Comment by bsder | Hacker News Reader

Comment by bsder | Hacker News Reader

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> > The conventional wisdom is that if you are not a GM by age 14, it is unlikely that you can reach the top levels of chess.

This is confusing correlation and causation.

One thing that people don't realize is the sheer amount of money required to become a "GM". You have to get a certain number of "norms" from FIDE and the requirements list is a PITA: https://chessgoals.com/how-to-get-a-grandmaster-norm/

If you don't have a lot of money and a lot of free time to go to a lot of chess tournaments around the world, you are not getting a "GM" title in this day and age. This favors children (few time constraints) with rich parents (lots of coaching along with the ability to travel).

The problem is that if you aren't a "chess prodigy" by 15 it generally isn't worth continuing to pursue--what does sinking the resources into being a "GM" get you at the end? If you're one of the "Chess Gods", you have entry into the tournaments anyway, and, if you're not, it doesn't really matter.

That's why I quit playing seriously when I was still an underclassman. It was overwhelmingly obvious that merely being well above average was completely irrelevant, and there was absolutely no practical reason for me to play chess whatsoever. Although it did subsequently get me laid once or twice, which in retrospect still surprises me.

> It was overwhelmingly obvious that merely being well above average was completely irrelevant

I find this true for any semi-competitive endeavor that doesn't also have intrinsic extra benefits. You're going to hit the people who want it more than you and are willing to put in the practice time, and they're going to beat you.

Consequently, any competitive thing I do has to also have an extra dimension to it. A competitive sport is generally fine since I'm getting in better shape. I'm happy to do stuff like darts or bowling if it has a high social aspect to it. As long as I can be slightly above average and that's good enough and there is some extra benefit, I'm down with it.

Chess, sadly, generally fulfills none of those criteria.

Wisdom is an obstacle to material success.

> Although it did subsequently get me laid once or twice, which in retrospect still surprises me.

!

Don't leave us hanging!

I see what you did there. :)

You even managed a double-entendre in 2 completely different realms. Well done.

I didn't know there was a thriving chess groupie scene

Imagine how barren a sport/hobby/field is when you feel compelled to point out that you had sex two times during your stint in it.

This also ignores a once in a century pandemic.

It’s an absolutely ridiculous basis to make a claim.

> This also ignores a once in a century pandemic.

Hans Niemann was almost 17 years old when the pandemic started. When he turned 15 (June 2018) his rating was 2313, almost 200 points (an immense gulf at that level) below the minimum to become a grandmaster.

A name that basically means “John Nobody” is pretty curious.

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