--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To become a chess grandmaster also seems…" description: "\"“To become a chess grandmaster also seems to take about ten years. (Only the legendary Bobby Fischer got to that elite level in less than that amount o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/malcolm-gladwell-348_chess_to-become-a-chess-grandmaster-also-seems_1849215.png" --- # To become a chess grandmaster also seems to take about ten… ![“To become a chess grandmaster also seems to take about ten years. (Only the legendary Bobby Fischer got to that elite level in less than that amount of time: it took him nine years.) And what’s ten years? Well, it’s roughly how long it takes to put in ten thousand hours of hard practice. Ten…” quote by Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/malcolm-gladwell-348_chess_to-become-a-chess-grandmaster-also-seems_1849215.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/malcolm-gladwell-348_chess_to-become-a-chess-grandmaster-also-seems_1849215.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/malcolm-gladwell-348_chess_to-become-a-chess-grandmaster-also-seems_1849215.png) > ““To become a chess grandmaster also seems to take about ten years. (Only the legendary Bobby Fischer got to that elite level in less than that amount of time: it took him nine years.) And what’s ten years? Well, it’s roughly how long it takes to put in ten thousand hours of hard practice. Ten thousand hours is the magic number of greatness.”” [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Greatness often requires roughly ten years of focused, deliberate practice, about ten thousand hours, to reach elite levels. **In simple terms:** Excellence needs about ten thousand hours of practice. Key Takeaway Commit to consistent, purposeful practice. Themes practice deliberate effort mastery time achievement Mood determined inspirational realistic Type advice motivational educational When to use this quote - learning a musical instrument - training for sports - career advancement - academic research - language fluency Key Concepts 10‑hour rule skill acquisition expertise development Questions to Reflect On - How can you structure your practice to maximize learning? - What factors beyond hours influence mastery? A Different Perspective Not all fields follow the ten‑thousand‑hour rule; innate talent and opportunity also matter. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bobby Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bobby-fischer/) [Chess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chess/) [Chess Grandmaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chess-grandmaster-2413648/) [Grandmaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandmaster-2255795/) [Grandmaster Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandmaster-years-2413647/) [Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) [Hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours/) [Legendary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legendary/) [Levels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/levels/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic/) [Nine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nine/) [Nine years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nine-years/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Ten Thousand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ten-thousand/) [Ten years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ten-years/) [Thousand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [No Chess Grandmaster is normal; they only differ in the extent of their madness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-korchnoi/no-chess-grandmaster-is-normal-they-only-differ-in-the-extent-of/) [Viktor Korchnoi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-korchnoi/) > [When I was 15, I became the youngest grandmaster in the world, breaking the record set by Bobby Fischer more than three decades earlier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judit-polgar/when-i-was-15-i-became-the-youngest-grandmaster-in-the-world-breaking/) [Judit Polgar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judit-polgar/) > [“10,000 hour” rule. The rule’s premise is that, regardless of whether one has an innate aptitude for an activity or not, mastery of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/10-000-hour-rule-the-rule-s-premise-is-that-regardless-of-whether-one-2/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [I don't think the computer will win the Booker, but no-one ever expected a computer to beat a chess grandmaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/i-don-t-think-the-computer-will-win-the-booker-but-no-one-ever/) [Alastair Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/) > [“The idea that excellence at performing a complex task requires a critical minimum level of practice surfaces again and again in studies of expertise.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-idea-that-excellence-at-performing-a-complex-task-requires-a/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The 10,000-hours rule says that if you look at any kind of cognitively complex field, from playing chess to being a neurosurgeon, we see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-10-000-hours-rule-says-that-if-you-look-at-any-kind-of/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“Well, it’s roughly how long it takes to put in ten thousand hours of hard practice. Ten thousand hours is the magic number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/well-it-s-roughly-how-long-it-takes-to-put-in-ten-thousand-hours-of/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“Ten thousand hours is the magic number of greatness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/ten-thousand-hours-is-the-magic-number-of-greatness/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [It takes ten thousand hours to truly master anything. Time spent leads to experience; experience leads to proficiency; and the more proficient you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/it-takes-ten-thousand-hours-to-truly-master-anything-time-spent-leads/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [In