A better Ron Weasley?

[Henry Persico]

Inside the HP world there is a lot of ground to improve whatever you want. And sadly the lack of originality makes the 85% of the new stories in FFN. You can make Ron a genius tactician if you want, and with a solid characterization, it'll be believable. Being the Kasparov of the Magical World doesn't make Ron an Alexander the Great. And like CheddarTrek comented, the world of HP doesn't seem to rely on tactical warfare. I remember "Guerilla Potter" from DisobedienceWriter to be a nice example of what could be an organizated response to Voldemort's threat. Regrettably he tends to write too much Dumbledore bashing. You can give Ron other skills though.

There is an issue that I don't particularly share.

Originally Posted by NoxedSalvation

the author would have to get rid of his whole canon characterization to produce a likeable and competent Ron Weasley, resulting in an OC wearing Ron's physical body.

From the start, if you are writing something about the HP series and you're not J.K Rowling, every character would be OC.
Where's the need to make your character canonish? Canon limits are known by everyone and you make the story predictable if you follow that path.

[Dark Minion]

Here is another variant of changing Ron for... erm... 'the better'?

It's definitely a different Ron. Though I prefer canon!Ron over this version.

[yak]

Sree was wondering about "Ron: Master Strategist?" way back in 2005. https://forums.darklordpotter.net/showthread.php?t=51

[Jormungandr]

Huh...was Molly wanting a girl canon or fanon? If so, would Ginny even be born if "Ron" had been born a girl?

[Perspicacity]

For what it's worth, here's another take on Ron the Chess Master.

[serenadeofhatred]

Huh...was Molly wanting a girl canon or fanon? If so, would Ginny even be born if "Ron" had been born a girl?

In DH, The Horcrux tells Ron that he was the least favorite in the family, as his Mom had been sick of having boys and wanted a girl. As it was feeding off his negative thoughts, I'd imagine that is just Ron's Inferiority complex.

[Ph34r_n0_3V1L]

There was a story that I read a long time ago that had Harry noticing Ron's gift for chess and then pointing out that people in the normal world can make a living from it. Cue Ron going to Chess camps and making a go on the pro circuit.

On another note, why do people think that Ron is actually good at chess in the first place? In the Wizarding World, chess seems to be just a past time. I remember when I was a kid learning chess from my dad and thinking I was hot shit for beating him, but then I went to a high school where my chem teacher was a International Master. No surprise: I discovered that I sucked. I figure it's the same with Ron; he's a great casual player, but it's doubtful that he's truly amazing.

[Red Aviary]

Originally Posted by Ph34r_n0_3V1L

On another note, why do people think that Ron is actually good at chess in the first place?

Well he beat McGonagall's chess test in the first book. Presumably it was difficult, considering it was meant to guard a powerful and dangerous magical artifact.

[Ph34r_n0_3V1L]

I'm pretty sure that the defenses were designed around trapping a thief at the end, not making it difficult to get there. Otherwise, the Cerberus would be deaf, none of the keys would work for the door, the chess pieces would cheat, and all of the drinks would be poisonous. The mirror was the only real defense, which is how 3 first years made it all the way through. Also, we have no sign that McGonagall is any good at chess either.

[Wildfeather]

Originally Posted by Ph34r_n0_3V1L

I'm pretty sure that the defenses were designed around trapping a thief at the end, not making it difficult to get there. Otherwise, the Cerberus would be deaf, none of the keys would work for the door, the chess pieces would cheat, and all of the drinks would be poisonous. The mirror was the only real defense, which is how 3 first years made it all the way through. Also, we have no sign that McGonagall is any good at chess either.

We have no sign she isn't either, except the fact that when asked to construct a defense she chose to create one in the form of a chess match. That seems to indicate she was confident in her ability to charm a game that would be so tough an opponent wouldn't be able to get through it.

Similarly, if you make them impossible to get through, you'd have no way of retrieving it yourself, or knowing if your protections had been beaten.