How Much I Spent On Becoming A Grandmaster

Introduction

One question that many people wonder is, 'How much does it cost to become a Chess Grandmaster?'

The reality is, back when I was playing chess, there weren't the same opportunities that there are now.

Private Coaching

For instance, I remember my mum spending at least AUD $5,000-7,500 a year on private chess coaching from late 2001 (when I started playing serious chess tournaments) to late 2013 (when I was an IM going for 2450 and beyond). That's conservatively AUD $60,000, probably more like $75,000 in reality.
I also bought a ton of chess books and magazines - I lost count, but a conservative estimate would be 2000. So that's at least another $40,000 (possibly more).

Travelling To Tournaments

Then there was the travelling to tournaments - flights, accommodation and so forth. This is hard to measure exactly, but the overseas expenses alone would have been at least $70,000, possibly more. (This includes trips after I became a Grandmaster, though I generally travelled less to overseas tournaments after I became a GM in 2016).

Add travelling expenses for Australian tournaments and we're looking at another $30,000 or so.

Non-Financial Expenses

And of course, there are expenses beyond money - there's also the time.

I spent tens of thousands of hours on my chess to the point where I earned the Grandmaster title, at the 2015 Australasian Masters GM Norm Tournament in December. True, a lot of this was playing online blitz on different chess servers (first ICC, then Playchess and later Chessdotcom).

Time Spent On 'Deliberate Practice'

But there were still another 10,000+ hours that I was spending reading chess books (often visualizing the games in my head without a board), solving chess puzzles, researching in ChessBase, analyzing games or playing training games. This calculation is based on me doing this for 2-3 hours a day since 2002, and over 4 hours a day on average since 2011 (I became a chess professional in 2012).

The Opportunity Cost

For some, there is also the opportunity cost - had I invested all this time into 'high-income' skills like marketing and sales instead, I would most likely already be in a situation of never having to work a day in my life again.

At the same time, I am very glad that I did go 'all in' on chess from the age of 8 (at least, as much as was possible from my situation in Australia, going through school and with limited financial resources).

The Best Part Of Going 'All In' On Chess

And it's not because of getting the GM title - although that is certainly a nice bonus.

It's because of the things I learned and experienced on the way to the GM title, which I probably wouldn't have learned on another path.

What Competitive Chess Teaches You

Competitive chess pushes you to your limits, and forces you to find some strength within yourself that, possibly, you didn't know you had.

It forces you to be adaptable and find ways to overcome unique struggles and challenges.

What Others Don't Get About Chess Mastery

The journey of chess mastery teaches you things you can't learn just by reading books, taking courses or staying in your comfort zone.

And this is what makes it sometimes difficult to express just how powerful the transformation is on the road to chess master. Because you can't really get it until you've actually experienced it.

What Does This Mean For You?

I know from my experience, it wasn't until I had coaches explain certain things to me, that I realized that all my experiences in chess were just preparing me to help thousands of people achieve their dreams in chess.

So that, when others are having the same mental blocks that I had as a teenager, trying to become a master, I would be the one to hear out those challenges, understand them, and show a better way than what was available for me as a youth.

The True Cost Of Mastering Chess

So, how much will it cost for you to become a chess master?

The answer could be, nowhere near as much as it cost me.

What I Didn't Know At The Time...

The journey nearly cost me my health, happiness, confidence and optimism, because I didn't know then what I know now.

What's worse than never becoming a chess master?

Becoming a chess master, only to realize that it's not some 'magic pill' that makes everything perfect in your life, and that you could have got there without giving up all the other great things that make life special and joyful.

There's A Better Way...

I'd love to give you BOTH - to be able to play like a chess master, beat chess masters, win tournaments, AND enjoy the process and save you a whole lot of pain and suffering along the way (that I went through, because I didn't know any better).

However, you also have to be ready to receive it.

How To Get Ready

And that requires putting one's ego aside and realizing that maybe, there's a better way.

That while your current thinking and actions got you to this level, maybe they're also what is holding you back from the next level.

My Offer To You

If you're open to a better way, and are ready to receive it, message me privately by clicking here.