can I be an IM before i die?

well friends, i got into competitive chess just a year and a half ago, when i had crossed 26 (age). To be honest, i absolutely love this game, but im not good at it. Havent received a FIDE rating even after playing 3 tournaments, during which i realised that there is a huge difference between wanting to do good and actually being able to do good. I want to be an IM in my lifetime. Dont ask me why, thats just a wish. Doesnt matter if i get it at 50 or 70 years. My humble question is, with 4 or 5 hours a week dedicated to chess, can i achieve it in 20 or 30 years? I vud love to dedicate more time, even whole day bcoz i love this game, but cant. Bcoz i have other things to do in life as well, and being an IM is just one. Pls advise on whether this is just a goal that i should abandon or try to take it as it comes? Thanks

From the first sentence alone the correct answer is no.

Can you be a doctor in your spare time?  Can you start and run a business, or be a concert pianist in your spare time?

Sure you can!  But you have to sleep 4 hours a night and be unbelievably brilliant.

By saying you only have 5 hours a week you've already abandoned it (unless as above).  But yes, take it as it comes.  Being a titled player is a worthy goal.  But set smaller goals in between.  Get a FIDE rating and then try to gain 100 points and then another 100 and see how far you can get.

I have no personal expertise from which to draw my opinion so please feel free to dismiss what I'm saying.  I have however read many previous similar threads and at least I think I remember what titled players in particular have written.  So, no.  4 to 5 hours a week is probably not enough.  If you had said 4 to 5 hours a day, then sure why not?  I am reminded though of what 1 titled player wrote in response to a member asking how long it would take to become a GM if they studied 12 hours a day.  She wrote something to the effect that studying that many hours a day wasn't necessary, that 3 to 4 hours a day of chess study was probably sufficient.  Beyond that lies rapidly diminished returns and possible burnout.  She also stated that even with 3 to 4 hours a day of study and expert coaching there was no guarantee of success.  So with 4 to 5 hours a week dedicated to chess, your chance of becoming an IM is doubtful.

All of that said why does the goal of IM even matter?  Many a wise soul has said that it isn't the destination, but the journey that matters.  If you love chess and can devote 4 or 5 hours a week to it, then do so.  Do so out of love of the game and recognition of it's many benefits, not out of some probably unattainable goal.  Set more reasonable goals such as playing in tournaments regularly or learning rook and pawn endgames as well as you can.  I'm 67 and have been studying chess seriously now for about 3 years.  I'll admit my initial goal was to become a titled player but as I realized just how hard chess is I'm now happy just to try and get a little better each day.  Maybe that would be a good goal for you too.

yes i absolutely realise that its not a very realistic goal, since a lot of exceptionally talented, dedicated and hard working players fail to achieve it. And also know that there are smaller steps that i need to take, starting with finally achieving a rating (which im not hopeful would be a very high initial rating, since i have won just 1 out of 5 rated games played, and have just 4 more to go before my initial rating is obtained). And i respect the IM and GM titles, and understand that its a professional title, and not for part timers or amateurs..but i just wanted an opinion from experts or ppl who have gone through the process..posted this query here bcoz u cant ask such questions to a lot of ppl in real life..and thanks for taking the pains to reply, to all ppl who did or will be doing so..

You would definitely need more than 5 hours a week, but attaining an IM title sometime in your life after starting chess in your 20's isn't impossible if you studied correctly and consistently for years.  

Any examples of someone becoming IM after starting at 26?

No

Well then just a question, what is actually the maximum age that a player can start in and become international master?

Well you sure can't become one after you die.

No offense, but if you havent had any "quantum leaps" within your first year or so of learning the game (not how the pieces move) then you probably can't.

4 - 5 hours a week will not even keep up with modern Chess, most serious club players devote far more than that without gaining much more than some recognition within their club or league that they play in. 4 - 5 hours a day would be a start but even that is not enough to become an IM no matter how many years you go at it. Sorry to disilusion you but maybe a better goal is local Club Champion or a particular rating level.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XS5EsTc_-2Q

Malcolm Gladwell - the 10,000 hour rule - from his book 'Outliers'.  If you want to be good at chess, you need to spend 10,000 hours studying and playing the game.  Furthermore, you need to spend those 10,000 hours well.  If you truly want to scratch being an IM (why sell yourself short, go for the GM dude!) off your bucket-list, then you need to not let a second of your chess time go by without finding the holes in your game and plugging them up.

