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Home » Chess Strategy » Does Chess Require a High IQ? Here Are The Facts

Does Chess Require a High IQ? Here Are The Facts

Editorial Staff by Editorial Staff
in Chess Strategy
does chess require a high IQ

The question “does chess require a high IQ?” has puzzled people for years. Some would say yes, while others argue that it can be mastered with just enough effort.

There’s a myth about Chess players and the game of Chess in general, and that’s the notion that becoming good at Chess requires a high or even a higher than average IQ in general. This post will dispel this myth.

Page Navigation

  • Do you have to have a high IQ to be good at Chess?
  • What Determines Someone’s IQ
  • Can You Increase Your IQ?
  • Flaws With The IQ System
  • Chess Skills and Scoring High on IQ Tests Are Different

Do you have to have a high IQ to be good at Chess?

You do not need a high IQ or be smart in general to become good at the game of Chess. There are Grandmasters with a high IQ and Grandmasters without a higher IQ.

There is a lot of evidence that points to the notion that chess does require a high IQ, because a lot of famous chess grandmasters do in fact have high IQs.

For example the famous Bobby Fischer had an IQ of 181, and reigning champion today Garry Kasparov has an IQ of 190.

When you consider the fact that the average IQ is 100, this is pretty extraordinary. However, having a high IQ to be good at chess is not required.

For the purpose of this article, we will go in depth as to why chess doesn’t inherently require a high IQ, and why it does seem that having a high IQ may still help with chess performance.

What Determines Someone’s IQ

IQ (Intelligence Quotient) is an important factor in many areas. A person’s IQ is usually measured using the standard test known as the IQ test. The standard tests used to measure IQ are called the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, or WAIS for short, or the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, or S-B for short.

Different intelligence tests can be used for different purposes. For example, different people may need IQ tests with different questions due to their educational background and job field.

IQ tests generally include questions that measure verbal and non-verbal skills, fluid thinking, short-term memory, abstract reasoning, and visual perception.

It is important to note that IQ tests can only be used to measure someone’s intelligence for the time being. In other words, a person with a high IQ at one point in his or her life may not necessarily have a high IQ at another point in his or her life because of the ever changing nature of our brains.

Can You Increase Your IQ?

There are many different techniques that can be used to increase IQ. For example, using mnemonic devices to remember facts can help increase vocabulary and intelligence. Vocabulary is how large the range of words in a language is.

Another way to increase IQ is to study logic and math. Logic involves making conclusions based on evidence, while math involves using numbers. However, these methods would not specifically increase your chess playing ability.

IQ, as mentioned earlier, is only a gauge of how intelligent someone is for the time being. As long as a person continues to study and remains logical and does not fall into the traps of superstition or bad habits, their IQ will remain at an acceptable level.

Flaws With The IQ System

IQ tests seem to be the best method to measure someone’s intelligence, but they have many flaws in the way they are administered.

For example, the IQ test is a very subjective test and your score can change depending on who is administering it to you. They also tend to place a lot of emphasis on speed when answering questions, which may skew results as well.

In addition, the IQ test depends on their interpretation of what is an “intelligent” answer to a question. This means that the IQ score you receive may not necessarily reflect your true intelligence.

The main flaw with IQ tests is that they don’t measure if an individual can apply his or her intelligence in a practical setting. For example, someone may have scored well on the IQ test but couldn’t use it in real life.

Chess Skills and Scoring High on IQ Tests Are Different

Your chess skills and scoring high on an IQ test require different sets of skills and abilities. The fact is, not all Grandmasters have a high IQ and not all those with a higher IQ will automatically be good at Chess. Chess is a game that requires practice, hard work, and study like any other skill set. For more information, read the guide on how to study chess.

Although IQ tests are supposed to measure intelligence, they can actually be somewhat of a con. People can have a high IQ but still have terrible logic, and vice versa.

Chess is a complex game that requires both expertise in logic and math, as well as knowing the chess rules. Chess skills are different from the type of chess questions on IQ tests.

Chess players generally do not learn moves by reading Chess books or studying diagrams. Rather, they learn by playing with chess computers and other human players. Chess players can then devise tactics by representing it with patterns and symbols stored in their memory.

Also, chess is not something that you can just memorize; it requires creativity. You have to think outside the box and look at things from a different perspective while still keeping your mind on the game. In addition, chess requires a lot of patience if you want to be successful at it in the long run. These are all things that an IQ test might miss.

In conclusion, Chess does not require a high IQ to become great at. Not all Grandmasters have a high IQ either.

Sources

  1. Magnus Carlsen IQ
  2. Chess players have higher IQ’s
  3. Does IQ matter
  4. Bobby Fischer
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  • Home
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    • Tactics
  • Players
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    • Best Chess Books By Rating Bracket
    • Books Mentioned In The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix (Real and Fake Books)
    • 7 Best Chess Books For Beginners To Cut The Learning Curve
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© 2022 - The Chess Journal - All Rights Reserved