
Chess master Lev Alburt teaches strategy, patience, and prognostication - funkylexoo
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-09-21/wall-street-s-best-kept-secret-is-russian-chess-master-lev-alburt
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skadamou
Is a chess coach like Lev Alburt worth the money to someone who does play
chess at a professional level? Does a world class coach make a big difference
when we're talking about amateur chess players?

Obviously, there are other reasons to go to a guy like Lev for lessons (the
conversation, social cache etc.), I'm just curious as an amateur chess player
if seeking someone out like Lev would make a notable difference in my game as
compared to a more average chess coach.

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ll931110
Assuming your goal is to be a better chess player (reaching expert/master
level or up), the answer is no. Grandmasters typically charge exorbitant price
(at least $50/hour, I recall that Lev can charge $300/hour), but the main
problem is that unless they have so much experience teaching chess, they won't
understand why amateurs struggle at certain positions (since they get such
idea effortlessly). The rule of thumb for choosing a coach is picking someone
about 400 points higher than you (either USCF or FIDE works), who has gone
through similar struggles and practices to get to that level. Honestly,
getting GM coach only worths the money when you are 2200 and up.

Disclaimer: never have a personal coach before. Did play for a while in a
chess club where the team leader is about 2200 FIDE.

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ilteris
Sorry slightly off topic, how does one get their chess level measured? Thanks

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microtherion
You get an initial rating by playing a number of tournament games against
rated opponents.

The results of every rated game (played at tournaments etc) are reported to a
rating body. Back when I played (low level) competitively, rating lists were
published every couple of months in paper form; nowadays it's all online, of
course.

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dilemma
>The results of every rated game (played at tournaments etc) are reported to a
rating body

Sounds like another instance of centralization that must be disrupted by the
blockchain

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fjsolwmv
You can chess go on lichess.com and get a rating by playing games

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tequila_shot
OK, nice article. I'm a chess player myself and so yes I did make some
connections.

However, when I opened the article, I was looking for what those lessons were.
At least glimpse of them.

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keithpeter
Quotes from OP suggest that the lessons might be about chess problems and ways
for solving them, but might also go wider. A diversion for the kind of people
for whom $150+ for an hour out of the office is not a major expense.

 _" Ushering me inside to the small ­one-bedroom apartment, he offers wine,
vodka, or water, in that order."_

...

 _" Many of his clients from the finance world, he says, “have this idea that
it’s a good idea to distract themselves from their work.”"_

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colmvp
A question I was thinking about this week: Why do some GM's drop in peak
performance? It's common to see players have a golden age of performance where
they are near unbeatable. But unlike physical sports, GM's don't exactly
suffer from physical deterioration do they?

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jonahx
> But unlike physical sports, GM's don't exactly suffer from physical
> deterioration do they?

The mind is just as physical as anything else.

It's a deeply complex question, but _generally speaking_ most forms of
cognition -- including processing speed, working memory, and fluid
intelligence -- decline with age beginning in your twenties:

[https://www.quora.com/Intelligence-and-Genetics-Can-does-
IQ-...](https://www.quora.com/Intelligence-and-Genetics-Can-does-IQ-change-
over-time)

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pps43
I can see why people with analytical minds can play chess well and create good
financial models.

I don't think that learning to play chess better helps one create better
financial models.

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dogruck
I agree that this claim is false: “If you study chess, then you will be a
better trader.”

On the other hand, I do think it’s beneficial to exercise the muscle of
strategic thought and quick decision making. Maybe it’s poker instead of
chess. But I think the general class of hobby is beneficial.

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pps43
That's the explanation I often hear that I find suspicious. It's not the same
muscle.

Chess is a game with complete information, trading isn't. This is an important
distinction, heuristics are very different. Maybe poker is better, but then
there is opportunity cost. You can get better results by studying applied
statistics or another subject matter area closer to trading.

I was playing chess competitively when I was young and am doing financial
models for a living now. I don't think any skill or learning transferred.

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dogruck
Sounds like we have similar backgrounds and careers.

I can’t think of any way of conducting a study to test a hypothesis.

I suppose I would say that, strictly speaking, chess is nothing more than a
game of complete information, that has a big search space, filled with
interesting corners.

On the other hand, when most non-experts play OTB, much of the thought is
psychological — the classic leveling of “what is my opponent trying to do, and
thinking I’m trying to do, and therefore trying to do...”

