Talent rises quickly in Internet era
Saturday January 12, 2013 8:11 AM
Shelby Lyman
Happily, chess is democratic.
In many open tournaments, matching an unknown and unrated player against experienced grandmasters is possible.
Ratings can soar in short order.
The advent of the Internet makes access even easier. During a few weeks of intense participation, one can play as many games as one formerly played in decades of tournament chess.
Of course, blitz chess is likely to offer a lesser learning experience than the traditional encounters that mosey along for several hours.
But sheer numbers overwhelm quality. In a much shorter time, expertise is attained.
We see this today. New names and faces appear at a seemingly exponential rate.
For someone with modest chess talent but a love of the game, the Internet is an ideal medium.
Anyone seeking a game is automatically matched with a player who is similarly rated. If you win, your rating goes up; if you lose, it goes down.
As a result, nobody is likely to be overmatched — and temporary setbacks can be overcome quickly.
Even for the weakest players, the next opponent will probably offer a fair and pleasurable challenge.
Source: http://www.dispatch.com
Internet is amazing.
That’s true! I never played seriously because of lack of opponents, just now and then. Then I started playing in the internet, particularly at chess.com, and, after 2 years of playing regularly and studying lightly, I joined a “real life” Chess club, and I just smashed my first big win, a UK County Master (2100+), and it wasn’t a lucky win, I just outplayed the heck out of him!