If my sister is a great chess player, why won't she compete?

[Anonymous]

My sister will be graduating from HS this year at the age of 16. She skipped 2 grades. The only thing upsetting is she won't use her intelligence to compete and do more. She wants a normal life and just hang out with friends or read in her private moments.

Her IQ is 148 and she's a great chess player. However, she's not interested in publicity, nor competing in chess tournaments. She's missing her chance of fame and lots of money. I wish there was a way to get her to compete in chess tournaments. Why won't she compete?

Updates

+1 y

This sucks. She has the potential to be known in the near future and obtain fame. She already played with a chess grandmaster online and drew all times and beat another one. This is her chance to make her herself known.

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+1 y

Instead, she only plays chess for fun. Aughhh

[Effably]

While intelligence helps in chess, raw IQ is mostly useful at a beginner level. Absolutely no one thinks multiple moves ahead. Even Grandmaster level players normally only consider One move ahead - if even that.

As such what really matters in chess isn't raw processing power but practice, memorization, practice, theory crafting, practice and more practice.
Of course intelligence helps but the whole "This person is super smart therefore they win at chess" is sort of nonsense and only works until people practice it.

As such, for your sister to excel at chess to this level means she is almost certainly putting in extreme effort already.

People tend to value things they do not have. She already, presumably, has significant validation for her intelligence and so more of the same isn't nearly as tempting as for someone who would be brimming with joy from that acknowledgement - it might in fact even be tedious.

As for her reasons, she seemingly gave them.

[BeMuse]

People definitely think multiple moves ahead. Anyone of significant intelligence will read their opponents attacks 5 or 6 moves deep, and consider multiple strategies of defense and counter attack in relation to their opponents strategy. People just stay flexible and recalculate every round as the battlefield changes.

[Effably]

They really do not. Instead you play for positional advantage and strength. This is also how the best chess A. I' play.

I do however understand your view. The thing is that due to practice you learn the sequences and responses. There is also the concept of forced moves which, given enough practice, can reach into a dozen or two creating instances of chess players seeing 24 moves ahead.

That said not a single person alive visualizes five moves ahead adequately. Five moves at the start equates to 69 352 859 712 417 potential plays. Even if we cut that into a thousandth, or a million to limit for what is reasonable, not a single person alive would do that. Instead you learn sequences and responses.

But sure, once we're down to a few pieces if there happens to be time aplenty on the clock we would see multiple moves planned. That just isn't reality for competitive chess though.

[BeMuse]

I guess she's just a bit smarter than you... Not everyone has narcissistic impulses. Fame isn't what she wants, it's what you want. I have an IQ of 158 and am not too shabby myself when it comes to chess. I also enjoy playing chess for fun and have no desire to be famous. You sister sounds like a good kid. Let her follow her own path in life.

[Anonymous]

“She wants a normal life and just hang out with friends or read in her private moments.”“However, she's not interested in publicity, nor competing in chess tournaments.”These are your own quotes, quite literally giving the reason “why” she won’t compete, and yet you’re still asking? It sounds like you just don’t want to accept her “no”. Just because someone is good or even amazing at something does not mean they have to turn it into a career or pursue it further. Sorry you aren’t the great chess player, because surely you would pursue the things you’re urging her to. This is HER life though, dude, and if she doesn’t want to play chess then she isn’t obligated. Let her do what she wants, and if later down the road she wants to play chess, then she will be doing it from a place of passion and not because her brother rides her ass about pursuing a hobby.

[LexiLuv91]

You literally answered your own question. "She wants a normal life." With that being her mindset, you can only respect that and admire her for that. She is 16 and just wants to do 16 year old things. And the fact that she isn't chasing the glamour and fame and dollar signs, instead she would rather play it only for the fun of it, is absolutely remarkable. That in itself speaks volumes and shows just how intelligent and mature she is. She will be just fine and go further than her high IQ on her own terms and leading her own way. What it seems like, is that you want her to go what YOU want. She has nothing to prove. If you feel so strongly about it, why not chase the fame and the money yourself?

[NamerOfStars]

Have considered that she might not WANT to?

[skyeee_]

that is her choice if she wants a normal life