Can Anyone Become Grandmaster?

Is that how you hoodwink them?

This is like a fantasy vs. reality debate centered around work ethic. Why do the believers stop at GM ? Why not "Anyone Can Become World Champion !" (you're almost there)....just win every game you play (start at the 2014 National Open, say) and not only not lose but not draw either ? You will quickly climb to the top and become World Champoing (for you my enchanting Omar) in, say, less than 10 years.

Hey, if anyone can become a GM then anyone can become WC, agree ? Heck, we've had, what 14-15, in the last 120-130 years ? There's a whopping 1440 GM's today in an itsy 25MM+ player pool ?

You keep dreaming....and remember, inside every game there's a way you can win....

Yes, but only sheep cream my adorable P-B........

       Philo-Beddoe;   That name comes from a character in a movie, I just can't put my finger on it.  Maybe a Clint Eastwood movie??

Great, we've found something else to keep this thread going a bit longer!

I disagree. The question is "Can anyone ...", therefore you can only answer it in the same form. The statement "Only a future GM will become a GM" is the answer to a different question.

The word "Can" in the original question means "Is he capable of?"; and because a future GM is obviously capable of becoming one, there's nothing wrong with the statement.

A simple answer, that is no.But if we take a look on the word "CAN",then it will be a big debate bacause everyone is capable of doing everything.

I wish we'd known that at the start of the thread ...

@chessgg - the pasted quote to which you referred was itself a clear reference to the OP, a fact which you appear unable to grasp. A self-appointed master of logic and semantics who cannot grasp A will have difficulties in coming up with a logical B; I understand this and don't hold it against you.

From a philosophical standpoint it's kind of fun.  From the deterministic POV maybe you would say the only people who can become GMs will become GMs in the future, free will is an illusion, and all that.

Yeah, and I agree with you, it was a simple misstatement.

Please see #2341 and #2346. Yogi Berra couldn't have said it better.

Wherever you go, there you are.

Sure makes it tough to escape assholes.

....and I'm here because I'm not all there........

        Well at least he knows how and when to duck.

I guess you could say that chess_gg is predestined to get flamed - either in forum hell or actual hell, depending on your beliefs.

Some one challenge me

Best stuff I've read in these forums in the last year. >:[

There now....doesn't that make you feel better ?........

Some linguists would say that an "only" statement could still be true even if no future GMs "can" become a GM. I think the word "only" merely serves to exclude other possibilities (for example excludes any other way a person can become a GM), but doesn't have to confirm anything. Although colloquially "only" is often used to imply "all and only."