Can someone with Traumatic Brain Injury become decent chess player

I got blown up by an IED in Iraq, and I suffered traumatic brain injury. I knew how to play chess before the blast. Just how the pieces move. My question is it possible for someone with sever traumatic brain injury become a 1500. I know chess is a difficult game for anyone, but any input on this specific topic would be very helpful.

I'm not a neurosurgeon or a neurologist but I would imagine that it depends upon which parts of the brain are affected.

I did a bit of research for you and although cognitive impairment is common after traumatic brain injury the extent varies from person to person. So I think the answer to your question has to be that it depends on the individual case.

More research is needed on rehabilitation, but your potential ability at chess might depend upon your rehabilitation program.

I had a TBI a few years ago.  I used to be good at chess, even coming close to winning a few tournaments when I was a kid.  Now I just can't seem to make the connections between moves and outcomes and get caught out by simple blunders or forks/mates all the time even when I have no time limit and really try and check.  I can beat a computer up to elo 1300 but struggle to beat 500 elo humans.  I've come to the conclusion that I am now too stupid to play chess, which is yet another hobby that I've lost because I am absolutely useless at it after my accident and so no longer enjoy it, because I remember being so much better and it's just frustrating.  I hope you have better luck than I do.

As people have mentioned, the effects of brain injury vary so much from case to case it's absolutely impossible to generalise. Essentially our brains are not really a singular thing, all manner of complex little sections handle different functions. So the effects vary depending on which bits got damaged and what functions are altered, and the overall effect resultant from that. Theoretically, a person could even get better at chess, although that's clearly an unlikely result. The only answer is give it a go and see. And @ryaninja, I'm sorry to hear of your situation. Keep trying! Improvements can happen even after a number of years, but the key is in effort, from the examples I've seen.

#1
"is it possible for someone with sever traumatic brain injury become a 1500?"
++ Yes, probably.
A simple computer program can play chess moves that do not lose pieces or pawns.
So it should be possible to train the intact part of a human brain to do the same.

That would have been my answer, too.

@punchy333, there is a club on this site called N A H chess for people with brain injuries, which might have more information and people who can answer your questions. 

https://www.chess.com/club/n-a-h-chess

Kids can be masters (even GMs). I assume in many cases the kids have a normal IQ... meaning they're as intelligent as a mentally handicapped adult.

So I agree with the sensible reply that it just depends.

just believe and try your hardest, there are many who blew the world away and showed that it doesn't matter if you aren't normal, your still you and you can even be a master BEING you

If you can read and write, then you can play chess at 1500 level as well.