fact, researchers have settled on what they believe is the magic number for true expertise: ten thousand hours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/in-fact-researchers-have-settled-on-what-they-believe-is-the-magic/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [Nowadays, when you're not a grandmaster at 14, you can forget about it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viswanathan-anand/nowadays-when-you-re-not-a-grandmaster-at-14-you-can-forget-about-it/) [Viswanathan Anand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viswanathan-anand/) > [I didn't picture myself as even a grandmaster, to say nothing of aspiring to the chess crown. This was not because I was timid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-karpov/i-didn-t-picture-myself-as-even-a-grandmaster-to-say-nothing-of/) [Anatoly Karpov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-karpov/) > [Can you imagine Grandmaster Flash on a laptop?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-oakenfold/can-you-imagine-grandmaster-flash-on-a-laptop/) [Paul Oakenfold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-oakenfold/) > [I love watching Samuel L. Jackson do anything, but for me, Gary Oldman is the grandmaster of the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-love-watching-samuel-l-jackson-do-anything-but-for-me-gary-oldman/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [Ultimately, what separates a winner from a loser at the grandmaster level is the willingness to do the unthinkable. A brilliant strategy is, certainly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-kasparov/ultimately-what-separates-a-winner-from-a-loser-at-the-grandmaster/) [Garry Kasparov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-kasparov/) ## More by Malcolm Gladwell > [When I go to my health club, and it's in the basement, you have to take the elevator down. And this drives me crazy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/when-i-go-to-my-health-club-and-it-s-in-the-basement-you-have-to-take/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-tipping-point-is-that-magic-moment-when-an-idea-trend-or-social/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“The scholars who research happiness suggest that more money stops making people happier at a family income of around seventy-five thousand dollars a year.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-scholars-who-research-happiness-suggest-that-more-money-stops/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [We need to be clear when we venerate entrepreneurs what we are venerating.They are not moral leaders. If they were moral leaders, they wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/we-need-to-be-clear-when-we-venerate-entrepreneurs-what-we-are/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“Some people look like they sound better than they actually sound, because they look confident and have good posture," once musician, a veteran of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/some-people-look-like-they-sound-better-than-they-actually-sound/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [A handicap is like trying to race and you have a ten pound weight stuck to your waist. That is a handicap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/a-handicap-is-like-trying-to-race-and-you-have-a-ten-pound-weight/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“neighborhood was filled with engineers from Hewlett-Packard, then as now one of”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/neighborhood-was-filled-with-engineers-from-hewlett-packard-then-as/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“People are ruined by challenged economic lives. But they are ruined by wealth as well because they lose their ambition and they lose their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/people-are-ruined-by-challenged-economic-lives-but-they-are-ruined-by/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The single most important thing a city can do is provide a community where interesting, smart people want to live with their families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-single-most-important-thing-a-city-can-do-is-provide-a-community/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [ \[Norden\] said, with the Mark 15 Norden bombsight, he could drop a bomb into a pickle barrel at 20,000 feet. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/norden-said-with-the-mark-15-norden-bombsight-he-could-drop-a-bomb/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The willingness to be self-critical in England is much greater than the willingness to be self-critical in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-willingness-to-be-self-critical-in-england-is-much-greater-than/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The conventional explanation for Jewish success, of course, is that Jews come from a literate, intellectual culture. They are famously "the people of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-conventional-explanation-for-jewish-success-of-course-is-that/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“An archway to one side leads to a church, the Madonna del Carmine—Our Lady of Mount Carmine. Narrow”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/an-archway-to-one-side-leads-to-a-church-the-madonna-del-carmine-our/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [People are experience-rich and theory-poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/people-are-experience-rich-and-theory-poor/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“Most psychologists believe that nature—genetics—accounts for about half of the reason why we tend to act the way we do. His point is simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/most-psychologists-believe-that-nature-genetics-accounts-for-about/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) [Explore all 647 Malcolm Gladwell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) ## More Chess quotes > [I have known many chess players, but among them there has been only one genius - Capablanca!