The hard life of GMs

In 2016 Daniel Gormally published  Insanity, Passion and Addiction - A Year Inside the Chess World.

The book is great, but rather depressive, as it shows how hard GMs have to work to get very few money. The problem is that he doesn't like to coach or to give lessons, so he has to make money playing tournaments. There is not much money around, and he have to win if you want to pay your bills. I think a lot of young players with aspirations to get GMs would think twice if this is really a good idea after reading Gormally's book.

I think a Player in the Top 100 can get enough money just by playing. But that's round about 200 Elo above Gormallys rating. Many are in between. 

When you visit some one day rapid tournament in germany with 200 € for the first place, you could find some IM and GM fighting for that money. At least one of them looks like he really needs that money to get something to eat in the next week.

So one should become a world class player or some money by giving lessons, writing books and columns or do any "normal" job. 

It's his own fault if he doesn't want to teach or give lessons.  That's where the money is, especially for GMs of his rating, which is in the high 2400s.  Agree that you have to be over 2650 and probably in the world top 100 to make a living just playing tournaments.  Even then it's stressful because you have to win to eat.  If I was rated 2600 FIDE I'd prefer to have a real job, maybe part time, that at least payed the bills, so that I didn't have to win a chess game to pay my rent

Gormally was completely unhappy to explain over and over again checkmates in 4. I can understand him. I think it is not easy for such a good player to give lessons. A lot of GMs are doing this, of course, but I simply cannot imagine that most of them they are happy doing this. For me is rather sad to see such skilled players giving lessons, often to beginners, just to get the money. But this is the life they wanted to have.

The perils of getting what you want!

"Agree that you have to be over 2650 and probably in the world top 100 to make a living just playing tournaments."

Top 100, perhaps, but according to Gormally even for super GMs life is not that easy. I recently read a blog on Valery Salov, he was once ranked the third best in the world. After getting problems with Kasparov, he did not get invitations for the big tournaments, so he just did not play chess anymore (but okay, this is not a good example, as several things what the guy says sound like he is mentally not very healthy). 

Exactly! It is after such a discussion that I feel happy to be absolutely untalented in chess. Talented enough to crush any beginner and afterwards feel like a super GM, but untalented enough to even think to make money with chess. Or perhaps I should ask a strong GM to be co-author with me on a chess book with the title "Improve your chess with the conversation between a super GM and an untalented patzer". Probably it would get a bestseller.