I have a friend who is an electrical engineer and has been playing tournament chess since 1991 whose highest rating was 1660. He is currently rated below 1500. A chessmaster told me one time that some people are just Class C players and will be till the day they die. That seems to be an accurate statement.
Can intelligent person suck at chess, forever?
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The truth always hurts
premio53 wrote:
Does it matter in the end? Not all poker players are professionals, but all enjoy playing with family and friends. Same of all other games. The kid in the street kicking a ball might one day become a Pele, but most won't. All enjoy kicking the ball though
I have a friend who is an electrical engineer and has been playing tournament chess since 1991 whose highest rating was 1660. He is currently rated below 1500. A chessmaster told me one time that some people are just Class C players and will be till the day they die. That seems to be an accurate statement.
premio53 wrote:
I have a friend who is an electrical engineer and has been playing tournament chess since 1991 whose highest rating was 1660. He is currently rated below 1500. A chessmaster told me one time that some people are just Class C players and will be till the day they die. That seems to be an accurate statement.
But we won't be. We know that. ;)
I have known quite a few professionals that were intelligent and had jobs like doctors , lawyers , business men , engineers , scientists , etc and they reached peaks of A , B , or C class and never improved beyond that . I think what happened with them is that simply became satisfied with the level they had reached in chess and didnt have the desire to work seriously towards improvement . If they had the desire its very possible they didnt have the time due to career , and family ... things far more important than chess . Its tough when life interferes with one's chess but it often does . 
I think that the most important chess ability is visualisation. the logical aspects of the game are important, but if you can't see the board in your head you won't get very far. tactical problems help because they teach you to recognise patterns. studying master games also helps because you learn the typical narratives that follow an opening. you are certainly not stuck forever. just keep on going :)
first of all love the word nerdificated, and secondarily, my guess is yes, no matter how smart you are, unless you're literally infinitely wise, omniscient, you can't master chess, even if you're the smartest person in the world and can beat all other humans at chess, and besides, what are the odds the smartest person in the world is also the best chess player or even could be if she or he tried to be? so relative to whatever it takes to be flawless and never make a mistake or lose a game to machine or alien or man, any human finite mind can suck forever.
Can intelligent person suck at chess, forever?
If Bill Gates counts as a "intelligent person" then maybe
BrightHour wrote:
yes,but its an intelligent type of sucking 😁all joking aside ,learning chess is like playing a musical instrument learning the basics is easy and quick but it takes a lifetime to master. ask yourself this,how quick can you master the violin? how about the piano? chess is harder.
I just started chess 5 mos ago at 39 yrs old. Outside of chess, supposedly i am "above average Intelligence", but no wizard. I am, however, a monomaniac who latches on to something new and spends every moment (even in dreams) of ...most common criticism of those closest to me is that I Think Too Much. Left and Right Brain both work.
I thought these seemed like good indicators that chess might be good fit.
.... In five months ive played or studied 50+ hours a week: neither me nor my rating suggest I'm not mentally slow and/or simply Can't Get Chess! Is this possible? Common? Surmountable...or my cue to quit the fun fascination enjoyment in chess? I know it's not all about ratings, etc., and I am recogizing some mild improvement/familiarity w fundamental tactics and some openings and some endgames....but....
I OFTEN FEEL THAT I JUST DON'T (maybe never can)
"GET IT!?!"
Opponent Rook moves two squares on back rank for reasons I CANNOT IMAGINE?!?
Have others experienced anything like this? Did they quit? Any responses, honest, discouraging, sticking w it, "history shows" I'm not locked in to 800 range????
Side: majority of live games are bullet and blitz of which I've read mixed opinions on value for game improvement.
I Really appreciate ANY responses to this topic
Thank you.
I have several friends who are brilliant in their own fields, whether it's math, business, languages, or computers and each of these friends play chess avidly at a pretty average level (1500-1700 strength).
One of my friends, a language professor, stated that he believes any dedicated learner can reach ~1600 strength, but it takes a certain gift to break 2000. People who have broken 2000 tend to think anyone can do it. But very intelligent people who spend quite a bit of time studying chess never come close. Maybe there really is such a thing as natural ability?
Yes they can
abinoosh wrote:
Fischer was intelligent. Sociopaths often are. But maybe we can agree he was a special case. "Intelligence" doesn't help much if you can't distinguish between reality and fantasy (he was delusional, as well as being a sociopath). A potent combination for winning, in his prime. After that he quickly wore out his welcome except in Iceland IIRC.
To the OP, put any effort in and you'll probably win pickup games in some venues. And if you lose, no worries. In my competitive Scrabble experience, it made me popular, as long as I could offer credible opposition. It would be inetersting to know the toughest public pickup venues. Washington Square? I don't know, someone might.
He was a physopath not a sociopath
Yes, with respect to things. Like my PhD astrophysicist professor is not a good car mechanic.
Chess and intelligence are not strongly related.
Thomas Jefferson played "once", he didn't like to lose and didn't play again.
Perhaps you are studying the wrong way?
Whatever "suck at chess" means, I don't think that has to apply at the 1500 - 1700 level. Reaching that level is not rocket science. If you can learn and aren't intellectually disabled, it's perfectly attainable.
Just don't expect to ace it out of the blue. That's a silly expectation.
i think everyone is able to get above 2000 as long as he is trying hard without being totally ungifted
Nice bump.