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emanuel-lasker/i-have-known-many-chess-players-but-among-them-there-has-been-only/) [Emanuel Lasker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emanuel-lasker/) > [Real chessplayers think about chess more or less 24 hours a day. It is a passion and a fate that one has to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simen-agdestein/real-chessplayers-think-about-chess-more-or-less-24-hours-a-day-it-is/) [Simen Agdestein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simen-agdestein/) > [It's interesting that the greatest minds of computer science, the founding fathers, like Alan Turing and Claude Shannon and Norbert Wiener, they all looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-kasparov/it-s-interesting-that-the-greatest-minds-of-computer-science-the/) [Garry Kasparov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-kasparov/) > [“Relationships are chess for women," he said. "They can see the whole board, plan way ahead. They're the queens, after all. We're the kings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-lippman/relationships-are-chess-for-women-he-said-they-can-see-the-whole/) [Laura Lippman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-lippman/) > [The election of Trump threw the chess board up. The pieces are all over the place. That's upsetting to a lot of people, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-rubin/the-election-of-trump-threw-the-chess-board-up-the-pieces-are-all/) [Dave Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-rubin/) > [Playing for complications is an extreme measure that a player should adopt only when he cannot find a clear and logical plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-alekhine/playing-for-complications-is-an-extreme-measure-that-a-player-should/) [Alexander Alekhine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-alekhine/) > [“the shadows. “Why do you think they invented chess?” “He’s got you there,” said the captain, following Fletcher. Jake jogged slightly to catch up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-blake/the-shadows-why-do-you-think-they-invented-chess-he-s-got-you-there/) [Russell Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-blake/) > [ \[Photographer Julian Wasser\] had this great idea that I should play chess naked with Marcel Duchamp and it seem to be such a great… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-babitz/photographer-julian-wasser-had-this-great-idea-that-i-should-play/) [Eve Babitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-babitz/) > [Chess is a good mistress but a bad master.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-abrahams/chess-is-a-good-mistress-but-a-bad-master/) [Gerald Abrahams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-abrahams/) > [I am not some sort of freak. I might be very good at chess but I'm just a normal person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magnus-carlsen/i-am-not-some-sort-of-freak-i-might-be-very-good-at-chess-but-i-m/) [Magnus Carlsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magnus-carlsen/) > [Some sacrifices are sound; the rest are mine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-tal/some-sacrifices-are-sound-the-rest-are-mine/) [Mikhail Tal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-tal/) > [My parents were very supportive of my chess. When I got home after a game of chess, having missed school or something, they always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viswanathan-anand/my-parents-were-very-supportive-of-my-chess-when-i-got-home-after-a/) [Viswanathan Anand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viswanathan-anand/) > [Amberley excelled at chess - a mark, Watson, of a scheming mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/amberley-excelled-at-chess-a-mark-watson-of-a-scheming-mind/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [In high school, my sister went out with the captain of the chess team. My parents loved him... They figured that any guy that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kiley/in-high-school-my-sister-went-out-with-the-captain-of-the-chess-team/) [Brian Kiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-kiley/) > [The King is a fighting piece. Use it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-steinitz/the-king-is-a-fighting-piece-use-it/) [Wilhelm Steinitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-steinitz/) [Browse all 2,003 Chess quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chess/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“To become a chess grandmaster also seems to take about ten years. (Only the legendary Bobby Fischer got to that elite level in less than that amount of time: it took him nine years.) And what’s ten years? Well, it’s roughly how long it takes to put in ten thousand hours of hard practice. Ten thousand hours is the magic number of greatness.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Malcolm Gladwell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/to-become-a-chess-grandmaster-also-seems-to-take-about-ten-years-only/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chess" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/to-become-a-chess-grandmaster-also-seems-to-take-about-ten-years-only/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/malcolm-gladwell-348_chess_to-become-a-chess-grandmaster-also-seems_1849215.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/malcolm-gladwell-348_chess_to-become-a-chess-grandmaster-also-seems_1849215.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/malcolm-gladwell-348_chess_to-become-a-chess-grandmaster-also-seems_1849215.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To become a chess grandmaster also seems to take about ten years. (Only the legendary Bobby Fischer got to…” — Malcolm Gladwell", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Malcolm Gladwell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“To become a chess grandmaster also...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/to-become-a-chess-grandmaster-also-seems-to-take-about-ten-years-only/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/to-become-a-chess-grandmaster-also-seems-to-take-about-ten-years-only/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```