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“I (or my child, X) really love
chess and want to play it all the time. I am interested in lessons.”
I get this
initial phone call all the time. But since the caller is almost undoubtedly
unfamiliar with the world of chess, they often don’t realize just how committed
to chess some people are! So what to them looks like enormous interest is often
just a temporary fancy or maybe not nearly so great as what they would
believe. So let me list some levels of interest, from low to high:
The Winner – The Winner likes chess because they play with
neighbors and friends and win often. But it is not really the game chess
itself that they enjoy, it
is the fact that they win and they like to play so long as they win. A Winner
either refuses to try to play others with a stronger interest (and ability)
than their current opponents or, when they do play such strong opposition, find out they don’t like chess
so much when they play against other players who can beat them. About 15-20% of
the phone
calls I get from parents whose child is a “winner.” This type is
much rarer in adults.
The Infatuated – The Infatuated is player finds the game and puzzle aspect fascinating and wants to learn more. However, upon learning that some players actually play seriously, join a regular club, play in tournaments, etc., realizes that the world of chess is much bigger than they imagined and really doesn’t want to take part on the level that most regular chess players do. Almost half of the calls I get are from younger players who are infatuated (which is OK!); the rest eventually become hobbyists, dabblers, etc.
The Hobbyist – This player joins a chess club and plays occasionally. Usually chess is not their # 1 hobby, and the idea of going to a tournament, analyzing their game to find their mistakes, or reading a chess book seems like a waste of time – something that only serious players do. They may try to take a lesson or two to see if there is any magic the chess instructor can sprinkle over them to make them a better player without actually doing much work.
The Dabbler – The dabbler also usually does not have chess as his #1 hobby, but occasionally makes an attempt to play a little more seriously. The dabbler may go to a couple of tournaments a year, and buy a chess book or three (and even read them!). But when it comes to doing any systematic work or taking the time to play regularly, that becomes too much. They also look for magic from a chess instructor, and may even try to do some chess homework for a few weeks before realizing it is more like work than fun for them.
The Tournamentist – This player plays regularly at a club and tournaments,
buys and reads chess books, and may even have chess as their number 1
hobby. This is a “normal” committed chessplayer, and after the first few years
their level of play hits a plateau, and they attempt to raise this plateau
occasionally. They may take chess lessons or not, but if they do, they are
usually faithful in doing their homework and trying to improve.
The Prodigy – This is a young chessplayer who shows great talent and
decides to make chess their #1 hobby. They play in every tournament, take
lessons, read chess books and study chess videos. Chess prodigies usually either
give up chess when they think it has become a waste of their time, become a
tournamentist or, occasionally, a professional.
The Professional – This is a rare breed – they do not have another
profession, and make their living playing, teaching, writing books, etc. No
instructor expects someone calling them for lessons to be – or become – a
professional, but it does happen.