Josh Waitzkin: The Art of Learning on ABC News - Part 1

[airharm]

Hmmm I can tell that this guy is a joke. No offense; Marcelo I respect though greatly.

[tavinhocandeias]

he isnt gm because is too hard for him , and i have to say that is very bad to bobby fischer have his name associated with this men

[fear0fthedark2000]

look i know im going to be critized by some losers who just like to talk shit but i dont fucking care!!..THis guy may not have recieved the GM Rank but he was fucking bad ass...Not just anyone draws with garry kasparov..Josh waitzkin did!!..and he was a fucking kid

[JeffersonDinedAlone]

His most important attribute is his personal character.

[TaiChiTex]

Good Job Josh...keep moving...

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[WhiteAbenaki]

Josh communicates so well and seems like such a nice, sincere guy. I really enjoyed his chess lectures on the Chessmaster pc games. What Josh calls the "art of learning" I would call metatheory of learning and its a topic few people discuss. Rather, I think we're fixated on the mythos of "natural talent." But really, one can become good at anything if one sets one's mind to it. What a great message for a book! I'll have to check it out. Good luck to Josh in his next challenge.

[gqmighty]

tai chi is so not a fighting system....

[JiuClaw22]

@gqmighty no but him being a brown belt under Marcelo Garcia in BJJ is.

[ohyeah2034]

@gqmighty much deeper than that boss

[b0ondockz]

@gqmighty uhh... yes it is...

[ani19bd]

He did not dominated the chess world for 10 years. He is not even a grandmaster. The lady got it wrong.

[GayIthacan]

So did you, dear.

'The lady' said 8 years - not 10. And she was talking about 'dominating the chess world' in terms of prominence and publicity - not winning games from Grandmasters.

And when you achieve International status in chess by the age of 12, get back to us.

[ani19bd]

Hey listen asshole, during the period of 1990's GM Garry Kasparov dominated the chess world. Josh played in a simul with Garry and drew the game. But Jose was not good enough to face Garry in a tournament game. And yes the lady said 10 (ten) years.

Have a nice day major league assholel.

[meekrn]

if you can find something in the book of value, great, if you cant, you have only lost 3 hours of your life, same as a good nap.

[veridia]

If you can't find something in the book of value then you aren't self aware enough.

This book is chock full of deep self awareness in the part of the author. There are profound truths in this book.

Anyone interested in introspective performance psychology should get this now. The psychology is rock solid.

[Everincon]

fantastic book. Very practical and honest book. Those who are critical of it should actually read it!

[jp1989at]

Read the book, don't recommend it.

[seansurfgood]

i found his book interesting and insightful.. just another opinion

[axlfleming]

..from an idiot who can't accomplish anything, rofl.

[seansurfgood]

good one. apparently my comment struck a nerve, i apologise for this, surely you must be good at something. :P

[axlfleming]

No nerve struck, since you as you have noted, everyone must be good at something.

Maybe I am good at posting stupid comments and replies on youtube!

peace.

[veridia]

No one here gets the premise of the book. Static identity does not exist. It's not about what you are good at, it's about learning, becoming good at something. This book should be every college students bible.

[axlfleming]

Anyone who buys this guy's book is a retard. He is still living off his chess past royalties (financially and otherwise), he's done one other discipline, and now he thinks he has figured out the secret to learning. If you are so great that you can write a book on learning, then why did you stop at only mastering two. How come he can't relearn the joy from chess that he had before either?to have also? LOL.

[seansurfgood]

lol your obviously good at nothing

[violinmusicfan]

In fact after winning some 8 chess championships and 2 tai chi push hands world championships, he has moved on to a 3rd discipline, Jujutsu and aims to participate in competions in 2010/2011 I think. So, I think his learning strategies do actually work.

[WiTeBoi]

I got the book last thursday, been reading it since, today is tuesday, and I'm loving the book.

[30g4nmi]

I Am A Grandmaster Aget 18 My Name Is Magnus Carlsen And Im From Norway I Think Josh Waitzkin Should Have Continued With His Chess Career He Had To Pay For Expensive Chess Lessons And He Didnt Even Become A Grandmaster I Had To Work Hard To Get My FIDE Rating Which Is: 2786

[vibovitold]

It's funny that they show him practicing brazilian jiu-jitsu while they talk about his Tai Chi successes :) (He also trains in bjj which is far more dynamic, not to mention way more practical than Tai Chi. But that's another story).

[sieuquach]

what is IM or GM?

