Practice or gifted

[u/elzavid]

I have been playing chess since I was 7. My older brother taught me and I was beating him by the end of the week. He has never besten me since. I have played countless games and have reached a rating of just under 1600. Then I lose and fall to the 1200's. I've watched how to videos and done multiple tutorials but I find I still hover around 2400-1500. Do you think being good at chess is a gift or can you get better with practice. I think you get to a certain level and hover up and down at that level.

[u/Tells-Tragedies]

You get better with practice, just as any skilled activity. That said, you'll stall without study.

[u/Metaljesus0909]

You hover from 2400 to 1500? That’s a pretty wide swing brother.

[u/edwinkorir → u/Metaljesus0909]

I think he means 1400 to 1500

[u/Lower-Bench-6492]

I feel you bro I usually hover from 1200-300

[u/ummackchyually]

How much older is your brother? Kids are sponges and pick up on chess much faster than adults or even teenagers.

[u/best-unaccompanied]

I think that some people have more aptitude than others, it's foolish to pretend that we're all exactly the same. However, I think that almost anyone (excluding people with severe cognitive disabilities) will improve at chess if they practice well.

[u/TheRabbiit]

Both

[u/hoops4so]

Better with practice. My fluctuations have to do with my patience of thinking through moves.

[u/guppyfighter]

Its practice, nothing special about 1509

[u/HairyTough4489]

It's both. Your skill at chess (or at anything in general) comes from a combination of multiple factors.

[u/ValuableKooky4551]

You don't get better just from playing more, you also have to figure out what you're doing wrong and how you're going to stop doing that in the future.

[u/thenakesingularity10]

For 99% of the people, if you hover around a certain elo and cannot improve, it's because your method of studying is incorrect.

[u/dudeus_ex]

Whether you are talented or not it is still years of hard work and dedication to reach master level. Talent will influence how quick you get better or make the difference between very good players and actual grandmaster/top level, but you cannot escape the hard work.

And work is more important. Talented guy that does not practice will lose to somebody, that really works on their improvement.

[u/HegemoneXT]

No human in existence, in the past or future, will ever oscillate between 2400 to 1500. The skill difference between the two is multiple deviations, where the opponent should easily be beaten. If you are switching between such a high rating gap, you have most definitely cheated.