Is the game of chess something that you have to have talent for?

[biggiesmallz]

Is the game of chess something that you have to have talent for? Or can you learn to be a great chess player?

 

[ntdz]

It takes talent...

I don't think someone with average intelligence can ever be a great chess player.

 

[diapickle]

talent as well as tremendous amount of hardworking.

 

[jimbob200521]

ive had my games, but for the most part, im not too good.

 

[preslove]

The talent is concentrating on one problem. The learning is in outcomes of different moves, the flow in the game, and visualizing different sequences.

 

[grrl]

I don't know if I have the talent, all I know is I don't have the patience.

 

[Jeff7181]

I'm not sure it takes above average intelligence to be good at chess... I think you just need a really good understanding of the game and a lot of experience/practice, as with anything else. Arnold didn't become Mr. Universe overnight... he worked hard at it for a long time. Bill Gates is no Arnold Schwarzenegger, but that's not to say he couldn't be if he worked just as hard for just as long as Arnold.

 

[yosuke188]

I thought it involved more of memorizing situations and using the best moves according to the situation, at least at the Pro level.

 

[Descartes]

It can absolutely be learned, but I think it depends on your age and the thought processes developed. One who is adept at thinking critically, is able to quickly identify patterns, etc. would be able to learn rather easily. In the end it takes a lot of studying and hard work. On the surface chess seems like a casual game, but when you peak beneath this veil of simplicity you find an entire world of chess theory that could keep you occupied in books for at least a few years.

For what it's worth, I play chess semi-competitively and I'm rated anywhere from 1600-1800 depending on the system. If you don't study chess I will certainly beat you, but the competition for those that do study chess is immense. The great majority of my games last 40+ moves, last at least a couple of hours, and often end without a single piece being removed from the board.

 

[Jeff7181]

Originally posted by: yosuke188
I thought it involved more of memorizing situations and using the best moves according to the situation, at least at the Pro level.

Yup... there are only so many possible moves in a given situation... people who've devoted a good part of their life to chess have seen that situation and the possible moves many many times.

 

[xSauronx]

Originally posted by: grrl
I don't know if I have the talent, all I know is I don't have the patience.

same here. i can plan out a fair number of moves in advance, but im far too lazy to do more than a couple, and if i go past a couple anyway, i usually forget them.

i enjoy the game, on the rare occassion i get to play someone who knows what theyre doing, but its been a while. i havent played online more than a couple of times, no fun, really, pointing and clicking, i prefer a real set; namely the marble one my mother brought back from india

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: yosuke188
I thought it involved more of memorizing situations and using the best moves according to the situation, at least at the Pro level.

That's what most people think, but that's not true. Most beginners think they can pick up a Rheinfeld book, memorize all the mating combinations and then win more games. What advanced players do is intuitively identify positional situations that have the potential for advantages; they then work to create these advantages. For example, sometimes I'll execute a kingside attack almost intuitively without consideration, and a mate will soon follow.

Not sure I explained that well.

 

[preslove]

I enjoy playing out games from books on my set. It's fun to see how the masters play. I don't have any chess buddies in town, so I don't play a lot. When I do play consistently, though, I sometimes dream of chess and think about it in that liminal time before and after sleep.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: Jeff7181

Originally posted by: yosuke188
I thought it involved more of memorizing situations and using the best moves according to the situation, at least at the Pro level.

Yup... there are only so many possible moves in a given situation... people who've devoted a good part of their life to chess have seen that situation and the possible moves many many times.

The only part of chess most players play by rote is the opening, and it's even allowed in most correspondence chess rules to use a database or a book to make those moves. After that there is simply no way anyone could reasonably memorize any specific position. Instead, one learns how to identify candidate moves, evaluate potential lines that follow, and pick the one that best follows whatever plan you have in mind. That's simplifying it a lot, but for the purposes of this conversation that's about it.