Inteligence is made up of various components, memory, style of thought, education etc and IQ tests do not measure all the components and average off (with some bias to some of them) the components they do test. To be good at chess you need to be good in some components of your inteligence - some people have said long term memory is crucial. You also need experience, training etc. To do a proper analysis of the corelation between IQ and Chess ability you would need to start with two people who have never played chess (or simmilar games) before and have different IQ scores and then put them throught the same number of games etc.
Kasparov and many other chess Masters have a lot more experience than me and that may account for some of thier greater skill. There are other board games which require a level of intelligence - such as the game of GO. The world champion in GO is not Kasparov and is probably not a Chess Grandmaster.
PS
I would have a much higher rating on this site if I took a bit longer on each move and if I wasnt busy programming (another intellectual pursuit) at the same time.
I don't think 'raw' intelligence is a proper measurement of chess abilites, although many strong GM's have been talented in many other areas besides chess, BFischer being one exception and of course the Russian K's, all of them. I graduated HS at 13 had a IQ in the range of 200 spoke several languages and had scholarships to any university for free, so what, does that have some chess correlation, who knows? Bobby Fischer is the one with the memory if you care to read about him (in his younger personna) fascinating! I would have to say a person who has artistic abilities akin to music or painting is better adept at playing chess then purely from a Botvinnik math acuity, although he was no slouch! All this is MHO!
IQ, Schmi-Q, Chess talent is a given. Some have a natural ability for it, and some get it by dint of study and practice.
Breaking down any barriers to understanding is key.
A person could study many books, and not get it. I've seen many socialy abberated players, and IQ challenged, who happened to have a FIDE title, and some "brilliant" and well educated people, who are 1500's at best for as long as i've known them.
Every strong player, including world champions, have had someone helping them. Either a teacher, or other strong players giving advice.
Playing over as many games as possible, will increase chess knowledge, and help anyones rating.
Originally posted by Grandmousteryeah IQs dont matter, but hard work does. thats life.
IQ, Schmi-Q, Chess talent is a given. Some have a natural ability for it, and some get it by dint of study and practice.
Breaking down any barriers to understanding is key.
A person could study many books, and not get it. I've seen many socialy abberated players, and IQ challenged, who happened to have a FIDE title, and some "brilliant" and well ...[text shortened]...
Playing over as many games as possible, will increase chess knowledge, and help anyones rating.
Well the average IQ is below 100, worldwide, so you may consider yourself lucky or cursed, but we all have a role to play? If the world were populated with Einstein's we would have no carpenters or truck drivers etc, despite anything else? Genius is what genius does. I have seen dumb smart people and smart dumb people. Genius is knowing more and more about less and less till you know everything about nothing! Genius is probably 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration?
Originally posted by sartoriusdamn right.
Well the average IQ is below 100, worldwide, so you may consider yourself lucky or cursed, but we all have a role to play? If the world were populated with Einstein's we would have no carpenters or truck drivers etc, despite anything else? Genius is what genius does. I have seen dumb smart people and smart dumb people. Genius is knowing more and more abou ...[text shortened]... till you know everything about nothing! Genius is probably 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration?
Here's a true story. When I was teaching English in high school there was a student who sat in the back and slept for a month. He did no work at all. It seemed he was doing that in all the classes. At a meeting we had with his mother and all his teachers, the mother announced that her son had a genius IQ, measured privately by a psychologist she had taken on. She said he was bored with all this elementary work and that's why he did nothing. I agreed to give him separate work: I gave him some Shakespeare plays and college level questions. When I had a private meeting with him, it seemed he had not read the plays or done any of the questions because, as he said, "it's not real English." I let him sleep and flunked him at the end of the semester. I have run across some real geniuses. They literally jump out of their seats to answer questions and bring up questions you never thought of. They are sociable, bright-eyed, full of energy and good humor. They have an interesting take on all kinds of subjects and don't accept things they are told just because you tell them. They are like sponges, absorbing information from all sources, even forbidden ones. They love learning and school and people in general. These are the few that I have met (less than ten) after 36 years. They were usually good athletes too,but not great ones. I'm relating this because it runs counter to the accepted versions of a genius as being introverted, anti-social, morose, etc. These are only my personal observations.