In a recent Match-up on chess.com, I played against a strong 2250+ player on chess.com in the time control 3 | 0.  I had some difficulty winning this game, and in fact, it was resignable for me when I blundered a piece early on. However, I continued to play and eventually went on to win the game because my opponent lost on time. 
 

Since inception of ZugZwang in 2009, I have always maintained and strongly believed that Chess helps build the 3 pillars of fluid intelligence namely critical thinking, logical reasoning, problem solving.

1. Critical Thinking

2. Logical Reasoning

3. Problem Solving

What are the main obstacles that prevent the majority of adult players to make progress at chess and reach their goals?

Lack of Motivation:

Lack of motivation, is the biggest progress stopper at chess and life alike. Many adult players are simply not motivated enough to get better at chess.