What makes us better chess players?
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tangodelta1976
Oct 22, 2009
0
#1
[COMMENT DELETED]
tangodelta1976 wrote:
Is there a direct relationship between intelligence and one's ability to play good chess? Do we get better at chess or does chess make us wiser? Or is it just practice makes perfect? What do you think?
Intelligence obviously doesn't hurt, but don't confuse experience with either intelligence or wisdom. There are plenty of dimwits with good memories and lots of experience who can play a reasonably mean game of chess.
we get better at chess gradually, not that we become wiser..
Oct 23, 2009
0
#6
Woah, woah. What's going on in here? I didn't sign up on this site to see discrimination against mechanics (I come from a long line of mechanics). You got beef "tangodelta1976"? You put together your first engine, think you know everything about being a mechanic?
We mechanics don't lead the easiest lives - and we don't get through it by being "dull knives" as you say.
You didn't get wiser or smarter than anybody. You just practiced chess against increasingly strong opponents. Whatever your arbitrary opinions of these people(your childhood opponents) were, whether they were smarter or wiser than one another, was completely unrelated from their chess ability.
Anyway uh... peace!
i don't equate intelligence with playing chess. i know one or two who seem to have some failings academically or intellectually but in the board can spark like a lightning genius. there's some truth to the saying, "practice makes perfect". we develop as better chessplayers if we put our hearts and minds to it and never stop playing, especially against more strong opponents.
Wait, you can see a persons intelligence? Wow, I'm as´suming that's something like Supermans X-ray vision? Can you turn if off and on at will?
It seems fairly obvious that innate 'talent', whatever that involves, and lots of practice are the keys to improvement and being a good player.
One player could take a lot more work to reach 1600 standard than it would take another, but they'd both get there.
Then again, one guy who is more 'talented' than another might have a potential ceiling of (say) 2600, whereas the less talented guy might have a ceiling of 2400.
Still, say 1000 hours of practice, for different people this will mean different jumps in the quality of their play. Same for all sports really. I'm not particularly good at football, but if I practiced for a long time I could get ok. When Messi practiced for a long time he became a world-beater.
Oct 23, 2009
0
#12
kunduk wrote:
we get better at chess gradually, not that we become wiser..
This just a question... Don't get all upset like everyone else... As we get better at chess do we become wiser? I know a lot of chess players that say that playing chess makes them better at their day to day life, such as relationships, problemsolving, their jobs.... What do you think?
tangodelta1976 wrote:
tonydal wrote:
It's practice practice practice practice. Just like I said.
I mean, sure at the end somebody's gonna come out on top--and that's probably because they had more "talent" (whatever that means). But "thinking critically"?--listen, that has very little to do with it. All of this thinking is chess-specific.
And btw, I'm not sure what you have against mechanics, but my guess is that that's a rather difficult line of endeavor as well.
I have nothing against mechanics, not in the slightest. If fact I wish I knew more. I put my first engine together 1 month ago, and it was not easy!! But it's a different line of work. In a mechanics world a nut and bold only go together one way. This piece goes on that piece only one way. I don't have to try to out think the car. I like my mechanic very much!! We're good friends, but he'll be the first to tell you he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Ok... Football. If I practice practice practice football, will I be better than the person with God given talent? I hear you, practice is important. But there is more!!
Intelligence comes in multiple planes and is not expressed in one way. That goes for all professions. A person could score in the 99th percentile in IQ, but would be a lousy mechanic. Who is smarter? It depends on the subject.
The world is round. Simple, but true.
Who is smarter? Maybe our perception of what defines intelligence is through an overall consensus. (Harvard grad at 20 y.o.a) The question is what does that matter to you? That grad could be a lousy husband, doesn't know how to boil water, etc.
There is a saying, well said, "beauty is the eye of the beholder." Maybe that is the same for intelligence, and maybe you will find respect there too?
I think there is a relationship between the activity and the participant. There are many different things you can do, whether it be analysing and repairing engines, cooking food, playing chess, etc...etc. To become skilled at something will take practice and effort. In each activity, there may be a certain dynamic that requires different abilities, but one cannot be said to exceed the other in intelligence. Chess certainly has the reputation for being some mystical exercise of the genius. There are people who would be very impressed that I could work an endgame out in my head for 10+ moves, but I happen to very impressed by someone like my dad who can tell me what is probably going on with my car by a certain sound or how the engine may smell. Instead of worrying about relative intelligence, you should spend your mental energy on enjoying chess.
I have played hundreds of games, made thousands stupid moves, and all these had added up to a slight improvement in my games. I am working on my game not having any intention to be winner, but rather to enjoy the game more. I believe a person that is well coached will learn fast. Probably some of you may share some insight about whats most crucially required to be a good player?