Chess.com University - become an expert/master in 5 years?

I just don't know, as the article states, that it is probable to hit Expert or Master in 5 years. To be fair, the writer does not say that it absolutely will happen, but that it is probable, after 720 hours of instruction, 2600 hours of study, plus 10 hours of homework per week.

Do you think it is probable to hit Expert or Master in five years, taking into account the hours of study and lessons?

Keep in mind, only 5% of USCF members attain Expert (2000-2199), and only 1% hit Master (2200+).

It's possible.

The caveat, as you say yourself, is that not everyone.

So how many? As you'd probably guess, a small minority.

I think the coaches that believe anyone can do it are very bias. They may have been talented, motivated, constantly coached youths, and now as adults they have only coached motivated, talented, youth. And the only players they see day after day are serious players at national tournaments.

Let them take 100 random students. Let them take my mom, your cousin, the guy on the bus... let them take the person who calls it "chest" and the adult who has played for 10 years without knowing en passant.

After this I'll let them report to me how possible it is.

But!

Ok. So you're not the type of person to wake up in the morning and squeeze 5 minutes of analysis in before breakfast because it's a joy to do. You don't have much free time either, you're a regular guy with a job and family. So you get on a program and then what? Probably not expert or master, but you'll no doubt improve quite a lot. And probably enjoy it too.

I guess people following such a program will make some significant progress, but I doubt we'll see many masters out of it, if any...

Im 51 and made USCF Class A in 5 years, and that was with a very...lets say..."relaxed" study regimine.  And!  that also includes not studying openings, or tactics. 

As long as you weren't rated 1799 at 15 years old that's really good

LOL..No i wasnt.  I, that rare player that took up the game, fell in love with the endgame, and learned to love middlegame ideas.  Openings bore me to tears, and im trying to enjoy studying tactics....I know...weird.

My best improvement came when i finally accepted the fact that its a game, and not life or death. 

Maybe they meant 5 hundred years.

I'm 41 and 21 months ago I was rated 1522 USCF and am now 1892. So with the right program one can make significant progress in a relatively short time. I can't speak to the strength of this program, but yes, it is possible.

isnt it like 3 hours of instruction a week, and 1.5 hours of homework a day for 5 years? Anyone who actually does this should make expert ,I doubt most expert or CM's/FM's worked that hard to get where they are.

And yet, the folks who have coaching seem to bubble to the top faster than those who don't and with more regularity. Show me a group of 10 randomly selected IMs and GMs and most if not all would have had some quality coaching along the way.

Pie in the sky lessons and study are one thing but when your sitting all alone in front of another player strong as an ox 3-5 feet from your face for like 3-4 hours with a clock ticking in total silence it's a whole other matter high wire stress and shock, crushing pressure applied on you, fatigue and exhuastion.

Some people have got the nerves and what it takes to survive that and other people just don't it's the way it is.

I_Am_Second wrote:

Musikamole wrote:

I just don't know, as the article states, that it is probable to hit Expert or Master in 5 years. To be fair, the writer does not say that it absolutely will happen, but that it is probable, after 720 hours of instruction, 2600 hours of study, plus 10 hours of homework per week.

Do you think it is probable to hit Expert or Master in five years, taking into account the hours of study and lessons?

Keep in mind, only 5% of USCF members attain Expert (2000-2199), and only 1% hit Master (2200+).

Im 51 and made USCF Class A in 5 years, and that was with a very...lets say..."relaxed" study regimine.  And!  that also includes not studying openings, or tactics. 

Really? Anyone who writes off a player for being in their 40s is nuts then. This is an inspiration for me. Unlike some of the downers here. And this is with no openings or tactics?

i made USCF national master in 4 years as an adult and while doing so many other things too... it's doable.  getting to FM though in 5 years a real pain though (i'll get there when i get there haha)... just playing in FIDE rated events, in the US these are multiday tournaments in the big cities and pricy.

it helps when you have friends who are masters or are close to that level to help drag u to that level even if they beat you over and over for a time.  be a borg and assimilate their ideas.

