How good is the Backyard Professor?

I've been watching his videos to help boost my rating. I'm guessing his around weak GM level but doesn't play for ratings?

He says in his videos he is a beginner. You have to be trolling.

He is weaker than 85% of the third graders in my school clubs.

Anything he says that isn't a direct quote of silman or from a book he is reading you should not listen

        He's up for a promotion---from the backyard to the frontyard!

It's just that false "Professor" in his name that seems to confuse people.

If he was called the Backyard Weirdo or the Backyard Hermit it would give a more realistic expectation of his chess skills...

BYP is about my level: middling 1200s to middling 1300s. We used to play often - nice guy, reasonable chess player for his ELO, has read a lot of great books, but he's not anywhere close to expert, master, or grandmaster.

more likely to the graveyard.

Ah I thought he was much much higher, he says he is about 2250 to 2300 somewhere I think.

Then he's added a thousand!

Yes I knew I saw it somewhere. It says he is 2250-2300 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5Qh7XHHu-s

The BYP has a U.S.C.F. rating of around 800. He is a little bit underrated, but I wouldn't say he's any better than 1100, and he's certainly not qualified to teach anyone about how to improve at chess, although to his credit, I do admire his enthusiasm and love of the game.

He said he wants to be 2300. He is not 2300, and it is certain that he will never reach 2300. A middle-aged man rated 700 probably cannot ever become 2300, and if he can, it certainly isn't by studying in-depth strategic concepts when his main problems are elementary tactical oversights. Mr. Shirts is going about it completely the wrong way. Books like The Amateur's Mind and Reassess Your Chess are written with the assumption that the reader has basic tactical understanding, at least the tactical ability of a Class D player. This is because it is necessary to develop tactical ability before strategic ability comes in. The BYP doesn't understand this, although it is probably too late for him to become a master anyway even if he did focus his energy on tactics and calculation.

EDIT: Looking back many years later, I was pretty harsh on this guy. I love his passion for chess. I actually think he's done a lot of good in the sense that he's encouraged positive attitudes about the game and improvement. But it's true that he is (still) very much on the beginnerish side and so his teachings (and interpretations of the books he's working through) should be taken with a grain of salt.

What is a class D player?

Someone who wins nine out of ten games against the BYP, but who also loses nine out of ten to strong club players.

The title of this thread should have been "How Bad Is The Backyard Professor ?"

May want to ease up on him a bit guys...he's a member on this website and may be reading.  I've watched many of his videos and he is always up front about the fact that he's a beginner making these videos to help HIM, and hoping to help someone else along the way.  Just another guy who loves chess and makes some decent BEGINNER videos.  Go easy on him... :)

Then he should learn from the hash criticisms. If a lot of us is saying how bad the videos are or they are not helping the beginners then is mean something really.

The world has always been full of peddlers of snake oil and professonal pundits whose "vast" knowledge can be written on the back of a postage stamp. I feel for those who follow them.

Teddy's words are not relevant here. He had no time for fools.

Indeed, someone who does not know the best methodology of developing a beginner all the way to master level may do more harm than good.

There is a reason why successful chess books are usually being written by titled players, even if they are targeted at beginners.