Is it worth doing chess as a career?

[@makingsenseofchess]

I know I’ve said this before on your other videos, but I really appreciate how you highlight the harsh realities of life as a professional chess player. There’s a misconception that becoming a grandmaster is the ultimate ticket to success, but the truth is, only a handful of players manage to make a comfortable living purely from playing chess and the competition is getting stronger all the time!

[@febloh]

Fantastic addition to my video. I wouldn't say that I made my Video because of frustration about my own chess career though, since I realized and accepted around five years ago that I won't be making enough to sustain myself, let alone a family by purely playing itself. Therefore I have pursued coaching and content creation more and more and I'm very fortunate to really enjoy it. That's also what I would recommend to people in similar situations, as you pointed out as well. Also wanna mention again, that I'm really grateful for everything, specifically growing up and living in Europe, as everyone here should be. And the example with Uzbekistan might have not been the best one, so thanks for pointing that out as well. Really enjoyed listening and learning from your experience. You explained many things much better than I ever could, so thanks a lot for the great video and for keeping the topic in the public eye! Best, Felix

[@HometownChessHero]

no problem! glad you enjoyed it.

[@RTAC_1234]

BTW I made that comment on Reddit about David Howell. He mentioned this in an interview, I think with Fiona Steil-Antoni. He was in his parents' house during the interview.

[@blazbratovic2724]

If sticking with chess, focus on content creation because: A) there is more money there than in the tournaments halls; B) If successful content creator /Chessable author, it's more likely to get more costumers for coaching, which is another important stream of income in chess C) learn marketing strategies and make your own chess website (increase your presence on the internet, something you already hinted at in the video and in a smart way, to put it the other way)

[@IMMichaelRahalChessAcademy]

Good video Danny, hope you enjoyed Spain! You played the Sitges last round against IM Lacasa Diaz, a very good friend of mine since childhood. Neither you nor Felix touched on the retirement subject, another thing to factor in as a professional chess player with a relatively short income career. Take care!

[@HometownChessHero]

yes was an interesting game and good analysis afterwards. thanks mike.

[@alanllewellyn1487]

​ @TyrannosaurusCHEX as to your comment chex it was not AI that said it or presumably someone asking AI. An IM american player called Alex Battey said that my play was super grandmaster level so my rating of then 1470 FIDE makes no sense, unless i am playing stronger people than they say they are in theyre ratings.

[@ashwinkumar26]

My thoughts - GothamChess is an anomaly, the common content creator is at a disadvantage to get mad popular - AI career, as a smart man, you could consider jumping into an AI career now. It has had a seismic shift with GPT era. Coursera- multi agent systems with crewAI

[@luciengrondin5802]

IMHO it's utterly unrealistic to expect making a living out of playing chess.

[@nickwhite4632]

I think pushing the content creation side of things should bring in other opportunities if you're willing to do private coaching, as many players would be happy to pay a GM for coaching.

[@OdaVenom]

Not trying to be a downer, but why would they after hearing this? To be the best on the bench in the park? It's not like getting music lessons. Even if you won't go the professional musician's route, you can at the very least entertain your guests on occasion or win a heart by playing a music instrument. I doubt there are a lot of girls that will get all excited by seeing you setting figures on the board.

[@vatsalsharma4061]

did not know but chess feels really depressing now

[@vaccaphd]

2600 is no longer impressive. The money is for the top 10-15 players in the world.

[@Andrew-z5i1q]

Clearly not worth pursuing as a career.I think you should consider getting a part-time job that could work around your chess commitments.Also stop going to the bakery and going to restaurants.Supermarkets reduce food heavily later in the day.I think a lot of money would be saved by getting more savvy with your spending..Airbnb is better value generally than hotels.Maybe consider room sharing?

[@Grokku.61]

there's no money in chess if you are an average GM

[@TyrannosaurusCHEX]

There "can" be money if you are an average IM or even FM , but not everyone can abuse the social media algorithms to push themselves into the first spots

[@Grokku.61]

@TyrannosaurusCHEX have you watched Felix Blohberger's video? He's rated around 2500, is a top 500 player in the world, and makes very little

[@chess_poemschess]

Rooting for ya man! And hopefully people keep watching the youtube and you can start to make some money from ads.

[@HometownChessHero]

But what will I have to complain about then?

[@JasonPawn]

Get over a 1000 subs and over 4000 hours of watch time, im just starting my own chess channel thats how i sorta know lol ​@HometownChessHero

[@JasonPawn]

Your getting there ❤

[@JasonPawn]

And hopefully we'll see more great content from you playing games etc, the new Levy Rozman lol you have so much talent being a gm 😊

[@JasonPawn]

Complain doh thought you said compliant , sorry

[@Molokaichess]

This is your second Story on this subject..... Let put it this way... I worked 30 year at 7.25 an hour wage. And I got 3 houses from it. One I live in and 2 I rent out. And the 2 I rent out are in Hawaii

[@HometownChessHero]

@@Molokaichess it must be my dementia, I've done so many videos I've stsrted repeating the subjects

[@HometownChessHero]

On the big island, nice

[@Molokaichess]

@HometownChessHero no oahu

[@alanllewellyn1487]

two people independently have said i am a grandmaster i know this is nuts talk from a 1680 fide

[@TyrannosaurusCHEX]

It's not that impossible really, you post all over the internet about how "somebody" mistook you for Bobby Fischer years ago and eventually the fiction becomes the truth because that seems to be the common story the AI bots are reading

[@carlpeterbrad]

Hi Danny. I think you made a wise draw offer at Hastings. £700 is a lot better than £35. I much prefer your honest content to the patronising Gotham. What happened to Agadmator? Anyway I still have that computer, but it's probably not fast enough or new enough for your needs. But it's there if you want it. Your KZbin seems to be growing at a steady pace. Keep it real, as you are. That's what i like the best. Thanks again. I really hope you find a way to keep doing what you clearly love.

[@BobbyRunout_SmoothMoves]

I'm not saying it would solve your money problems, but why are you so pessimistic about getting back over 2500? Is it just that you don't have the time to put in the work?

[@HometownChessHero]

2500 is possible, but tough due to my age and the number of underrated juniors you face in open events these days.

[@BobbyRunout_SmoothMoves]

@HometownChessHero i get the underrated juniors part - i've experienced this at my own much lower level - but what about your age is an issue - energy levels / sustaining focus for many hours? i can see getting somewhat slower at calculating with age, but is it really that much of a problem at classical time controls? and besides i'd have guessed your decades of experience would fully compensate for a moderate loss of speed. i know it's moot financially wrt making a living from tournament prizes as even most 2650+ players struggle, but it seems like it could have direct practical value in terms of commentating/lecture/simul/club league/coaching opportunitues, and also for content creator credibility/success. like, even if you were to then just retire, it seems like it would be financially worth the effort to retire at above 2500. Or am I wrong?

[@siddharthb2633]

Short answer -No for most people

[@TyrannosaurusCHEX]

With the hyperinflation of property values and cost of living crisis it is not just chess but quite a lot of jobs in general are no longer viable as a reliable source of income. In chess terms the main problem is that 90% of tournament organisers are still stuck in the 1970s when it comes to what they consider a good prize - £500 then was enough to comfortably pay your entire month's expenses and have change whereas now it's a joke, pocket change to players who are only entering tournaments at all because they are independently wealthy and don't seem to notice the massive travel costs, food costs, entry costs, accomodation costs etc now make the vast majority of tournaments a zero sum game even for winners. But, on the plus side, you get to play a game for no money and be relatively respected in the community instead of working a thankless miserable minimum wage job that also pays no money.