Is there any chance that a 1300 rated player can beat a 2700 rated player?

2200 is a very tough nut. Many that break it find it very difficult to maintain.

Yeah, I actually saw him not so long ago. He said "2200 is impossible for me, I'm thinking about quitting because I can't go any higher"

I've met a few that simply stop playing rated tournaments, having reached bragging rights to call themselves a master.

lol, it's all about hard work

because they never do the hard work, or they just quit, in time

Yeah, I mean, if I were floating between 2000 and 2100 for 10 years then after a few tournament I have some kind of miracle and I'm 2201... would I quit? Probably not, but I might take a break and enjoy it for a while

Like so many, it appears he was playing because he was winning, came naturally. Wasn't playing because he enjoyed it. Takes quite a bit of real study to maintain 2200.

Always the exception for the gifted, they'll breeze on by 2200.

I've never done myself any hard work, they are quitting because they constantly need to raise money to play in a tournament and even when reaching 2300+ they can't make a living of it.

It is said anybody can become a master. 10 years of hard study. Wasn't for me. I play because I enjoy the game, not that important to devote the necessary time and energy. Who knows, maybe with nothing left to do, I'll pick up the books again and give it a shot.

This particular guy I don't know how he studied because his style and understanding is really weird to me. The way I imagine it is he got to 2100 by just playing and analyzing himself because he doesn't have much book knowledge, and he doesn't seem to trust what the engines suggest either. He's very tactical though. It's like he has his own personal philosophy about positions.

So I think of him as gifted, but also that he never really tried to be good at it.

it was a breeze, the problem is playing some tournaments where 99% of your opponents have less than 2100 and are stronger than that, but not playing much

See ? For many it's about the $. If it's not profitable, why play the silly game?

I knew a young player, early 20's. Went to all the tournaments in So. Cal. to hustle $ in the kabitz rooms. Took on all comers. Gave time odds to anyone under 2000 of 5/1. 2000-2200 5/2. Over 2200 5/3. Rarely, but rarely would he lose.

Similiar, he had his own style, understanding of the game. Claimed to have read just a few books in the past.

This is something else, I have myself dozens and dozens of medals from blitz tournaments. They can't cope with speed.

1900 players would be suckered into thinking they could win. After all 5/1 time odds. What they failed to realize, the opponent would be thinking on their move, anticipating their move. When they tried to blitz him, play fast, they were playing his game. Never stood a chanch.

At 5/1 my strategy would be to play as if it were a 2 or 3 minute game... and then when I could spot a possibly tricky variation I would switch tempo and start calculating. Changing tempo is hard to adjust to when it's unexpected (he doesn't know I'm planning to calculate longer than usual) and the one thing the odds-giver doesn't have is time to calculate.

Doesn't mean I'd do any better, but that seems to be the way to do it.

Give a much stronger player a position where everything is under control and the time doesn't really matter -- calculation isn't necessary.

Always played the Philador vs everybody. Even 2400 players. They couldn't beat it.

Yep, the best chanch lies in finding a trap, gaining a big advantage and holding on.

A future World Champion?

Jeffery Xiong of the U.S., 15 years old, has just won the Worlds Junior title, age under 20, with 1 round to spare.

15 years old !! Rated 2633.

It's a crime.

it was not out of the ordinary for me to win against a GM in a 3' blitz game, I'm not that good though, below 3' is a bit too fast for me too, 5' is a bit slow