is it worth a life to be number one in chess for your lifetime...?

i just don't understand this.

you can get replaced anytime, then you need to chase after that person for your number one title back for your entire life.

does playing chess really earn so much money?

is it even WORTH IT?

to most people, players nor not, it doesn't

even most chess lovers and players realize its never a good idea to make chess a sole or main source of income

Like any sport or game if your at the top of it then yes it does earn good money, 

If not masters try making income with coaching etc. 

"The ability to play chess is the sign of a gentleman.
The ability to play chess well is the sign of a wasted life." - Morphy

"does playing chess really earn so much money?" ++ No not at all. Most grandmasters struggle to make ends meet.

Is money the measure of all things?

Well, number one player is a millionaire. So from financial point of view it pays pretty well to be the best. Not as some commercially successful sports, but world champion is probably still rich. People over 2 700 probably can live comfortably from simply playing.

Is it worth it? Well, is it worth it to be anything in life? Some people just like doing it and that is it. It is not for everyone.

It is not worth it. Period.

It is a game and it should be treated like that. I'm sure master are like 'just a game?? pfft' but i don't care.. Their being very good at it wouldn't change the fact.. it is a game.

Life is bigger than a game. And for money, you can make a good carrier in your area of natural abilities and earn nicely..

No, money is not the measure of all things. There are, however, countless numbers of musicians, models, actors, athletes, or entrepreneurs, who have failed to have any real measure of success. It happens in any field where the number of people chasing success far exceeds the number of spots at the top. Failure, especially if it was what you decided to dedicate your entire life to, can lead to anxiety, bitterness, anger, and regrets. Feelings of a life wasted can also lead to depression, relationship issues, and in many cases self-destructive behavior. The value of money isn't just in its purchasing power, but in its validation.

I had a talented artist friend who was scraping by and he would always talk about his art, and how he was doing it for a greater purpose, blah blah blah. Mostly he was just cranky and bitter. One day he sold a painting for $750 and celebrated as if he had won the lottery. He was in a good mood for a week even though he could've made that in a week working at McDonald's.

Getting a check can make it all seem worth it and can serve as proof that you didn't study chess for dozens of hours each week through your entire life for no reason at all.

life is a mmorpg. a terrible one.

Since I enjoy the time I waste on chess, then I don’t think I’ve wasted my time on chess.

yeah but why not stream if ur so good

hikaru earns way more than carlsen and he doesn't even break much sweat 

good thing in chess, the validation is seeing that well earned win, preferably agaisnt prestigious opponents. even for most grandmasters, the money is a source of bitterness not validation. The need to play to earn money kills a lot of joy for the game.  When your quality of life depends on your performance, especially in a game as prone to draws as chess at the higher levels, money just becomes a bitter reality and not a source of validation. Even when you earn it, it just emphasizes the transitory dependent nature of its value.

Art doesnt have that constant  positive feedback loop chess does even when you are a capable artist improving.  So any recognition, especially one that costs the audience as not an established great must feel amazing. Chess is different. Every game is a microcosm of victory and defeat .

as for cranky and bitter, imagine you see yourself as the owner or seer of a great vision and the world thanks you for expressing this revelation with a meager unsustainable living. I would be bitter too even if the gov paid your living solely because of need and not merit. (no doubt it would alleviate some of the angst, but not all of it)

I wouldn't be so sure. Carlsen has business endeavors with chess24, with chessable as well (probably more stuff), so even though he earns less streaming, I think that his tournament winnings along with other stuff I've mentioned more than compensates less revenue from streaming.

Possibly. But I'd imagine for most that winning tournaments gives more validation than winning games, and winning championships gives more than winning tournaments. And I wouldn't be so sure about artists since they are constantly getting micro-validations all the time in the form of praise and support.

Additionally, you may speak for yourself, but I doubt that you speak for everyone. Different types of people react differently and some people react in an unhealthy manner while others are capable of being more philosophical. It's wise to reflect upon such things before embarking on such a mission and to be realistic. Unfortunately, the "can I be a GM?" posts speaks to the fact that too many are not. My guess is that of hundreds of such threads posted, exactly zero have accomplished that goal.

i  dont think this specific post was about the desire or feasibility of reaching WC or even GM. its the opposite. Why would anyone torment themselves with such (from an outsider's perspective) meager ambition?

most chess players who desire to become much stronger, (master+) do so at least in part to fulfill a strong creative impulse. Exceptions do occur. Plenty of masters from the USSR  found remaining on their path pleasant enough as a meager living, Topalov seems to have been groomed for chess greatness, Fischer had some deep seated neuroris with the game.  But these seem the exception rather than the rule.

This is the answer, every time. If you weren't approaching GM level when you were a kid, you're not going to compete with the likes of Magnus. If you don't have the kind of memory that someone like Fischer or Kasparov demonstrates, when you're young, how is your memory going to improve as you age? If you're playing 3x3 basketball at the local park, and you're bragging about being NBA material, that's not weird, but it is if you mean it.

chess is what you make of it:

power, fame & money aren't the right focii;

try for peace, wisdom & happiness instead.

Yes, being one of the top few chess players in the world will make you lots of money. Even if we concentrate on the guarenteed tournament and game winnings alone, the top ten will make hundreds of thousands, possibly millions a year. In 1990, Kasparov won 1.875 million dollars for defeating Karpov in the 1990 world championship .. and again, that does not include the massive publicity, advertisement, and business opportunities he received that likely made him many millions more. Most world championship match prize funds nowadays are worth $1.5 million to $2.5 million. And that's just the money.

https://www.chess.com/article/view/how-much-is-the-world-chess-championship-worth

It may not be the 'keeping' of the title that makes it worthwhile, but the obtainment of it alone that makes it worthwhile for some world champions. It would be pretty great to think to yourself : "Hey, remember that time I was the best chess player in the world for a year?". Once you've got the title, there's really not much you can ask for .. unless you're really ambitious and want to spend the best half of your life working towards 'becoming the greatest of all time' or something. Everybody has a different reason, it could just be about the money (though it probably isn't), it could just be about the chess, there is no universal explanation for why one chose to spend their time working for a world champion title.

It may be worth a life to find the best sandwich in Spain for one man, but for the other, the only worthwhile way to spend a life is climbing the highest mountains in the world or jumping from planes for a living. Everyone's brain works differently, so whether or not something is 'worth' doing only applies to oneself.

Being a top10 or master at something, needs almost a lifetime dedication. you really should be happy with the decision.. this is not a bussiness model.

Chess mastery requires even a bit more.. your childhood. It actually costs your whole life.. After 12 you are already too late.. Heavy chess training before 12 is a lost childhood..

Is it worth it.. ?