Characteristics of a Chess Player
From HultWiki
Characteristics of a Chess Player
How many of these describe YOU?
1 Knows the Rules of Tournament Chess (including En Passant, Castling, Promotion, etc)
2 Knows the Basic Checkmates (K2R,KQ,KR,K2B,KBNvK)
3 Knows How to Queen a Pawn (KPvK) using Opposition & Outflanking
4 Has Mastered the Elementary Tactics (Double Attacks, Pins, Forks, Discoveries etc)
5 How to Queen a Pawn in the Lucena Position
6 Doesn't Even Try to Play the 4 Move Scholars Mate
7 Own a Permanent USCF or FIDE Rating
8 Know How to Set a Digital Clock (Any Brand)
9 Understand How the Swiss System Pairings Work
10 Own a Dozen Chess Books You have Never Read
11 Successfully Defend a Rook & Pawn Ending a Pawn Down
12 Know What Centuries Lucena, Ruy Lopez, Greco, Philidor, Morphy, Fischer & Anand Played in
13 Own a Dozen Chess Books that You have Read
14 Watch for Color Square Complexes in Your Games
15 Know One Opening Line 20 Moves Deep
16 Own a Chess Trophy that You Yourself Won
17 Be Able to Annotate a PGN game in Algebraic Notation
18 Finish a Tournament in First Place
19 Defeat a Master in a Tournament Game (Just Once)
20 Name the Classical (Match) World Champions Starting with Steinitz
21 Have Your Name in the Small Print of an Openings Book Variation
22 Has Annotated and Published One of His Own Games
23 Has Annotated and Published a Game Played by Someone Else
24 Has a Defensible Belief of Who is the Greatest Player Never Win the World's Championship
25 Knows How to Offer a Draw in Accordance to the Rule Book
26 Has Played a Game While Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
27 Has Lost a Game to Someone 500+ Points Below Him on the Rating Scale
28 Has Found a Move While Sleeping that He Missed Over the Board
29 Owns an Autograph of a Favorite Grandmaster
30 Has Taught Someone Else to Play and then Lost a Game to the Student
31 Has Participated in a Round Robin Tournament
32 Has Smiled, Shaken a Hand and Said “Good Game” While Thinking “How Could I Lose to this Guy?”
33 Has Served as TD, Scorekeeper, Sold Pizza and Soda or Done Some Other Thankless Task for Chess
34 Has Been Asked to be an Officer of a Chess Organization
35 Owns a Computer Chess Program (Chessmaster, Fritz, ChessBase, etc)
36 Played Chess over the Internet
37 Owns Chess Videos or DVDs
38 Has Traveled over 100 Miles to Play in a Chess Tournament
39 Attended a Chess Camp, Lecture or Workshop
40 Owns a Chess Book that is over 100 Years Old
41 Canceled an Important Meeting or Engagement to Play Chess
42 Knows the Names of the Openings and sub-variation He Plays Regularly
43 Can Name the Color of a Square by it Algebraic Coordinates
44 Has Actually Played a Smothered Mate in a Rated Game
45 Knows a Chess Master by First Name
46 Can Explain the Defensive Technique Called Philidor's Position in RPvR Endgmaes
47 Knows with Conviction that Bughouse is Good/Bad for Your Chess Game
48 Has Memorized an Opening that He Doesn't Understand
49 Understands an Opening that He doesn't have memorized
50 Attends a Chess Club Regularly
