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From: seltzer@learn.DEC (DECWORLD/MGMT MEMO/EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATIONS)
Newsgroups: net.games.chess
Subject: The Secret of being a Chess Master
Message-ID: <745@decwrl.DEC.COM>
Date: Mon, 27-Jan-86 14:06:52 EST
Article-I.D.: decwrl.745
Posted: Mon Jan 27 14:06:52 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 29-Jan-86 04:05:07 EST
Sender: daemon@decwrl.DEC.COM
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Lines: 40

I've been particularly interested in the subject of how one becomes
a chess master because my ten-year-old son, who has only been playing
in tournaments for a little over a year, now has a rating in the upper
1800s has set himself a goal of reaching master before the age of 12
(and, if at all possible, before the age of 11).

Although I very much enjoy the game of chess, I'm not much of a player
myself.  I only started playing in tournaments when he did and have
a rating of only about 1350.

I've read the books that he's read.  I've sat in on the chess lessons
he's had (with Murray Turnbull in Cambridge, Mass.)  But his rating
has climbed 500 points in a year, while mine dropped about 100 points.

So what it takes to improve and keep improving is somewhat of a mystery
to me.

Instinctively, I've felt that experience is an important factor, so I've
given in to his constant urging and somehow scraped together the money to
take him to tournament after tournament.  So he has played in nearly 160
rated tournament games in 15 months.  And maybe another 40 unrated
tournament games.  

I sensed that young kids have an advantage in terms of the speed with which
they can learn and also time-wise and energy there are not so many conflicting
commitments and responsibilities.  What seemed most lacking was experience.
So if that's what he wants, that's what I'll give him.

But I wish I had some clearer sense of direction.  I'd like to provide him
with some advice and guidance.  But never having played at the level at
which he now plays, I'm at a loss to tell him what he should do to reach
a higher level.  Especially since my own efforts to improve my own mediocre
play have proven fruitless.

In addition to play, play, play, what advice do you folks out in netland
have for an aspiring ten-year-old?

Richard Seltzer

decvax!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-learn!seltzer