> We're talking about making it your full-time job for at least 10 years. Yes, that's how hard it is. Very true An uncle of mine is a state chess champion in

> We're talking about making it your full-time job for at least 10 years. Yes, that's how hard it is. Very true An uncle of mine is a state chess champion in India, has often reached national level, but finds it hard to compete for this reason. He says most people who play and win at national level have sponsorships--so they practice chess full time. So its hard to even become a national level player without doing this either full time, for for many many decades (decades, not years)