Kenneth wrote:

It is well known that chess ability and IQ, are not related.


It is? Could you please remind us of the evidence that you base such an
absurd statement on, genius?


--
Kenneth
"Zero" wrote in message
oups.com...
Since Kramnik is the world chess champion, does that mean that he is a
genius and have a high IQ? Could he be a member of Mensa ?


http://www.chesscafe.com/text/genius.txt

"Genius in Chess" by Jonathan Levitt, 1997 American Batsford
Chess Library, Figurine Algebraic Notation, paperback, 128pp.,
$19.50

Reviewed by Glenn Budzinski

Did you ever wonder, even if for only a moment, whether you had
enough raw talent to make it to the top of the chess world
someday? Does one really have to be a genius to be World
Champion? British GM Jonathan Levitt's "Genius in Chess"
purports to help you determine whether or not you have the right
stuff.

The book consists of 128 pages segregated into four parts, plus a
preface, a forward and an index. Part 1, entitled "The Nature of
Chess Genius", which corresponds to about one- quarter of the
book, is a rather detailed discussion of the correlation between
chess talent and genius, and the influence of IQ. Part 2 includes 8
separate tests (plus solutions) that can be taken to determine, to
some degree, the extent of one's chess talent. A 20-question,
multiple choice test (with answers at the end of the section),
consisting mostly of middle and endgame positions, can be found
in Part III, while the final part offers a few pages of advice on how
to develop one's talent.

The elements of genius, talent and intelligence are interwoven
throughout "The Nature of Chess Genius" narrative section.
Although there is much background information offered about how
the game of chess is learned and understood, be forewarned: light
reading, it is not.

Levitt begins by distinguishing between the concepts of
intelligence, creativity and genius, followed by a close look at what
he believes it means to be a genius at chess. According to him, a
chess genius is a person who exhibits certain traits such as a high
IQ, a strong desire to win, one who is physically capable of
performing his (or her) best at the board, superior concentration,
perhaps a proper background (whatever that may mean), as well as
unusually good perception and vision of the board and positions.
Chess geniuses can be further segregated into two categories: the
"Type A" genius, considered to be a positional or strategic player,
like Steinitz, Capablanca and Karpov; and the "Type B" genius,
such as Lasker, Alekhine, Tal and Kasparov, viewed as calculators
or tacticians. (Fischer and Spassky are identified in a third
category, "Universal", since they are, in Levitt's words, "harder to
call," p. 33.)

For Levitt, chess talent, or potential chess strength (which is
different from current chess strength as determined by tournament
play), is inextricably linked to IQ. In an attempt to quantify just
how closely these two aspects are related, he came up with a
mathematical formula called, not surprisingly, "The Levitt
Equation". This formula calculates an Elo rating which expresses
one's potential chess strength (talent) as being equal to ten times
one's IQ, plus 1000 points. Thus, he claims that Bobby Fischer
once scored 187 on an IQ test so, applying The Levitt Equation,
Bobby's potential chess strength would be equal to a rating of
about 2870 if he reached his peak talent. (187 x 10 = 1870 + 1000
= 2870)