English Chess Forum

D'0h!

Sorry Gavin Hughes, I thought Nick started it!?

Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 14, 2018 9:24 am

"Like it or not, those guys are star performers from a very early age."

I more or less agree, but there are exceptions. It seems Lasker didn't even learn to play until he was 11 years old!

Chigorin didn't learn until he was 18 or something similarly ridiculous?

I think one can summarise this quite succinctly. If a junior's sole aptitude is playing chess, and s/he has GM potential, then life as a professional chess player may be an obvious choice. However, most English juniors with this potential tend to be academically gifted which gives them other (and more conventional) career options which they are very likely to follow at the expense of chess. Had those juniors been born in certain other countries, where conventional career options are more limited and/or less lucrative, chances are that they would have been much more inclined to follow the chess option - and all the more so if their government provides funding for strong players.

Matt Mackenzie wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 14, 2018 4:10 pm

Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 14, 2018 9:24 am

"Like it or not, those guys are star performers from a very early age."

I more or less agree, but there are exceptions. It seems Lasker didn't even learn to play until he was 11 years old!

Chigorin didn't learn until he was 18 or something similarly ridiculous?

Blackburne was nineteen when he learnt to play (Staunton also, according to Golombek).

IanCalvert wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 14, 2018 12:50 pm

D'0h!

Sorry Gavin Hughes, I thought Nick started it!?

Well i think you are right. He has put a lot of academic work into the game.

Nick is older than most of us.

The strongest young player I have played at 5 or 6 was Luke McShane. Rod was a member of Kings Head which is probably why he was Middlesex rather than Surrey.

Anyway the ECF list not out yet but if not counting for GMs I'm sure the experts can fathom our K-40 & why some players default against under-rated Juniors rather than lose rating points.

As 90% of young people go into university nowadays as opposed to the 10% when I went to university we may want to move the goal posts rather than No 1.

Nick Grey wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 16, 2018 10:01 pm

Nick is older than most of us.

The strongest young player I have played at 5 or 6 was Luke McShane

What happened?

As age is being removed from computer systems it is difficult to tell. I expected that Luke would be stronger than I in a few years time.

I have seen Luke lose it at the chess board once at a young age. His dad had been substituted into a higher board than he was. Rod ended up playing against me and lost. Luke lost his game too.

I have a friend that gave up chess as a teenager when he lost against a much younger player at his chess club. That player was John Nunn.

Roger Lancaster wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 14, 2018 7:22 pm

I think one can summarise this quite succinctly. If a junior's sole aptitude is playing chess, and s/he has GM potential, then life as a professional chess player may be an obvious choice. However, most English juniors with this potential tend to be academically gifted which gives them other (and more conventional) career options which they are very likely to follow at the expense of chess. Had those juniors been born in certain other countries, where conventional career options are more limited and/or less lucrative, chances are that they would have been much more inclined to follow the chess option - and all the more so if their government provides funding for strong players.

Afternoon all
i agree 100% with that.The only thing i would add is lack of support from ECF unless you jump though various hoops

Nick Grey wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 16, 2018 10:01 pm

As 90% of young people go into university nowadays

Nonsense! It remains under 50%

The other 40% are on training schemes from 19-24. They were care packages before the new government put them into further education.
Either way you cannot expect parents who are still contributing to their living expenses to also contribute to leisure activities.
Perhaps the pensioners within the ECF can make additional contributions to supporting young chess players.

I once said to the late Campo, 'One can't legislate for world class players'.
'No,' he responded. 'But you can provide the fertiliser in the garden where they can flourish.'

I shared a taxi with Nigel Short after a TV programme. I asked him what his plans were now he had finished O Levels. 'I'll be going into the Sixth form'. Nomally I wouldn't interfere, but I sid that I thought this was a mistake in his case. He could make a great deal of money as a famus prodigy. 'But that's what my mother wants me to do', was his response. He gave up his studies about 8 months later as he had so many opportunities.

I teased Michael Adams that he would have to pay tax on the £100 he had just won in the opening event at the British in Blackpool in 1988. 'Well, I'm turning professional next month', he responded. he actually stayed on 'the books' of Truro School until 18. He only went to the school for one day in the upper 6th. I suspect he stayed on so that he could play in the Sunday Times National Schools Championship.

Leonard Barden cites this thread and name-checks this forum. Hhmm...I hope this works out OK

For some reason I can never see the text to the diagram on Leonard's columns when I look at them on my (Android) phone. I can see it on a laptop OK.

Leonard Barden wrote:Russia’s best juniors do not compare.

That's a bit unfair. What about Andrey Esipenko, the world's top under 16 player?