Can everyone be good at chess?

Researchers at the University of Michigan have discovered that you can't improve your chess skills by merely practicing – intelligence is crucial to the game after all.

– Practice is indeed important to reach an elite level of performance – says professor of psychology Zach Hambrick.

– However, this paper makes an overwhelming case that intelligence is the deciding factor.

The researchers, which had analyzed 19 previous studies, discovered that intelligence was always linked to chess skills, regardless of the player's age, although the link was most apparent in young players and those with little experience. It's possible, the scientists say, that intelligent people simply choose to play chess.

Hembrick says in the interview that practice is important to achieving top result in any field, but believes that it's a misconception that anyone can achieve greatness if they work hard enough.

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University of Michigan

Zach Hembrick