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What does it really take to become a strong chess player?

So why are you only 2000 blitz then? Plus what is a strong player?

These might be characteristics of many strong players (I find it hard to disagree), but I feel the article is far more definite and coming as-if from experience (it doesn't appear you have). I might have been better as I read about strong players and found these characteristics - or what I'm trying to do to become a strong player myself. And are these the only things, or are there others (speed of pattern recognition, intuition gained from seeing many master level games, ...). How do you gain these aspects (or even for the most part can they beyond a certain developmental age)? Which are more important? How did you come to this conclusion? What did you do to get to being a strong player (this is where experience of having got there would be useful).

Sorry to call you out and I'm all for interesting articles, but would prefer if they were coming from someone who made it, rather than someone who is perhaps trying to make it (or at least qualifying oneself). I suspect you're a reasonable club player, so certainly you would have authority to write about the differences between your strength and someone less experienced. Even by adding some links to source material which raises such discussions about what a strong player has (such as Chessmood blog, etc), so one can see the origins of your thought and read it how a strong player wrote it rather than how it was interpreted. Otherwise it's the blind leading the blind and there is far too much of that on the Net.

So why are you only 2000 blitz then? Plus what is a strong player? These might be characteristics of many strong players (I find it hard to disagree), but I feel the article is far more definite and coming as-if from experience (it doesn't appear you have). I might have been better as I read about strong players and found these characteristics - or what I'm trying to do to become a strong player myself. And are these the only things, or are there others (speed of pattern recognition, intuition gained from seeing many master level games, ...). How do you gain these aspects (or even for the most part can they beyond a certain developmental age)? Which are more important? How did you come to this conclusion? What did you do to get to being a strong player (this is where experience of having got there would be useful). Sorry to call you out and I'm all for interesting articles, but would prefer if they were coming from someone who made it, rather than someone who is perhaps trying to make it (or at least qualifying oneself). I suspect you're a reasonable club player, so certainly you would have authority to write about the differences between your strength and someone less experienced. Even by adding some links to source material which raises such discussions about what a strong player has (such as Chessmood blog, etc), so one can see the origins of your thought and read it how a strong player wrote it rather than how it was interpreted. Otherwise it's the blind leading the blind and there is far too much of that on the Net.

Hi, thanks for taking the time to engage with the article and share your thoughts. I’ll address your points directly.

First, I think it’s important to define what I mean by a strong player. To me, a strong player is someone who is rated at or above 2000 USCF, has a solid grasp of both positional and tactical concepts, and can compete at a high level in open tournaments. While I’m currently around 1850 USCF, I’m fully aware of the gap between where I am and where I’m striving to be—which gives me a unique perspective on what it takes to break through that plateau.

Regarding my experience, while I’m not a titled player (yet), I’ve spent years immersed in competitive chess, not just as a player but also as a coach and an analyst of games at various levels. What’s more, I’ve had the privilege of being around countless experts and masters throughout my chess career. Observing their approaches, habits, and thought processes has given me a deep understanding of the characteristics that strong players develop over time. My conclusions in the article are a reflection of this exposure—insights that I’ve absorbed from years of learning directly from higher-rated players.

You mentioned intuition, pattern recognition, and speed of decision-making—all absolutely critical factors. These skills develop over time through rigorous study, analyzing countless master-level games, and competing at a high level. I agree that these aspects are essential and, as you pointed out, they could have been emphasized more in the article. I’ll definitely look into adding references or linking to high-quality sources (like ChessMood or similar) to complement these ideas.

As for the “authority” to write about this, I believe that my experience competing, learning from stronger players, and coaching others gives me enough insight to share what separates intermediate players from those who make it to the next level. It’s also worth noting that a coach doesn’t necessarily need to be stronger than their student to provide valuable insights. For example, many elite athletes work with coaches who aren’t as skilled as they are but excel at identifying weaknesses, refining technique, and offering perspective that the player might overlook. The same principle applies in chess—being just short of expert-level myself allows me to bridge the gap between club players and those aspiring to reach 2000+. I’m not claiming to have all the answers, but I’m sharing what I’ve learned from both my own journey and the many experts I’ve had the chance to work with.

If you have resources or perspectives that you feel would add to this discussion, I’d love to hear them. I’m always looking to deepen my understanding and refine my approach.

Thanks again for your thoughts!

Hi, thanks for taking the time to engage with the article and share your thoughts. I’ll address your points directly. First, I think it’s important to define what I mean by a strong player. To me, a strong player is someone who is rated at or above 2000 USCF, has a solid grasp of both positional and tactical concepts, and can compete at a high level in open tournaments. While I’m currently around 1850 USCF, I’m fully aware of the gap between where I am and where I’m striving to be—which gives me a unique perspective on what it takes to break through that plateau. Regarding my experience, while I’m not a titled player (yet), I’ve spent years immersed in competitive chess, not just as a player but also as a coach and an analyst of games at various levels. What’s more, I’ve had the privilege of being around countless experts and masters throughout my chess career. Observing their approaches, habits, and thought processes has given me a deep understanding of the characteristics that strong players develop over time. My conclusions in the article are a reflection of this exposure—insights that I’ve absorbed from years of learning directly from higher-rated players. You mentioned intuition, pattern recognition, and speed of decision-making—all absolutely critical factors. These skills develop over time through rigorous study, analyzing countless master-level games, and competing at a high level. I agree that these aspects are essential and, as you pointed out, they could have been emphasized more in the article. I’ll definitely look into adding references or linking to high-quality sources (like ChessMood or similar) to complement these ideas. As for the “authority” to write about this, I believe that my experience competing, learning from stronger players, and coaching others gives me enough insight to share what separates intermediate players from those who make it to the next level. It’s also worth noting that a coach doesn’t necessarily need to be stronger than their student to provide valuable insights. For example, many elite athletes work with coaches who aren’t as skilled as they are but excel at identifying weaknesses, refining technique, and offering perspective that the player might overlook. The same principle applies in chess—being just short of expert-level myself allows me to bridge the gap between club players and those aspiring to reach 2000+. I’m not claiming to have all the answers, but I’m sharing what I’ve learned from both my own journey and the many experts I’ve had the chance to work with. If you have resources or perspectives that you feel would add to this discussion, I’d love to hear them. I’m always looking to deepen my understanding and refine my approach. Thanks again for your thoughts!