03 Apr 07
Originally posted by chessloser66Good luck! I know it is a lofty goal, but it you work at it, I'm sure you can do it. I also want to become a master one day. I'm far from it (1483) but I'm young and hard working. See you on the other side of 2200!
i finally figured out what i want to be in life. i want to be a rated chess master. not even a grand master, just a regular, everyday, plain old master. thing is, i'm, old (38, which isn't old, but then again, when you have 19 year old grand masters....), which doesn't really make sense to me. if i wanted to be a UFC champion, or win the Tour de Fr ...[text shortened]... it's at: chessloser.wordpress.com.
laugh and jeer all you want, i think it's possible.
03 Apr 07
Originally posted by RabbitColdBefore anybody ever heard of a computer CC players got no respect. A 1500 with an engine will not beat a master with an engine so to compete at the highest levels (where they all use engines to check their analysis) you need to be at least a master yourself. I know one guy who never got beyond 1450 OTB in his life and he’s been using engines in CC since they came out (he told me so). Even so his CC rating never topped 2100.
I would respect an OTB master more than a CC master. For this reason, computers. Everyone can set their shredder or fritz and look at moves, or if they see a new move they can get a book and look it up to find the best response.
03 Apr 07
Just before I graduated from high school, I made a bet with the number 2 player at our club $5 to whoever becomes a USCF expert first... I then went to a college without a club and he joined the Army... 8 years latter I'm finally back on track but he has yet to play a rated game since high school...
Anyway, I think that's a worthy goal, just don't let it ruin your social life.
03 Apr 07
Originally posted by LennyBruceThis is true - it'll be a tough goal to reach, especially if you can't devote yourself to it completely. I'm 25, think I study chess relatively passionately compared to most, and currently am 1715 USCF...my lifetime goal, at least for now, is to become an expert. Master would be great, but 2200 is looking very, very far away right about now. 2000 still seems in the realm of possibility if I work at it, but I don't have the time or energy to spend to become a master, as far as I can see.
How old were you when you started playing chess?
Being an OTB master is akin to being really good at anything else, the later in life you start, the harder it gets to excell. Almost all masters started playing chess in their early teens or before, and there are very few exceptions.
Breaking 2200 may be a door that has closed for you. I've known ...[text shortened]... ople that have played chess all their lives but couldn't break 1600.
But good luck to you.
03 Apr 07
Originally posted by OrangeKingYou have it about right. I was in my late 20’s when I decided master was within reach. I eventually hit 2095 but came to the conclusion it was taking more effort than I wanted to devote to it. So I started playing just for fun (and lost points a lot faster than I gained them!). Eventually quit for 12-15 years. Right now I have no desire whatsoever to play OTB. I had a friend rated 1700 who became a master then quit…told me it was too much work…and hasn’t played in 25 years. The closer you get to the magic 2200 the harder it gets.
This is true - it'll be a tough goal to reach, especially if you can't devote yourself to it completely. I'm 25, think I study chess relatively passionately compared to most, and currently am 1715 USCF...my lifetime goal, at least for now, is to become an expert. Master would be great, but 2200 is looking very, very far away right about now. 2000 still se ...[text shortened]... at it, but I don't have the time or energy to spend to become a master, as far as I can see.
05 Apr 07
Originally posted by wormwoodI don't know about a player becoming a GM in his sixties, but I believe that Rolf Wetzell was in his late fifties or early sixties when he became a master. He wrote a book called "Chess Master at Any Age."
no doubt there will be internet chess titles sooner or later. it's just another venue, only far more practical one compared to traditional otb. I've played exactly 4 games on a real board in my whole life, and I suspect many, if not most, of the new breed of chessoholics are the same.
btw, what was the name of that GM who earned his title in his sixties, or something like that?
05 Apr 07
Originally posted by gaychessplayerthat sort of sounds familiar, maybe it was him I was thinking about...
I don't know about a player becoming a GM in his sixties, but I believe that Rolf Wetzell was in his late fifties or early sixties when he became a master. He wrote a book called "Chess Master at Any Age."