One of the hot topics in best-selling books these days is talent – the debate being around nature versus nurture.

Are some people born with a gift? Or is talent the result of years of training and practice?

Most scientists today seem to favor nurture over nature. Here is a study I recently came across that I thought was fascinating:

Back in the sixties a Hungarian psychologist by the name of Lazslo Polgar decided to try to prove that talent was about nurture over nature.

As chess was big in Europe at the time, Lazslo decided to see if he could disprove the notion that great chess masters (all men) had, as many people believed, some kind of unique genetic ability to recall and replay game strategies, think quickly, focus and perform under pressure. So, he advertised for a wife – someone to bear his children. His goal was to prove that he could manufacture chess “genius.”

Laszlo’s advertisement was answered by Klara, a schoolteacher from a small Hungarian town. Klara, as if to make matters interesting, gave birth to three girls. Laszlo and Klara homeschooled their children, including considerable training and encouragement as to the game of chess. Laszlo, by the way, was a mediocre chess player and Klara had never played, so there were no genetic predispositions for chess talent.

Here are the results:

The first of the three girls became the first female grand master ever. The second of the three girls became the youngest grand master ever – male or female (younger even than chess prodigy, Bobby Fischer). The third of the three girls is today the number one ranked female player in the world.

Are you persuaded by the Polgars’ experiment – which they claim proved that all excellence is nurture over nature? What if Lazslo and Klara had decided to see if they could turn their girls into world-class track stars, e.g., runners? Would their experiment have been equally successful?

A few months ago I would have answered “NO,” to that question as I believe athletic ability does have something to do with physical traits one is born with. However, now I am not so sure as I have learned about research that questions my assumption. See future e-letters for arguments about athletic ability – pro and con.

Jim Randel is the founder of The Skinny On book series. His new book, The Skinny on Talent, will be out in August.