If chess became your full time job, how good do you think you could get?

I might could barely break 2000, if I really tried. My brain works better with Go than it does with chess. Still, I wouldn't reject the opportunity. Too bad it's just a fantasy.

I've beaten NMs before and had several chances to beat a player almost rated 2300, so I think it's safe to assume I could get to 2200 at least. After that it's very hard for me to say, simply because I don't have experience. But I know that I would try extremely hard to get extremely good :)

If I had 100K/year on chess I don't know if I'd spend all my time studying chess. One can study too much. However, I would be very disciplined in my study (I'm not always now; this needs to change!), buy quite a few more chess books, and get to a lot more tournaments. I'd also consider hiring a chess coach, which might help me get better.

I guess if I can make it to 2200 I could make it to 2300. And if I could reach 2300 I could probably reach 2400. And then 2500...and then... World Champion. ;)

Having played an NM and a CM or two ;)...I would say I think I could get there given such a stipend if I did not have a job and I put the time in.  That's just it, though; I never would.  It's just drudgery (to me) past the point where you can improve purely through intellect and absorbtion without "working" non-stop at getting better.

I was the same in school.  Do 15 minutes of homework a night, get a B average, then piss off all the A students by scoring much higher on the SATs.  My chess playing follows a 95-5 rule.  Put in 5% of the time (of a professional), beat 95% of the players ;).  Good enough for a game. 

Better to diversify your interests, rather than turning one of them into a full-time job that will make you hate it eventually ;).  

Disclosure:  The $100k might not be the incentive to me that it would be to some; so maybe I more cavalier about the idea for that reason.

Good enough to get payed

you know what the problem with saying anything on this thread.  I don't compete OTB (a bunch of you know that)....

so the better question is if Erik said, I just  want you to study chess- do a little staff work and I'll give you hefty paycheck.

NOW how good would I be?  of course, I'd scramble to do well with STANDARD.  but seemingly, its the BULLET players that make all the visitors impressed.

- I'd be a bad investment, Erik. :(

no way could I break even 1400- mouseslips, idiotic moves, it would be embarrassing.    I don't even know in Bullet chess, whether non-stop studying would HELP.  Does it?

If you want to "get paid", then you'd actually have a better chance pinning your hopes to a soccer career or becoming a rock star or something.  Heck, even the random-infused Poker is better as a career overall.  Only the top handful of players in the world make anything approaching a reasonable salary for time spent in Chess.  

Even if you're Carlsen, the money you are making is good, but it's not anything close to the kind of money that other "best in the whole world" people are making.  His winnings are like a 3rd string Arsenal bench player, or an NBA player that plays 5 minutes a game...except that his "salary" is entirely contingent on his immediate play, making it even more tenuous.  A bench player will make their money for a season even if they completely suck, but if Carlsen starts to tank for any reason, his "salary" immediately drops to zero.

That's about 0.000001% of chessplayers, ultimately (or maybe 0.00001% if you are only counting serious tournament players and being pretty generous even there).  Not the way to get paid for anyone who is logical about it :)...

i think i'd get really bad

I think i could get to 2600 GM level but getting to 2700 is when the gears slow down for me i think but with time could get to 2700 if given the chance, this is what i think from my own best games while working heavily at a full time work outside of chess so would be very beneficial.  

martin using a laughing gif, sadge :/

i feel like i could at most try to get 2k or 1k tho thats bad

Who wrote this nonsense

I mean it’s be the same thing for me except I’d get to play in tournaments and get coaching , oh and I’d be paid.

i already average 60-80 hours of chess a week :>