Becoming a Grand Master

That's not enough a player needs strong nerves to take the pounding from highwire stress, shock, merciless pressure it's in a player or it just isn't there's no in between.

Simple reason is that Carlsen has built up on the styles of Fischer and Kasparov.

Kasparov calls his own style dynamic as aggressive as opposed to the more 'pure' and 'long-term' style of Carlsen. This is why Carlsen is the standard.

Also, Carlsen himself has said he has no preferences for any kind of positions. Having preferences means having weaknesses, he says.

Carlsen tries to get nothing out of an opening except equality and then he can use his superior positional sense to eke out advantages which he has the technique to convert to wins.

You'll know right away if you got it. You just know. You can fool yourself, but in the end that's all you did

This thread was started 3 years ago. The current rating of the OP, who is still active here,  is 14xx.

I think that speaks volumes about how hard it is to become a grandmaster.

Dedication is a major step forward towards becoming proficient at anything. Having an open mind to learning is also needed. But I'll show my skepticism and say that for every person who claims they are dedicated to improving and study for hours a day and insist they are aiming to master this game, I'll ask for a dollar. If they succeed and become a master I'll give them $100. Because I know that saying and dreaming is one thing but doing, and sticking with it, is a monster few tackle in life.

I like to stick to realistic goals. Like for example I'm trying to break 1600 USCF by years end, and I'm over 1500 now. Setting smaller, more easily obtainable goals and pressing on seems much healthier for our self confidence, our sticking with something and completing it, and our over all well being in my opinion. Will I become a GM one day? Maybe, but it won't bother me a bit if I don't.

SmyslovFan wrote:well said

This thread was started 3 years ago. The current rating of the OP, who is still active here,  is 14xx.

I think that speaks volumes about how hard it is to become a grandmaster.

johnsmithson wrote:

"Will I become a GM one day? Maybe, but it won't bother me a bit if I don't"

You won't because rising from 1500 to 1600 takes future GM's no time at all.  That's about not dropping pieces, simple combinations, learning enough opening theory to not get whacked in 10 moves, etc. - stuff that future GM's pick up as nothing...

Apparantly you take phrases far to literally and don't understand why I included that at the end as a means to bring it back to the main topic with my main point included and not as a stand alone phrase. Notwithstanding that, I don't believe in claiming my nor anyone else's ceiling without giving myself or others the chance to see how high they can reach. People are usually more prone to naysay than to encourage or uplift, which is why I tend to keep my goals, dreams, and over all my ambitions to myself and possibly those close to me and not hang them out over for the public to see, especially on the internet (which I find mostly a meaningless endevour anyway unless perhaps seeking advice on how to go about something). Which is also why I said "for example" in my above post. It was simply used to reinforce my main point, not to conjure other's opinions of my goal or possible dreams or used as a reason to exclude something from me by my revealed modest goal during a time frame some would said would need to be much shorter if a loftier goal is to be reached. In short, you don't know me so how could you possibly be in a position to assess me in any meaningful manner, and why would you when it was not asked of?

I'll consider your lack of responding to the substance of the content and instead attacking my handling of english based on some unfortunate misspelled words as your way of conceding to my point without openingly saying so. Good day, untracked.

your rating has to be over 2500. Some become grandmasters at 14. I wouldn't put your hopes  too high, but you might become one.

You learn your level quick. I want to be an A player. But I'm stuck in the B ranks. I just accept it. 1600 and 1700 is not a bad spot to be.

this is why I hate these "you can become a grandmaster with hard work and determination" forums.

It's the same as in any sport. GM is pro level. Can you be Michael Jordan with hard work? No

I would take that bet if any master title, even NM will do.

Someday, I believe that I will have gained the 214 points USCF I need to be titled. Since april, I have gained 261 points, and while gaining them gets harder the higher you go, I know that with hard work I will eventually win this bet.

In fact, my goal for the past 2 years has been to break master by the end of high school. Will I do it? Probably not. But I plan on breaking expert soon and master sometime within a few years (or hopefully sooner), and after that, who knows?

Well said Shep

If i had a dollar for everytime that question had been asked, I would be a really rich man..

1879 Big Shep!!

Congratulations, Shepi! As young as you are, making master is indeed doable. 

But, consider this: Most masters agree that half way to master is not 1600, but 2000-2100!

You still have a long way to go, keep your eyes on the prize. Good luck!

I think becoming a GM has a lot more to do with natural talent than hard work... Look at all the NMs, CMs, and IMs that do not become GMs. You could become a very strong player with hard work, do not get me wrong, but IMO when it comes to chess, talent beats work. I also believe it is human nature to not put 100% in something you are not naturally gifted at. More important priorities will take over.

Congrats Frankenstein... 2200 is a great accomplishment