To the extent that chess players can really be considered geniuses, it seems like a horrendous waste of genius.
By using a subject that was well-known, widely available, cheap and popular, and very well-measured, he increased his chances of achieving his goal - convincing the world that his methods would get results out of bright kids so good that they would appear as geniuses to the world at large. He seems to have wildly succeeded, and the world just kinda shrugged.
Don't fret, my comment was not meant for you.