how old is too old for GM?

we know plenty of patzers who think they can become GM in 5 years from their basement. I am not asking about those But Im wondering where people think the borderline cases are

. if a 20 year old 2000 player who displays some talent who wants to be an IM or GM, or a a 2200 at 25, or an 1800 at 16. Would you say its already too late? we are assuming here the financial resources and dedication to go about the attempt to proper way. where can one draw the line and say, "it is objectively too late"

 

 

The most important things for explosive chess growth are dedication/diligence/motivation/ and proper guidance.  The rest comes down to natural abilities, personality, and available free time.  Creative, competitive risk-takers who enjoy challenges and have a lot of free time are the prime candidates 
Persistent objective highly-critical self-analysis is also crucial.  The humble student learns the fastest as he is prepared to learn the most.  

i am yet 1353 in  fide i dont play tournaments ,now  i am 20  and confused about chess

I would say you should be a GM by 22 or nothing.

You could platy big cash prize opens though

He or she would have enough financial resources to study chess 10 hours a day for 10 years... It would entail forsaking his professional life, social life, family, freetime... It would be a too high price to pay. But I think that having all resources, motivation and mental health anyone bellow 40 could do this.

Yeah, if anyone says they'll be a GM in 5 years sitting in their basement they aren't worth talking to.

I, on the other hand, will be world champ (at least) in about 2 and a half years from now from only practising in my PARENTS basement.



Okay jokes aside, as to your main question, I'm not the best chess player by far (I'm stills beginner, and a poor beginner at that) but here's my two sense-

If there 1800 at 16 I would think they could make it. I guess it depends on the person and weather they're stuck at 1800 or still improving.

For a 20 year old 2000 I would say they'll struggle greatly to become a GM. They very well might become a master of some sort, but I'd say GM may be a bridge too far- again it depends. I have the same answer for 2200 at 25.

I think your over estimating the strength of a 1800, im 13 and around 1700 USCF but I really don't think I have a chance at GM, maybe other titles of course though.

GM's that STARTED chess at your age exist you know. It's statistically unlikely for virtually anyone but you are exaggerating the difficulty a bit with that attitude.

GM Thorsten Haub from Germany was 46-47 when he made the GM norm.. To be fair he was rated 2300-2500 for ages before he made the GM norm in 2015. 

There are various examples, where strong players have been able to push their rating 100-200 points even at an older age, assuming they weren't already 2500+ before. If you are 2300, I'd say you could still become a GM one day if you are less than 40 years old. Perhaps even older one, if you do really well in some senior championship. I personally of course have no idea how to do it (being a patzer myself), but this is based on articles and examples I've read about strong chess players clinching titles at an older age. The story of Andrzej Krzywda is a great example. He is a 38 year old chess player, who had been around 2100 for a long time and then decided to work really hard for improvement. In less than 3 years he managed to push his rating to 2300, scored his first IM norm and received the CM title. And he isn't going to stop there. Jens Kristiansen scored his IM title at the age of 27, but it took him 33 long years to make it to a GM at age of 60. Alexei Gavrilov scored his first and only GM title just 10 years younger, at the age of 50!

Of course these are fairly rare cases, but there are many players who received their title at an older age. And as long as there are examples, it is proven that if a player can improve at the age of 40 (or even higher), then technically anyone who can make it to 2000 before that has at least a chance of making it to the master level, probably not GM, but maybe IM, FM or NM. And anyone who is already a titled player could climb to a higher level regardless of age.

Statistically, it's extraordinarily rare (bordering on unicorn sighting rare) for someone to become a GM if they start late. But, statistics are only part of the story. If a talented player is truly dedicated and has the time and energy to spare, it may be possible to become a GM even later in life. 

As people age, their ability to calculate drops off. This happens in the early to mid 40s. This is often compensated by a greater "global" understanding. Another issue is that retention is also more difficult as the brain gets older. This means that whereas a gifted learner may have only needed two repetitions (the usual is seven repetitions) to learn a new skill, an older learner will need more. Becoming a GM becomes exponentially harder as people get older. 

But these are generalities. There may be an outlier who can defy age. Tom Brady appears to defy age in American football, and Wilt Chamberlain was still a world class athlete when he was 50. Maybe you can become the next player to earn a GM title after the age of 50?

There are many examples :

GM Aagaard - He was 1700 at the age of 18

GM John Shaw - Same as Aagaard

GM jonathan hawkins - was 1700 when he started university (now he is almost 2600 *2590)

GM Igors Rausis - got his highest ever rating (2651 and top 100 as well) this year (2018) at age 57

IM Eric Kislik - got his first ever rating at age 20 and made it up to IM while having a full time job.

GM Maurice Ashley - barely knew how the pieces moved at age 15

So I think there is no point in buying into this age stuff which, basically , is a myth spread by idoits like "SmyslovFan". These people have no goals in their lives ( rather than jackin' off to spongebob) and spread negativity and discourage other people to do someting.

If you are dedicated to do hardwork and have love for the game there is nothing that's gonna stop you from becoming GM and beyond.

My best wishes 

 

 

I think it's more a matter of time and dedication than anything else.  Youngsters have time to devote to learning the game, and weekends which can be spent playing tournaments.  For an adult with a day job (presumably), just finding the time to devote to playing tournaments where IM/GM Norms can be earned is difficult.

 

In terms of learning new things, it is never too late, but becoming a GM for just about anyone takes a large investment of time.  I know plenty of older players who have improved markedly as soon as they hit retirement simply because they can suddenly play more and study/analyze in greater detail.

 

Based on my own experience, I don't really buy the "mental sharpness/retention declines with age" argument either.  Unless the player has an actual neurological disorder, sharpness & memory tends to be strong as long as it is utilized and relied upon.

I hope you're right about Krzywda but I suspect his absolutely disastrous result in his last tournament could be a sign that he's in over his head. People are celebrating his accomplishment before he's even done it. Nobody ever proved anything by saying what they are "going to" do.

I am 14 years old and my FIDE rating in Azerbaijan was 1250, but now i came to America, and basically my score just has been erased from existing, but my ability to play didn't. Can someone give me an advise how to restart my chess carrier in US?

 

The only thing I care about is achieving NM, and I am rated one point north of 2000 USCF right now with two months to go before my twentieth birthday. I'm sure it's possible, but the many little kids who slowly pass even relative youngsters like me on the rating lists and get titles while I'm stuck in a range like this is very disheartening.

I am also 1700 fide, and am always looking for ways to work. im 14, not 13, but i was wondering how you would recommend improving, if not blitz. I am working through zurich international 1953, but that is not serious. i am very busy, with a social life outside chess, school, and xc, as well as other sports. i have maybe 30 min to an hour each day max

thoughts?

 

i meant my studing of it

i am just reading teh games mostly for enjoyment

like a novel