Can Anyone Become Grandmaster?

lol...another one of these arbitrary cutoffs.

Masters' ratings are all abitrary cutõffs are they not? How else are you supposedto measure these things? 'Arbitrary' as a word is banded about with the same negative connotations as 'judgemental', as if as subjective human beings our opinions don't count.

Back to the subject, no, not many people could become FMs let alone GMs. personally, I make too many mistakes, just in my nature. Others just can't see patterns or remember openings. some can't concentrate. I can't believe this discussion is still going on, the chances of Fred Bloggs becoming a GM is about the same as my cat learning to resolve quadratic equations

The difference is that distinctions between classes of players have to be arbitrary, whereas distinctions between who has talent and who doesn't don't.

becoming a grandmaster requires one thing above all...you need to play in tournaments, lots of them, specifically ones with more then 8 rounds and with competitors from at least 4 countries...in short you need time and money. In other modern industrial countries the former is somewhat possible for most...here in the USA well not so easy

Oh yeah, and you need to be good.  Really really good.

Still, that may not be as far off as you think...

That's a good point. How much money would one waste trying to become a GM, having in mind he'll pay for tournament registrations, for a coach, for travelling, for chess theory materials, etc, and while studying and practicing chess he'll be earning nothing?

If someone can calculate those expenses we'll finally know who can become a grandmaster.

If a player has talent, he or she can become Grandmaster quickly   but if a player has no talent, it will take a lot hours and years of hard work and not money. Micheal De La Maza, he was a 1300 USCF and he told some player he want to become an expert, that player told Micheal he had no chance. Guess what? Micheal became an expert through hard work. So you see if you really want it bad enough, any normal person can become an Grandmaster, even if that person has no talent. The question is can that player devote five or ten years of their live to achieve their goal. Some players in a chess club become 1800 USCF and even experts with their first rating, I would say they have talent but to achieve the next step might require hard work and that why player don't go to the next level in rating. Even if you are very low rated player who makes a lot blunders, you can achieve an expert or even master level if you are willing to work very hard in your game and study a lot tactics and endgames, you will become very strong player.

No.

+1

The problem is that rating points do not float down out of the sky like snowflakes... you can only get them by taking them from another player... by winning games.

And by the time you are fighting for a Grandmaster title, you will be playing against opponents who BOTH have talent AND work hard.

... so working hard with no talent isn't likely to get you a GM title.

lol

pretty sure expert =/= gm level 

although i did read somewhere i forget maybe it was the book the immortal game: a history of chess by david shenk where a guy wanted to prove being good at chess was all about hard work so he forced his kids (son and daughter i believe) to constantly practice chess in their youth and both became grandmasters if i remember correctly.

I'm sure that story should at least ring a bell in some people's head.

Presumably you're talking about the Polgar daughters.  No son/daughter duo have ever become GMs.

I been playing otb rated games for year, the highest player I drew was a Senior Master with a rating of 2487 USCF, our time control was 2 hours for 40 moves and second time control was one hour sudden death and that game went over 50 move and my rating was 2080 USCF: we did have not days to make our moves or refer to opening book and endgame manual. I beat many masters and experts and I won first place in my chess club many times with at least 11 experts. My question to you guys, Andy Clifton, The RussianPatzer and, Blueemu, otb rated games only, what is the highest players you beat or drew?

 I know some untalented players who have decent rating of 1700 USCF and 1800 USCF. There players who become grandmaster in their thirties and I know one player who became a grandmaster in his fifties . Do you guys know what you are talking about? Are these players just late bloomers, I suspect these players have little talent to no talent but still became grandmasters.

 One the main reason players stay low rated is laziness and not willing to study to improve their chess skills.One college student who was 1200 USCF for two years, when I suggest some books for him to study and his rating went up and he was playing a much strong game. Low rated player can improve and become strong players.

Because it's there, son.  Because it's there.

Sure, strong players.  But GMs?  Not bloody likely.

If everyone could become a grandmaster, that would refute statistics on which ELO is based.

I brought this interesting topic to my other chess site and one my team mate express his opinion.

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Grandmaster1 - ignore

Yeah Droid is very right,in the past it was very tough to become a GM and so on,but today the statistics proves that If anyone want to become a GM,it is possible,whether you got talent or not,if you got talent then this goal will be accomplished very quickly,as per within 5 to 6 years but If got no talent then you have to have your will to become a GM and have to training for 11000hrs for becoming a GM,actually Talent is now overshowed by preparation and Practise,

2013-04-09 03:41:41

Tell me, is Grandmaster1 an actual grandmaster?