By the way, I started playing chess at 24, and I've been playing for a year and a half now.  Your goal is my goal too :D

grimshanky wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XS5EsTc_-2Q

Malcolm Gladwell - the 10,000 hour rule - from his book 'Outliers'.  If you want to be good at chess, you need to spend 10,000 hours studying and playing the game.  Furthermore, you need to spend those 10,000 hours well.  If you truly want to scratch being an IM (why sell yourself short, go for the GM dude!) off your bucket-list, then you need to not let a second of your chess time go by without finding the holes in your game and plugging them up.

By the way, I started playing chess at 24, and I've been playing for a year and a half now.  Your goal is my goal too :D

Well, as to why IM, i guess thats because thats d first title which tells anywhere u go and tell in d world that u r a chess player of some substance (the only other being the ultimate GM title).. Others like FM doesnt carry that brand value i guess...so why not aim for something thats really valuable and recognised worldwide..and as to why only IM, i guess thats all i should dream in this lifetime, and even that will just be a dream by all counts..so maybe i can keep the GM dream for my next life..

Impossible to say for sure of course.  People vary.

If you're a 1 in a billion huge latent talent, then sure, start as an adult and get GM.

If you're a regular person then you want to start as early as possible for a good chance.  5-7 years old.  Obviously even then you may not make it.  You'd want coaches and regular tournament participation.  Most casual club/tourney players don't even go this far.

People sure bring that up a lot.  10,000 hours isn't the magic number to achieve any random goal.  Sure the biggest predictor for success is work.  But if you're rated 2000, which is below master, you're already in the top few percent... >95%

10,000 hours is much more likely to take you to the top 10% not top 0.2%

Should you find a way to reach the top 0.2% without first reaching the top 10% let me know.

Because you made this statement under my quoted post I guess you're implying some point related to what I said... although I honestly can't begin to guess what it might be.  If you could make your point directly that would help a lot.

ask yourself what is your philosophy of life your personal mission?

why do you want to be an IM? so what? why not a FM? what is the difference anyway? in india i guess we have thousands of titled players but everyone knows anand and one or two other indians. why do you care so much to have a title even if you are 70? if it matters a lot, why cant you give it a top priority? only 4-5 hours a week? i have no plan to get even better in chess and i study at least 3 hours a week. there is something wrong here please be honest with yourself.

tesla1 wrote:

sky_is_the_limit wrote:

well friends, i got into competitive chess just a year and a half ago, when i had crossed 26 (age). To be honest, i absolutely love this game, but im not good at it. Havent received a FIDE rating even after playing 3 tournaments, during which i realised that there is a huge difference between wanting to do good and actually being able to do good. I want to be an IM in my lifetime. Dont ask me why, thats just a wish. Doesnt matter if i get it at 50 or 70 years. My humble question is, with 4 or 5 hours a week dedicated to chess, can i achieve it in 20 or 30 years? I vud love to dedicate more time, even whole day bcoz i love this game, but cant. Bcoz i have other things to do in life as well, and being an IM is just one. Pls advise on whether this is just a goal that i should abandon or try to take it as it comes? Thanks

ask yourself what is your philosophy of life your personal mission?

why do you want to be an IM? so what? why not a FM? what is the difference anyway? in india i guess we have thousands of titled players but everyone knows anand and one or two other indians. why do you care so much to have a title even if you are 70? if it matters a lot, why cant you give it a top priority? only 4-5 hours a week? i have no plan to get even better in chess and i study at least 3 hours a week. there is something wrong here please be honest with yourself.

Well as i said, i guess only IM and GM are internationally recognised professional titles i guess, which are really valuable and have brand value...so why not dream or wish to have something really coveted? And since i love chess, i would also consider being a chess administrator someday, orgainising tournaments and getting into my national chess association as a member or something, so that i can be in touch with the game..and being an IM is something which i just wish, i guess its like getting a degree or a certification in ur education or professional field..and yes, it does tell that, yes, this guy not only likes chess, but he in fact knows a lot about chess...does that sound somewhat convincing?

I can be a IM before I die!