anyone can be a super GM

No.  But, anyone with the INTEREST, drive, time work ethic and available resources could become a master imop(worst case scenario-expert imop).  

No. Chess is not scientific in which result is not calculated after initial moves.

Could it also be Super Gay Master?

Perfect for many!

Or the old chess.com standby: Depends on the position

obviously.

The American judges scores were lower.

The comparison to being the next Usain Bolt is an apt one in this case. Because the unfortunate truth, is that the brain, like everything else in the body, is a 'muscle' that degenerates with age. Admittedly, I believe there is research somewhere (I can't make a citation and know this is speculative; but don't shoot me for it) that suggests, on an intellectual level, the brain reaches peak performance in and/or around your mid-30s.

The point is, with the passage of time, Usain Bolt will never be able to stay the fastest man in the world. It's an inevitability. We can ponder whether or not his records will ever be beaten... that's the real mystery of the human race. Will we continue to evolve (or will god continue to grant us the ability for a better performance, if that is what you believe), or will there be a point where nature turns round, slaps us in the face, and says, "you've (collectively) reached your potential."?

I have an ambition to become a Candidate Master or even a FIDE Master; but I've told myself, as much as I want it, I might well not achieve it. The mystery for me lies in the research. I'm 27, a few years from achieving, theoretically, peak intellectual performance; the real issue for me, is not knowing if I have the discipline to attain the skills I need to achieve my goal, before my brain reaches the point of degeneration where it may well be an impossibility. I imagine myself asking then, if I fail, will I still be in love with chess? And the next mystery, when will be the point I have to ask myself that question?

You clearly don't know how much professional sports revolve around steroids, of course somebody will beat Bolt when new more powerful doping will be introduced.

I think it's possible for anybody with an average IQ to become CANDIDATE MASTER, if the work hard enough. I think what separates the average 1600-1700 player from a 2200 is more a matter of experience and knowledge; not so much brain power.

But of the other hand, becoming GM is a completely different thing. That requires a huge natural talent, really high IQ and...well, if you were so much of a genious to become a GM I'm sure it would have come up by now.

I love how the OP needed to specify "top" GM, while the responses he got are appropriate even for becoming "normal" GM.

93 posts (now 94) in 6 hours is impressive.

Not to mention that I haven't even read the first post.

Yep it's easy. All you have to do is download Houdini and memorise every line.

So easy for this computer generation to become Super GMs.

"becoming GM is a completely different thing. That requires a huge natural talent, really high IQ and...well, if you were so much of a genious to become a GM I'm sure it would have come up by now."

it's really cute when people treated their own opinion as facts.As far as i know,there's no correlation between high IQ and superb chess ability.Hard work and a bit of talent would be needed..ofcourse...The ability to control your thought process is crucial...

Behave you! :P

Admittedly, yes, I probably am ignorant around the whole issue of steroids and their application in a sports environment; my really curiosity is if you are genuinely, and empirically, clued up on the issue or if you are just all talk. ;)

But then, as far as my opinion goes, the use of steroids is an ethical issue, less a practical one. Why are steroids regulated? because there is a detriment to using them as well as any potential benefit. What if we allowed the use of steroids so athletes could achieve their best? Ultimately, there is going to be someone who fails (or doesn't achieve position number one) in any competition, and then it is too late to consider whether the risk of benefit outweighs the detriment of such a drug.

Put it this way, in a few years time, *if* Usain Bolt has used a Performance Enhancing Drug, albeit an undetectable one (or whatever reason that allowed him to circumvent detection), his performance will inevitably still degenerate to the point when drugs will have no impact on him performing the best. And then he will have many questions lying on his conscious. Was it worth it? What happens if he is caught? Does he eventually expose such a hypothetical truth? etc. etc.

+1

I think this is where a lot of my weakness lies.

I wasn't specifically accusing Bolt. Drugs use is normal in professional sport, and it's also really widespread among amateurs too.

Of course pro athlete do have incredible genetic, talent and dedication: I wasn't scorning them. I was just saying that the steady improvement of performances on ALL sports derives from better doping and not from evolution or misteries of the human race.

Chess is different. Modern chess players have access to much better tools (e.g. chess engines to check lines, even if I believe they are of limited usefulness). Mostly, they can study players of the past and learn from them. Fisher studied Morphy, Kasparov studied Fisher, Carsen studied Kasparov. It's natural that with more material they can reach new heights.

However I do believe that there's a doping factor even in chess. There are drugs able to boost your mental capabilities.

Wow, didn't know we weren't allowed to cuss on this site.  lol.  Sorry if I offended anyone.

Super GM is definetly NOT possible for anyone. I'm not sure if earning a GM title is impossible for the average human being tho. Given alot of time and coaching ofc. 

I'm sorry, I gotta laugh when people say things like this. These kinds of comments are just completely ignorant and/or delusional. It takes an INCREDIBLE amount of intelligence and focus to become a GM. Oh and you want to talk about super GM? People actually believe an average person working hard can acheive that??? LOL, I don't think so. That's almost like saying an average person working hard can be Einstein, or Newton.

No, just no. There is a huge correlation between intelligence and chess skill, at the very least when you start getting to master level. I'm willing to bet 90% of people working hard for most their life couldn't become GM. Not only that, but if they didn't start at a young age, 98% of people probably couldn't even become an IM, regardless of how hard they worked.