Wasted talent?

[JamesMurphy]

I'd recommend you check out a couple of excellent books by Mark Dvoretsky and Artur Yusupov, two of the world's top trainers based in Russia. They run the National Russian Chess School aimed at training talented youngsters. They have several books that I know of that helped me a lot after an 8-year break:-

• School of Future Champions Series
• Think like a Grandmaster
• Play like a Grandmaster
• Training for the Tournament Player

There's also another excellent book by Jonathan TIsdall called Improve your Chess Now

If you read through Think like a Grandmaster especially you'll find some excellent techniques such as Tree of Analysis, deciding on a plan from the opening and how to approach the middlegame.

I would also recommend Aaron Nimzowitsch's book My System which teaches players fundamental facets of chess positions and chess principles.

Anyway back to the topic, not all youngsters are fortunate enough to be able to choose a career of solely chess.

• It is a huge financial risk to do so and if things don't go to plan and the hard work doesn't pay off you could end up being incredibly unhappy.
• Chess isn't particularly well funded as it is so without also being an author and selling books on the side or endorsing a product (as Kasparov did) it is difficult to make a living (even for top players).
• It is a much safer bet if you are a talented youngster to concentrate on your academic studies and then return to chess at a later stage in life, especially if you weren't fortunate enough to have started at an early age (I started at the age of 8 / nearly 9 - which I felt in comparison with top peers was too late).
• Without the proper support from IMs, GMs you may never be able to imagine your potential.

[JustinHorton]

There's also another excellent book by a British GM called Improve your Chess Now

Jonathan Tisdall is and has been many things, but never British.

[JamesMurphy]

Ah apologies, my mistake I'd forgotten who the author was. Anyway off-point...