At what point should you start thinking about quitting chess? When your win:loss ratio is bad, and if so how bad? When your rating drops to a certain point, and what point? Or if you just don't feel like you're improving?
And please don't give any limp-wristed answers "you should never quit" or anything those lines because it doesn't actually answer the question.
You can quit whenever you feel like it. I feel like quitting doesn't have to do with your level of play but rather if you have time for it. I would suggest if you like chess to never quit unless you stop having time for it (ie academic studies, sports, priorities in life, etc...). However, I would say that reaching title level (NM, CM, FM,) would be a life accomplishment and I personally would stop there. IM and GM require "norms", while the others only require rating I believe so it is feasible but for me it is just a hobby. Hopefully that answers your question. Also, you mentioned losing a lot and stopping improving. I wouldn't quit chess because of those reasons, because if you don't quit you will get better!
Edit:
@CrassJack I'm so terrible I think the same thing all the time. IDK, do what I'm doing and drill the fundamentals. I wonder if it would be worth it to take lessons, but is there a point where noobs should just give up?
Im a noob at 1400. It depends on you. Do you want to play for fun, or to improve and learn? I recently just started lessons as I wanted to you know at least pass 1500 (average rating on lichess rapid).
@Regicide82This is like anything else in life. Do it however much or however infrequently you want. If it's not fun, don't do it. If you only care about results and you can't get the results you want, and you don't think you'd enjoy the work needed to get those results, then you're not gonna have fun
I don't think people who don't improve should have to quit chess, they can do what they please. For the record, improvement is very hard and for someone who isn't new and isn't very young, it's normal to have a very hard time improving (although that doesn't stop a lot of people from wrongly thinking they're improving when they're not)
I think this is a deeply personal question that there will be many perspectives on.
For me, I figure the point I put down the game will be when I stop enjoying it or it becomes a detriment to my wellbeing. I don't make money playing chess, and me playing chess isn't directly contributing to some altruistic cause to a degree I'd stake my time or health on. Having said that, if the passion for the game exists, I wouldn't consider quitting outright. I've taken breaks and come back, but I consider losing a learning opportunity, not a bad thing. Even when I was five and played like an absolute patzer, I still had a lot of fun with it. If I'm no longer improving, that's more a reflection on my mindset or methodology than chess itself, so I'd probably look inward at that point and address the issue rather than quit.
As for when others should put down the game... Whenever they feel like it. There's no right or wrong answer.
I agree.
Why would anyone ever want to do anything else?
If you're playing chess, just to climb and increase rating, I would seriously consider quitting. Playing chess should be like any other hobby, it should be done for fun and thus, once it starts being fun... there's no longer any need to play.
Your win/loss ratio shouldn't matter. In the long-run, it should eventually peter down to 50% as you get placed in your proper rating bracket. I stopped player competitively once there was too much pressure and I wasn't having fun. Could I have gotten FM? Probably. Would it have been worth the time and punishment? Definitely not.
Play chess because it's fun. If it's not, stop.