I think that GeniusKJ, who put the program together, will rise up from A Class and make Expert if he starts playing in USCF events again.

I think anyone who stick with the program's extensive instruction and homework week after week for one year should significantly advance his or her skills--at least 200 Elo.

I doubt that very many students will have the dedication to stay with the program for five years. Those who do should experience significant improvement.

No one makes master without OTB rated play. 

Thanks, but i do have to stress again that for me...studying middlegame planning, and endgames is a passion.  Openings?  Bores me to tears, and I have learned to get by with opening principles, and understanding pawn structures.  I just fiind that getting through the opening isnt very difficult, and is just a matter of common sense.  As far as tactics.  I am starting to study them.  I have done 4 tactics here on chess.com :-) and have started using CT-Art 3.0, and i have to admit that it is a really good piece of software. 

hicetnunc wrote:

I guess people following such a program will make some significant progress, but I doubt we'll see many masters out of it, if any...

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I agree.

I teach upper grade 4th - 6th grade band and orchestra, and am also responsible for teaching the absolute beginner, which is all of my band and orchestra students. I start all of them, unless they transfer from another school with previous experience. I have been teaching this age group for 25 years, thousands of them, and one thing always holds true: a few will find learning an instrument to be easy, all the way to the kids who find it impossible, even with my interventions, so I switch them to a different instrument and hope they find some success.

So, if I had the opportunity to teach a group of chess.com members how to play an instrument of their choosing, told them all exactly what to practice and for how long, I guarantee that most, maybe all will never reach the mastery level of a very small number of the thousands of students I taught over the 25 years. That means that their is a very good chance that none in this imaginary group will ever reach "Master".

It's like anything else in life. Music always came easy to me. Really easy. I got music scholarships for jazz composition and jazz guitar at a prestigious university. I was one of the top jazz guitar players at that school. Conversely, I practiced golf seriously for several years. Took lessons from pro golfers. Sadly, I will never be as good as those pros who taught me. It sucks in a way, but that's just life.

I am excited to say that I started a 5th grade violinist a few months ago who is exhibiting conservatory level talent, could one day attend a prestigious school like the Julliard school of music. She hears things that the others don't. She plays all kinds of songs without ever seeing the sheet music or my teaching. Hard songs! I doubted a little that she was getting no outside help. So I hummed a few tunes, some of tunes that have notes I have never taught, and she plays it note for note perfect! Umm...this is not normal. This is a young girl who was blessed with a tremendous amount of talent. Maybe it's the same level of talent that the super GMs were given at birth.

What chess.com's program offers is structure, and the tools to get better at chess.  None of these coaches can or will make any of these students better, all they can do is offer the tools that the student will need to use to improve. 

Like i tell my students.  I cannot make you a better chess player.  All i can do is give you the tools that YOU will need to use.  In reality, I dont even teach chess, i teach life lessons.  Things that they can use to be better people.  Chess improvement is simply a by product of that.

I_Am_Second wrote:

What chess.com's program offers is structure, and the tools to get better at chess.  None of these coaches can or will make any of these students better, all they can do is offer the tools that the student will need to use to improve. 

Like i tell my students.  I cannot make you a better chess player.  All i can do is give you the tools that YOU will need to use.  In reality, I dont even teach chess, i teach life lessons.  Things that they can use to be better people.  Chess improvement is simply a by product of that.

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A good educational philosophy. For me as a music teacher, it is all up to them at the end, but maybe unlike chess, music lessons face to face with a music teacher are absolutely necessary for most instruments. There is just too much weird stuff that a person can't figure out on their own, even with an instruction book. A good example would be the double reed family of instruments, oboe, English horn, bassoon.

I don't know if anyone has become a titled chess player without lessons. Has there been? I've read stories of a few young kids who could already play blind fold chess and beat adults. Did those kids need a lot of lessons, or just a few to learn the basic rules of the game?

And just imagine how much money will be spent on it by the students and or parents.