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Judit Polgar's results plummeted when she became a mother.
Chess Elite and Family
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Jun 29, 2011
0
#3
The rate is about the same as for "regular" people. Well, maybe a bit lower since top chess is getting younger & strong players are often egocentric and self-sufficient.
Wouter_Remmerswaal wrote:
Shirov had a wife and husband.
Shirov put a lot of his money into the world championship. He was supposed to play Kasparov. Then it didn't go trough. When he came back his wife had left with everything he had including his children.
Poor Shirov :(.
There's always more than one side to a story, and I've heard the other side of this one... It's not just all "poor Shirov" you know.
Jun 29, 2011
0
#5
Trulte wrote:
Wouter_Remmerswaal wrote:
Shirov had a wife and husband.
Shirov put a lot of his money into the world championship. He was supposed to play Kasparov. Then it didn't go trough. When he came back his wife had left with everything he had including his children.
Poor Shirov :(.
There's always more than one side to a story, and I've heard the other side of this one... It's not just all "poor Shirov" you know.
Probably, but it sounds so sad :(.
TheMouse wrote:
Wouter_Remmerswaal wrote:
Shirov had a wife and husband.
Haha, my bad my bad :D.
My friend , IM Stuart Rachels , gave up chess shortly after tying for first in the US Closed Championship ( 89 I believe ) . I asked him some years ago why he quit chess and became a professor instead and he said that the lifestyle of a chess professional just didnt appeal to him. He said he wanted to stay home more, have a wife and be a part of raising their kids, maybe even have a pet or two and a garden , etc. He said chess pros are away from home to much to suit him and he also cited that the money was too volatile/unpredictable . Sounds very sensible to me...
Kramnik got married a few years ago. Karjakin is also married, I think. Anand has his lovely wife who travels with him to most tournaments. Somehow I can't remember any of them having children though?
On the women side, Pia Cramling is married and has a daughter, who has now started to play chess herself. Viktorija Cmilyte has a couple of children and has had good results lately.
Trulte wrote:
Kramnik got married a few years ago. Karjakin is also married, I think. Anand has his lovely wife who travels with him to most tournaments. Somehow I can't remember any of them having children though?
On the women side, Pia Cramling is married and has a daughter, who has now started to play chess herself. Viktorija Cmilyte has a couple of children and has had good results lately.
Anand recently became a father. I wonder if it will have an effect on his chess ?
Gelfand also has children and in fact he missed the recent birth of a son because he was off playing chess.... 
Gary lane is married with kids isnt he?
If it's "only" GMs and not just the top 20 we are looking at, there are sooo many more.
In Norway we have GM Simen Agdestein who is a sort of chess professional (teaching chess), and is happily married and has kids :) But his personal chess carreer probably did take a huge dip when he became a father.
GM Aagaard has a wife and two kids, and has done pretty good results lately. He is a professional chess player and writer and publisher or something ;)
@CConstantine - I really don't know, but I don't think so.
Gelfand has a wife and kids and I do not need to tell you about his recent results...
...well, the problem is not the career...but rather how the situation is handled. There are many career oriented individuals out there who struggle with "getting ahead" and balancing their family lives...this is not new. The smart ones realise that balance is important...but the selfish ones only think about their needs and wants at the detriment of their families...little wonder devorce soon follows.
...Anand is at the top of the triangle with a family (and if you know anything about Indians, is that they are very close to their families)...and have seemingly solved the problem by carrying his family wherever he goes...the same reason why he moved to Spain...to be nearer Europe for tournaments...and nearer "home".
...unfortunately, chess attracts the selfish, selfcentered individuals who prefer things to people...and no wonder they can't balance their lives...being on the road a lot also give them the free time some desire to attend to their harem of pleasures.
...so maybe a career as a chess pro is not for everyone...and maybe most chess pros will have great difficulty balancing their travelling life-style with their static families...some seem to be doing fine...while others seem to be perpetually struggling...
Jul 1, 2011
0
#13
CConstantine wrote:
I’m sure he meant "Wife and kids"
@Tulte, completely agree there are usually two sides to a coin. And I would be curious if chess had anything to do with Shirov problems. Thanks
Ms. Pogonina,
Thank you for your reply, I didn't mean to imply chess elite aren’t regular people, I just mean the Chess professional is the most unique on earth. I can’t think of another profession that uses the mind (attention, focus, studying) more than Chess. Do you know of any GMs that are happily married with children and very successful chess professionals (make a living only on chess)? Thanks
Hmm, this would make a good dissertation.
Constantine
Lots of them. Kasparov, Anand, Kramnik, Ivanchuk, Gelfand, Grischuk, Svidler and so on.
Peter Leko's wife always traveled with him to his tournaments.
CConstantine wrote:
I’m sure he meant "Wife and kids"
@Tulte, completely agree there are usually two sides to a coin. And I would be curious if chess had anything to do with Shirov problems. Thanks
Ms. Pogonina,
Thank you for your reply, I didn't mean to imply chess elite aren’t regular people, I just mean the Chess professional is the most unique on earth. I can’t think of another profession that uses the mind (attention, focus, studying) more than Chess. Do you know of any GMs that are happily married with children and very successful chess professionals (make a living only on chess)? Thanks
Hmm, this would make a good dissertation.
Constantine
Have you ever heard of a GM that had a child who became a GM? Maybe the children see something that dont want to emulate.
I always thought of the travelling GMs as sailors---you know a wife in every port kind of thing. Its very convenient to have a name and a phone nbr when you hit London, Yokahoma, New York etc., etc.
You dont want to pick up girls in bars---Tal got the crap kicked out of him in Havana when he tried to pick up a girl in a bar. I think it was Geller (built like a bear) who saved him from serious injury. And so it goes...
@raul72 - interesting question...
So, the question is, do there exist any GMs that have children who are also GMs. I tried to dig a little bit and found out.
GM Arshak Petrosian (born 1953) might be the father of GM Tigran Petrosian and/or GM Davit Petrosian (both born 1984) - all registered for Armenia.
GM James Howell (born 1967) might be the father of GM David Howell (born 1990), both England.
GM Thomas Paehtz (born 1956) I think I have heard actually is the father of WGM and IM Elizabeth Paehtz (born 1985), both Germany.
Maybe someone knows more about these people than I?
Shirov had a wife and husband.
Shirov put a lot of his money into the world championship. He was supposed to play Kasparov. Then it didn't go trough. When he came back his wife had left with everything he had including his children.
Poor Shirov :(.