[thechules]

International Master and Granmaster

[levlobotomy]

he failed his GM norms as far as i know. got money shoved up his ass to train with the best, and just stopped playing some time. he then got more money shoved up his arse to train with the best BJJ trainer.

[Wikimedian]

He "lost the love"... more like he "lost too many games" and couldn't cut it in the big leagues. Most chess players rated above 2000 now that Waitzkin is no prodigy...He was a strong kid, but he's just a lower-than-average IM who could never become a GM (is he even an IM?).

[thechules]

He never said he is a prodigy. All that happened to him was that He didn't want to sacrifice his entire live for chess. I guess that when he was a kid it was fun for him to beat other kids just using his natural inteligence and talent (plus training, of course), but beating more advanced players would require hours and hours of training and studying, and he just didn't want that.

[pkysr2]

Hey, neither of you know the guy, so stop portraying your opinions as fact. He has a great deal of something you both will never have: character.

[levlobotomy]

oh rly ? i disagree.

[jandlefob]

either way josh has helped my game heaps, its nice to see someonelse who looks at chess as more of a musical thing then just math

[jandlefob]

oi stupid josh isnt an IM hes a GM, hes an awsome dude good on you josh

[sleepyeyeguy]

actually Josh is an IM

[nibols23]

damn thats him he looks different

[ChessChat]

The Waitzkin's are just great at marketing, sure Josh is a good player but there are 1000s of IMs.

[extrememetal777]

Josh is a natural talent.

he is not like many other grandmasters who just mug up or remember all the moves,pattern and play to win or draw.

he is genuine.

[gqmighty]

@extrememetal777 well..he was never even a grandmaster..so.....

[scsteeldrums]

@extrememetal777 Thats very romantic, but there is no such thing as a genius who has success without study. Waitzkin too memorized moves and patterns, and there is no GM without natural talent.

[jplolo316]

he doesn't consider himself a prodidy because he worked hard? that's crap. A lot of people work as hard as he does, and after a long period of time they don't do nearly as well as he did on his first attempt.

[termanogue]

no he doesn't like to call himself a prodigy and its not because he worked hard.

[lisonghao1983]

Precisely the point! Professional chess needs a lot of devotion. I don't think any real American has ever devoted his life to chess, except for Fischer. There is sth in American culture that contradicts life-long devotion. Kamsky is a Tartar from Siberia and won twice the soviet U-20 champion before he moved to NY at 16. Btw Kamsky has a JD and is a licensed lawyer, so he can have a life outside chess if he wants to.

[braileanul]

hes not the single one international master out there

i understand that that was his decision, but to leave chess implies either youre not loving chess anymore or you acknoledge IM is your peak and you cant go for GM title ( at least).

strange, i was convinced GM in chess is easier to obtain these days. anyway GM nowadays are much more frequest than in Bobby Fischer's time

[lisonghao1983]

Waitzkin was either very close or already at GM level. Had he continued in chess, it's a matter of time before he gets a GM title. However, there are about 1000 GMs and 2500 IMs out there. That's why we have the term superGM nowadays. Well, I don't think Waitzkin was ever to come close to a superGM.

[theuppro]

@braileanul Only because the world is more connected and oppurtunities to expand your potential are around for almost anyone.

Leaving chess doesn't imply anything. Imposing your thought process to determine the reasons for someone elses decision implies a hell of alot more about you than him leaving chess implies about him.

[lisonghao1983]

Waitzkin was never to become one of them. Instead, with a writer father, who works for New York Times, it is much easier to make a decent living as a popular icon. He knows this better than anyone. From worldly perspective, He has every reason (and probably every right) to pursue the path he's taken.

[ranssff]

interesting comments those of yours.

and intelligent choice that of Joshs. to be expected from a chess/martial arts guy....

[lisonghao1983]

Waitzkin is nowhere near world's top. He is not even comparable to his contemporary countryman Kamsky, needless to say, Fischer. In the world of chess, there are only a very limited group of professionals who can really make a decent living out of chess.

[capnconundrum]

Chess and Tai Chi are not very different. In study, they are both ways of understanding combat, and in competition they are both forms of combat. I've yet to meet a martial arts master who isn't good at chess. Obviously, being "good at chess" and being an IM are worlds apart.

Josh Waitzkin is a brillian human being and an inspirational thinker. I only hope he rediscovers his love of chess, for his own sake. I imagine losing my love of writing. I'd rather lose my life.

[ranssff]

your comment helps to understand Josh's prespective. thank you.

[mykoniato]

josh what happend to your hair?