What characteristics do you have to have to be a grandmaster chess player?

Question

One of my dreams is to be a grandmaster, but I am aware that I am just too stupid for that and I believe dreams are a waste of time because they will never come true, for me anyways. I am just curious as to what characteristics grandmasters have to have to be so good at chess.

Answer 1

I'd say a Player needs to have very very strong nerves because Chess is an extremely stressful game if you don't

have the nerves to stand the stress forget it.

The right mindset and psychology to compete at that level

some people have it other people just don't and they fail

Fighting Spirit  solid will of iron you don't quit you don't give up and you keep coming at your opponent

Very strong intuitive Powers

A deep passion and love for the game of Chess face it you have to love Chess a heck of alot to study full time and spend 6 or 8 hours a day training studying reading going to the gym, traveling eating lots of continental break feast's at less than 4 star hotels all the while remembering you have a life!

If you make it far up the Chess Ladder after competing in many tournaments you have to  win norm tournaments which means alot of traveling back and fourth to Europe and once you achieve your norms Fide gives you the GM title.

There is nothing wrong with dreaming to become GM but there is also nothing wronh with aiming for a realistic and achievable goal like becoming a National Master or International Master and being happy with that :)

Answer 2

I think that the greatest characteristic of all is the true want to become a Grandmaster.  I too am on a quest to become a Grandmaster.

  

I Think that in order to become one you must have free time of course, and a Love for the game. If you do not love the game, I don't think you could spend the time needed to become a Grandmaster.

I know you are kind of down talking your dreams because you feel ridiculous telling others you want to become an amazing mental athlete in one of the most difficult games to play, i feel the same way. I just tell people i want to be a master, but in truth I want to be a Grandmaster, and the world champion. I want people to Think of me as the next Karpov. Maybe I'll make it one day, and I'll see you at the world tournament. Maybe!

Answer 3

Well you need two things.

1. You need a little bit of natural ability at the game.

2. You need lots of time to be able to practice.

I find myself in the first category. I picked the game up easily and quickly became better than the people I normally played against. However, I stopped playing as I had started a new semester of college and started a landscaping business. I love the game, I just hardly find time between work, school, and my girlfriend to be able to practice it anymore.

Answer 4

In order to become a grandmaster you must have attained an ELO rating of 2500, and also have achieved  a minimum of 2 favorable results in tournaments involving players who have already earned the title. Also some of those opponents have to originate form a countries other than your own, and in order to gain each of the norm's (favorable results) you will have to play at least 9 games, with acquisition being dependent on on the average rating of opponents and a minimum result of 35%.. After gaining them and the 2500 rating , you will still be required to have played tournaments covering a span of at least 27 games, and have a certificate from an arbiter stating that you have in fact achieved the necessary ELO, due to the fact it can rise and fall between the official publication of rankings.

Answer 5

Patience-it takes time to become great, and you must play many many many many games, also- have a bright mind and do not make careless mistakes and KNOW different strategies, because its a different strategy for different situations.

Answer 6

Don't you dare think you're too stupid to be great!  I've been playing this friend of mine at chess for a while.  I'm in Calculus, while he's struggling in pre-calc.  I've aced my language classes, and well...you get the picture!  The encouragement to you is that he's better than I am!  He used to be able to squash me every game, but then I started reading a chess book, now our games are a lot closer.

The only consistent characteristic with grandmasters is dedication.  If you want it bad enough, no human can hold you back.  I'm a girl, and there's not a lot of GM girls out there, but I'm still going for it.  Don't be afraid to break steryotypes!  

If there's a chess club at your school, join it right away!  There's tutoring and classes available if you look in the right places.  I really, really recomend finding a book on chess.  There's thousands of options, ranging form beginer to masters; discussing openings, midgames, endgames, tactics...countless strategies!  Reading only a portion of one chess book, I have been able to beat friends of my dad's and other people who would have been able to beat me no prob before.  

Those who say are a waste of time will never live their dream.  Besides, if you don't go for your dream, any alternative would be a real waste of time, there will be no satisfaction in it.

Answer 7

A good, deep pocketed friend to be your patron.

Answer 8

skills

Answer 9

Play chessmaster and be able to consistently beat the computer on grandmaster level of difficulty.   Then you can feel good about yourself and move on with your life.

That or challenge "deep blue" to a match and beat it. ;)