So yes, you can be both smart and bad at chess. While the game does require certain cognitive abilities and problem-solving skills, there are many other factors that contribute to a person's skill at chess, and being bad at the game does not necessarily mean that a person is not intelligent.
Chess only depends on some specific talents not general IQ (e.g. memorization and pattern recognition in a very specific form). If your general IQ is high, most likely you will be a good chess player not necessarily outstanding, also if you are a chess genius, it could be that your general IQ is just average.
Chess players' performance was significantly superior in cognitive abilities such as processing speed, planning, fluid intelligence and memory than in study participants who didn't play chess.
In my experience, some people have a natural talent for chess that leads them to become much stronger players than others, given the same training. Those are the people who have a good memory and a well-developed logical-mathematical intelligence (not to be confused with general intelligence).
Most accomplished chess players would fall into the INTP or INTJ personality type. INTP is the 'Logician personality' type. It is a rare personality types making up for 3 percent of the population. INTPs see more moves ahead on a chess board and are best at end-games.
I wouldn't want to know it anyway. It might turn out to be a nasty surprise.” A few experts estimated Magnus Calsen's IQ to be around 190. Regardless of his IQ, it is no doubt that he is a chess wizard. GM Vladimir Kramnik called Magnus Carlsen a “close to genius” during the 2014 World Championship.
Howard Gardner has said that skill in playing chess draws from both the logical-mathematical and spatial intelligences, and the latter was prominent in the recent Netflix series, “The Queen's Gambit” as Beth Harmon envisioned chess moves on the ceiling.
There is some correlation between chess and intelligence, and some correlation between heredity and intelligence, but with so many environmental factors involves, the link between heredity and chess is pretty tenuous. There have been a number of strong parent/child or sibling players, but very few who were world class.
The score of Garry Kasparov's IQ was 135.
Although many sources estimate his IQ to have been between 180-190, he actually scored 135 on an IQ test he did in 1987-88. This was according to a series of tests designed to test his memory, abstract reasoning and spatial ability.
Einstein is quoted as saying: "Chess grips its exponent, shackling the mind and brain so that the inner freedom and independence of even the strongest character cannot remain unaffected."
There is no conclusive evidence that you will inherently be a good chess player if you have a high IQ. So yes, you can be both smart and bad at chess.
The Genius doesn't seek complications and thus draws quite a few games, but rarely loses. Sometimes he seems to get bored of chess, but this is actually an illusion - he cares about it more than anything. Jose Raul Capablanca (1888-1942) of Cuba, the third world champions, was a prototypical Genius.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is widely seen as the greatest writer of the English language and one of the world's most popular and esteemed playwrights. With an approximate IQ of 210, Shakespeare wrote such constantly-performed classic plays as “Romeo and Juliet,” “Hamlet” and “Macbeth”.
Nikola Tesla
Born during a lightning storm in 1856, Tesla had an IQ range from 160 to 310. He's known as the inventor of the Tesla coil and alternating current machinery.
Many chess experts believe that most top chess players peak somewhere around age 35-40. For instance, this figure is given by GM and Doctor of Science in Psychology, Nikolai Krogius.
While some can figure out the best moves without any thought process. Committment to the game decides what your final rating will be. Some people do have natural talent for certain things. It is possible that some people may find learning chess easier than others.
Overall, I would say that chess speaks for itself for most of the people I know, revealing their personalities, and the "opposites attract" situation is relatively rare. As for me, there is a direct correlation between my lifestyle in general and the way I play chess. My chess buddies used to call me "The Calculator".
Chess is often seen as a game for geniuses, with its complex strategies and deep thinking required for success. However, this notion of chess as a game for geniuses is largely a myth. In reality, chess does not necessarily make you smart, and it is not naturally tailored in favor of smart people.
Chess players do not memorize all the games. Instead, they memorize some of the games' positions, moves, and elements. Chess players have been rumored to have a photographic memory. But Viswanathan Anand said they only possess contextual memory by remembering the essential elements in the game related to moving pieces.
Chess players are good at mathematics as the game helps them to improve problem-solving skills, deep calculation, memory skills, pattern recognition, logical thinking skill, geometric skill, and analytical skills. Studies have shown a strong correlation between chess and mathematics scores.
The Genius Threshold: 130 and Beyond
While there is some debate among psychologists, a widely accepted threshold for genius IQ scores is 130 or above. This score places an individual in the top 2% of the population, making them exceptionally intelligent.
130 to 144: Moderately gifted. 145 to 159: Highly gifted. 160 to 179: Exceptionally gifted. 180 and up: Profoundly gifted.
One does not need to be a genius to play well at chess; chess is one game usually starting from the same position over and over again, where you can use opening preparations and pattern memorizations to terrific advantage. It need not be that your chess skills display your IQ.
Similar to Einstein, theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking had an estimated IQ of 160, yet it is unknown if he ever took an IQ test, according to enhancingbrain.com. According to Healthline, about 68% of people have an IQ between 85 and 115.