What is our future chess utopia going to look like?

Is anyone else in awe of the current crop of child chess masters?

Without the use of computers, child chess prodigies were very rare. It was like seeing a delorean, you knew they were around but you couldn't help but stop and point when you saw one. In the 80's and early 90's chess prodigy's would be taken out of school to devote their time to developing their gift. The game of Chess held that much clout. It would take at least a decade of tireless devotion to become a titled player. It took at least that long just to open all the right books and make all the right notes. The title of Grandmaster had a certain level of mystique and unobtainableness to it. Nowadays it is like any kid with an above average IQ who loves chess instead of traditional sports has got a good shot with the aid of a supportive family.

What happened to the elitism? What happened to our classic moniker as the genius's game?

What is the future chess culture going to look like? Are these kids going to lose interest and quit playing as adults; feeling as if they have conquered chess? Through the availability of information has the game lost its challenge? Has chess become a kids game to be put away at a certain age and only to be played by dungeons and dragons geeks that society says never grew up? (you can classify me in this catagory no offense intended)

I say NAY! Let us choose the who what where and when of our future chess society right here and now! What is our utopia going to look like? Who will be our sponsors? 

Lets keep the game of chess where it belongs. A life skill. Rated up there with being able to drive a stick shift. All responsible well travelled people should know how to do it. Its a damn shame if you dont. 

interesing topic

ty 

How about this idea: We establish chess as the game played by and enjoyed by the beneficent. Huge corporations will choose their champion to play for their favorite charity and the event will be hosted in the most beautiful venues in the midst of world class dining and music; all for the sake of fundraising for charity. Carlson will be playing for the Cancer research society of Norway sponsored by http://www.clavispharma.com/, and Anand for the tuberculosis epedemic in India sponsored by Microsoft through http://www.opasha.org/. The corporate sponsors will get the tax break and the positive publicity, chess will retain its esteem, and the people will watch because the problems fought for have afected so many lives and they will appreciate the game of chess for bringing attention to them, the masters will be seen as heros and chess will once again have it's cause.

205thsq  You are a dreamer--and your senario could also be a nitemare.

So what is your idea? Or do you not care?

If a direction isnt chosen soon; chess is gonna carry as much clout as candy land

no matter what people say, ultimately chess will always be limited by the fact that it will never become a spectator sport.

Almost all the high profile matches are played on long time controls and you need a considerable amount of knowledge to even get the gist of what is going on. All other big spectator sports don't have those limitations.

You're right of couse but people will go for the party and the exclusitivity of it all and of course shorter time controls will have to be utilized. But i think when things get quiet and the uninitiated dont understand what is going on, then an intrest in the game will be generated and the sport will be propetuated. People will think they could have won that game for cancer or be upset at their cause losing due to blunder so they make a nice donation

An adolescent GM is still someone who deserves respect, whether OP likes it or not. 

And any person who put so much devotion and time into that game to reach those heights is an asset to Chess, the more titled youngsters the better! It shows that Chess is alive and draws interest from people of all age ranges, instead of only being cultivated by some old farts with monocles.

Agreed, like i said i am in awe of the current batch not just the quantity but the quality! It is good for chess, but how can chess use this new asset to re-establish the game's classic esteem?

I believe the introduction of the Internet, thus giving everybody the chance to play more Chess in a day than Paul Morphy in a year, destroyed the exclusivity of Chess forever and for good. I don't know how to answer your questions in your first post, for I am too poor/indifferent and I can't do jack to remedy the situation.

You're talking about sponsors and charity events, but our opinions alone won't make it happen.

Im with you there. While our opinions wont make a difference, our ideas are powerful, your kids or my kids might not be the next grandmaster but maybe one of the almost 200 people who have already viewed this is kids is, and they begin to instill this idea into them. WGM Natalia Pogonia is an active member here and it has been said she enjoys personaly responding to her fan mail.... maybe our ideas inspire her or maybe the staff that run Chesskid.com can slip in some indoctrination at a young age... like i said we the players are going to decide chess's future and with the advantage of the internet and the growing worry of cheating maybe we should rethink our approach. Im not the guy solving the worlds problems but im having fun imaging them being enrichened by chess.

Okay, then.

You know, it would help if they'd start properly moderating that Chesskids place. The kids playing there must get the impression that either cheating your way through is totally acceptable or that people of a certain rating play like robots. What I'm trying to say is that engines masquerading as real people is commonplace there. Here in Germany, none of the kids play Chess so America is having in that regard a huge headstart.

You're complaining about problems which we wish we would have! 

Well the problem of german school children not being intrested in chess is not the humanitarian cause i was imagining but that is kind of the point. Every nation has problems that are not going away. And at the top of the priority list (i.e. cancer or tuberculosis) neither is more noble than the other. So creating awareness and fundraising through chess matches becomes like throwing a benefit concert. Something all people can appreciate and creates a positive association for the game and a future legacy of nobility.

No they are self entitled arrogant and spoiled why should I be in awe of them?! I have respect for people who devote their life to chess as a classical art like Rubinstien and Alekhine once did but not people who are in it for other reasons like personal ambition and ego or treat chess as a video game.

what? you mean like the little bad ass in "Finding Bobby Fisher"?

"MAKE YOUR MOVE!" lol

I dont know these masters personally so i wouldnt assume to know their motives and attitudes but i completely respect their acomplishments at a young age while understanding they are still children so i wouldnt expect them to always act mature.

The quantity of them and the quality of their play is ushering in a new era and i think maybe with some guidence it could be a renaissance.

I agree with you on most of this post.  But not on this.  I know plenty of guys my age (teen years(that also have above average IQ)) that love chess but could never become grandmasters, they lack that special..... I don't know.....instinct?  Something about seeing a grandmaster (e.g. Bobby Fischer, Garry Kasparov, etc.) play is amazing.  They also don't have the drive, which could be translated as they don't completely love the game.  Now I know this is a very selective group, but you make it sound like a Grandmaster is a dime-a-dozen.  Or you are suggesting that chess players nowadays are less apt at chess and have less skill, therefore being a Grandmaster is easier because the competition is easier.  I believe neither of those are true.  Yes, I know, I'm a low ranked chess player, but this is just an opinion.

"It's a very special generation, because during our careers the computer entered chess. So we know how to play without computers, which is also important. We can analyse without computers. I am not saying that younger players cannot do this, but we are more in the habit of doing this. That's important to improve your chess understanding."  Vassily Ivanchuk