kashdan, Christiansen, Browne, R Byrne, Denker, Nakamura, Kamsky, Alexander Onischuk (who is a member here BTW) etc etc. How many "American chess champions" (ie world-class players) past and present can you name? (BTW I know several GMs here aren't "native born" US citizens but they all played or play as US chess players now)
BTW the USA has won 5 Gold Chess Olympic medals (1st place) 5 Silver (2nd Place) and 9 Bronze medals (3rd place) out of 43 Chess OLs to date: 19 medals out of 129 total. Not bad for a nation that "sucks at chess" huh?
Country rank by average rating of top 10 players Average GMs IMs Total Titled 1 Russia 2746 216 500 2175 2 Ukraine 2702 80 197 493 3 China 2670 31 26 125 4 France 2663 47 94 356 5 Armenia 2663 34 25 95 6 Hungary 2661 52 108 420 7 United States of America2655 77 120 579The entire list has 134 nations, and 33 nations have less than ten "Total Titled" players http://ratings.fide.com/topfed.phtml
Looks like America has the 3rd greatest amount of GMs and the 2nd most titled.
That table would look a little better with all the top 10.
I present a new question: Why are there so many more great Russian players?
Why Americans are far off ......Video games.
On the issue of the Russian players, the awser is in the question. With their history the will always be in mix for the top spot.
jesterville wrote:
When GM Fischer was "king of the world", chess was taking off like the space shuttle...not just in the US, but everywhere. Sales of chess merchandise was in short supply, and every kid wanted to learn the game that he played. This would have been a major watershed for the growth in chess everywhere, only if the snowball had continued down hill...we all know what happeded. Of course there was some positives that took place due to Fischer, but the expected growth in the chess market was never materialised.
Funny thing! I never knew Fischer existed until a friend mentioned him and that was after his movie on the screen. I did not get all the hype until i started playing online about 3 years ago.
Chess in " Axxxxxx Middle School" My teacher Mr NIck brought out the chess board and it took. If Comic Book conventions can have a large venue so can Chess conventions. Just need a face a popular celebrity and almost anything takes flight. Have some trophies.... top of the line trophies with some height and glitter and watch the competitors come like a moth to a flame.
This is completely of topic but have a question. I once read someone's testimony about an OTB tournament they went to. In it they described "Convicts" being brought to the tournament hall. Jail inmates. I am curious if anyone else has encountered this and if so how the inmates faired? Talk of lazyness and typical american poverty both material and mental and I think of an odd and quite funny fact. The average Black Minority including drug dealing violent offenderes are as a norm much better at chess then your typical white player who goes to a club weekly and had parents that encourage them to play. This is just my experiance having played at clubs and with the afformentioned offenderes. Many minorities place a huge value on the Royal game and the time and mastery required to be "good" or as they would say "Nice". If a black dude says; he plays Nice or his game is "Nice" it is not becuase you are polite and respectful.. Is also a clear example of the limit of tactics so the scope of success is limited which is why I had the initial question..
I guess it may have been in the inmates "rights" to play in chess tornaments...and contribute to the US Financial Debt Crisis. 
Seraphimity wrote:
This is completely of topic but have a question. I once read someone's testimony about an OTB tournament they went to. In it they described "Convicts" being brought to the tournament hall. Jail inmates. I am curious if anyone else has encountered this and if so how the inmates faired? Talk of lazyness and typical american poverty both material and mental and I think of an odd and quite funny fact. The average Black Minority including drug dealing violent offenderes are as a norm much better at chess then your typical white player who goes to a club weekly and had parents that encourage them to play. This is just my experiance having played at clubs and with the afformentioned offenderes. Many minorities place a huge value on the Royal game and the time and mastery required to be "good" or as they would say "Nice". If a black dude says; he plays Nice or his game is "Nice" it is not becuase you are polite and respectful.. Is also a clear example of the limit of tactics so the scope of success is limited which is why I had the initial question..
Bruce Willis in another Die Hard movie. Buy a chess book and set instead.
Nice "CorfitzUlfeldt", and this theory is associated with the questions of "how something can develop from nothing", and "the need for divine intervention in the cosmos" ...ala The Big Bang. Stephen Hawking discussed this at length at one of his Lectures.
The stats quoted for USA success in Olympiads is slightly misleading, all of those victories were in the 1930's...when the Soviet Union did not take part.
Also the number of GM's includes a large percentage who emigrated from the Soviet Bloc. At the last US Championship only Robert Hess of all the participants was actually born in the United States.
royalbishop wrote:
Seraphimity wrote:
Bruce Willis in another Die Hard movie. Buy a chess book and set instead.
Chess book, yes! I wasn't sure how to phrase that without being derogatory. I have often mused to myself about being glad so n so never read a single chess book or had access to study material, opening lines etc... Not sure I get your Bruce Willis comment. I have had the pleasure of playing certian folks becuase of a familiarity that my socio-economic status afforded me at birth and the fact I am a very respectful person,, or I would be dead. I am not a drug user if that was your inference. I read somewhere Benjermain Franklin had a certain predilection for socializing with the "help"..
jesterville wrote:
Nice "CorfitzUlfeldt", and this theory is associated with the questions of "how something can develop from nothing", and "the need for divine intervention in the cosmos" ...ala The Big Bang. Stephen Hawking discussed this at length at one of his Lectures.
Stephen who? Sorry thought he was a GM. Energy can not be created nor destoyed.
Will chess players in the US be allowed to bring fireams with them to events as is being proposed for teachers?
What if someone flips (upon losing the game) and takes the ultimate-revenge on their opponent?? 
Stephen who? Sorry thought he was a GM. Energy can not be created nor destoyed.
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Yes royalbishop, this is what our current level of understanding teaches us...but you forgot the most important word associated with this "conservation of energy theory", and that is "naturally". Energy cannot be created nor destroyed naturally.
Of course, if we believe this to be so...how do we explain The Big Bang? Something from nothing?
I wouldn't be offended if these claims were against 'most Americans' because many of them are true for a large amount of the population, but there are dozens of subcultures within the country and they are entirely different from each other. The most popular one appears to be fat, lazy, moronic, materialistic, and egotistic.