Chess

[Maradona37]

Googled 'is chess the highest IQ sport?' and there were some reservations and denials.

Here's some random guy on reddit. Is he right?

'There's no correlation between IQ and chess ability.

As a 2k ELO player, I can tell you chess is more about the time you invest into memorizing variations and games, then any intrinsic talent some people seem to flaunt.

It's similar to education in a way; yes, people with higher IQs might fare better, but when you wither chess down to just memorizing, it becomes a very boring game.

And boredom is exactly the thing very intelligent people seem to have a low tolerance for, ergo, chess is all about the time you invest into it.

Some will say there's "creativity" involved, but we're not living in Tal's days where you could sacrifice a piece and play on. It simply doesn't work that way in modern chess as even a simple deviation from the "book" will lose you the game on the spot in 2300+ ELO games.

To conclude, chess is a cram sport.'

 

[GloryHunter 007]

Carlsen probably has the highest peak though.

Kaspi and Mikhail Tal are my 2 faves by far.

No correlation between IQ and chess? wtf?

 

[Maradona37]

No correlation between IQ and chess? wtf?

That susprised me too. That's what I read from various online sources.

I thought it was bollocks. I think they meant that there is a correlation, but it's not as strong as some would think. Maybe it's more about pattern recognition etc.

 

[MonteCuler]

Googled 'is chess the highest IQ sport?' and there were some reservations and denials.

Here's some random guy on reddit. Is he right?

'There's no correlation between IQ and chess ability.

As a 2k ELO player, I can tell you chess is more about the time you invest into memorizing variations and games, then any intrinsic talent some people seem to flaunt.

It's similar to education in a way; yes, people with higher IQs might fare better, but when you wither chess down to just memorizing, it becomes a very boring game.

And boredom is exactly the thing very intelligent people seem to have a low tolerance for, ergo, chess is all about the time you invest into it.

Some will say there's "creativity" involved, but we're not living in Tal's days where you could sacrifice a piece and play on. It simply doesn't work that way in modern chess as even a simple deviation from the "book" will lose you the game on the spot in 2300+ ELO games.

To conclude, chess is a cram sport.'

Load of bs

Chess involves direct problem solving and encourages you to constantly imagine. I think that what that guy meant to say is even not so intelligent people can become great chess players and of course that much is obvious. But that doesn't mean it doesn't require intelligence. Because the more intelligent guys will probably find it easier

Also if you look at some of the chess legends there is clear evidence to the contrary. Almost all of them highly highly intelligent men that you could tell just by the look at their face that they have something extraordinary inside that head

It's true that this memorization of moves and openings reduces that demand of intelligence but you don't have to play it that way. Pure chess is solving problems on the go and that's how I play it because as such it's good exercise for the brain and also the only way it can be fun

 

[Maradona37]

Load of bs

Chess involves direct problem solving and encourages you to constantly imagine. I think that what that guy meant to say is even not so intelligent people can become great chess players and of course that much is obvious. But that doesn't mean it doesn't require intelligence. Because the more intelligent guys will probably find it easier

Also if you look at some of the chess legends there is clear evidence to the contrary. Almost all of them highly highly intelligent men that you could tell just by the look at their face that they have something extraordinary inside that head

It's true that this memorization of moves and openings reduces that demand of intelligence but you don't have to play it that way. Pure chess is solving problems on the go and that's how I play it because as such it's good exercise for the brain and also the only way it can be fun

Yeah I thought it read like nonsense, what the lad said.

 

[Windhook]

It's still arguable. Chess is one of the highest intellectual games out there, no doubt. But so are some of the card games.

In chess on beginner level you have to calculate, predict two-three moves ahead. That's why it's enjoyable, makes your brain work. But the more you climb up in the rankings, you have to memorize strategies, hundreds or thousands of games and situations. Bobby Fischer was obsessed with it, reached that point and got bored out of it. He knew every scenario on the board. Didn't have anything to do with intelligence, but memorization of the pieces.