As long as someone does not have any brain defects I'd say yes. If you sacrificed your free time completely to chess, and maybe even dropped out of school to practice and focus on it, i see no reason why someone couldn't become a GM with such a huge time and motivational advantage.
Can Anyone Become Grandmaster?
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Phelon wrote:
As long as someone does not have any brain defects I'd say yes. If you sacrificed your free time completely to chess, and maybe even dropped out of school to practice and focus on it, i see no reason why someone couldn't become a GM with such a huge time and motivational advantage.
Because it's more than an inconvenience it's actually hard... which means it's possible to try and fail.
This actually reminds me of super hero, comic book type argument.
The hulk would win if he got really mad.
No, he'd still lose.
But what if he got really really mad?
No, he'd lose.
Ok, but lets say he great really really really mad!
I guess you have a point. If he got that mad he'd probably win.
lol
This works in fantasy land, but not in real life.
But what if I try really really hard?
No, you won't be a GM.
Ok, but lets say I try really really really hard.
No, you still fail. Go back to your comic books.
I guess Wafflemaster doesn't subscribe to the notion it takes 10000 hours of serious practice on average to acheive master level at something.
Phelon, it doesn't matter if I put 10,000 hours into basketball - I'm not going to play in the NBA. Obviously someone who puts 10,000 hours into chess will get good, but it takes something special that most people don't have to become a GM.
I wholeheartedly disagree but its fine if you feel that way :)
There is only one thing you can really trust in this world, and that is that the effects of hard work. Unfortunately most people are disinclined to hard work, but in this age of information sharing where the learning materials grandmasters themselves used are just a click away, theres no reason why someone couldnt become grandmaster except if they had some sort of physical defect or did not put forth the work needed to achieve it.
The same could be said of basketball. Anyone who has access to a ball and a court can put in 10,000 hours and practice the same way professionals do.
FrenchTutor wrote:
The same could be said of basketball. Anyone who has access to a ball and a court can put in 10,000 hours and practice the same way professionals do.
true....with that practice you could be in the NBA, but it doesn't mean your going to be a Michael Jordan or Lebron James....
you have to have some form of "natural talent" or something extra
with intense study you could probably hit GM, but your not gonna be a magnus carlsen or a levon aronian, if you don't have something "extra"
simple as that
Just as people have different capabilities physically, people have different capabilities mentally. The rarity of grandmasters is frequently understated - as of 2008 there were 1158 grandmasters (http://www.fide.com/fide/fide-commissions/3616-acp-report-by-gm-bartlmiej-macieja). NFL teams are allowed to have 53 players on their gameday roster. There are 32 NFL teams, so if we do the math, 53*32 is 1696. In other words, there are more current NFL players than there have been GMs in the history of chess. No one would question that you have to be an unbelievably talented athlete to the point of being a freak to make it to the NFL - it doesn't matter how hard you work if you're just an average joe. It's frustrating how people simply don't understand how rare and special the GM title is and how it's not just something anyone can get if they cared enough.
Seems many of us are already experts in self delusion -- 10,000 hours of practice at it or not.
Youre never going to tear your acl or meniscus practicing too much chess. The same couldnt be said of basketball or other physical activities. They are fundamentally different at a basic nature, and comparing them as though they were the same thing is silly.
Just because they're different in some ways doesn't mean they're different in all ways. The fact remains that acheiving GM status is an exceptionally exclusive club.
Taken from another angle, surely there are countless players, extremely intelligent players, who have dedicated significant portions of their lives to the goal of becoming a GM. Worked at it harder and smarter than any of us casual players could probably imagine, and not made it.
Why might that be?
Ratings are based on your position within a pool of players. If enough players in the pool dedicate themselves atleast as much as you do to acheive a GM title i will agree that not everyone could acheive it. Im talking about if people threw the rest of their professional choices away and really focused and practiced intensely for a decade or so they could become gms, and if you look at the top players in the world thats what they've all done.
No, not anybody can become a GM. But anybody can play chess and enjoy it.
Nov 29, 2013
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#877
Phelon wrote:
Ratings are based on your position within a pool of players. If enough players in the pool dedicate themselves atleast as much as you do to acheive a GM title i will agree that not everyone could acheive it. Im talking about if people threw the rest of their professional choices away and really focused and practiced intensely for a decade or so -when they are 5 to 8 years old- they could become gms, and if you look at the top players in the world thats what they've all done. (I should make that addition to your text)
I bet the Dos Equis guy could become a GM.
if you were to study your whole life, it doesn't mean your gonna be a magnus carlsen
Dated yes but still an excellent read. A decidely "Christian" theme to much of it that may or may not open new doors, depending on where one is in their life. This book I always remember fondly as it introduced me to Philippians 4:13.