[Shandrax]

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Most Grand Masters that I've met seem to border more on savant or rain man kind of mind sets. They are so focused on one particular thing, that they have difficulty putting other complex problems together (generally speaking of course).

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Good post. That's the thing about just analytical thinking. It may look great, but in the end it just serves to annoy the ignorant.

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No clue what sort of GMs the above poster knows, I know quite a lot and the absolute majority are normal people. The only real weirdo I can think of is Epishin.

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This said, I don't think you can't become a real top chess player without being a great strategist ( as well as a very good analytical aptitude).

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To become a real chess player you need a good teacher (GM if possible) and you must have certain abilities: You must be able to play blindfold, you must be a fast thinker, you must have an excellent memory, you must have a love for the game and last but not least, you must have the killer insinct.

If you are lacking a single one of these attributes, you will barely make it to FM level.

Funny, but it's possible that the same goes for poker.