Who is the oldest person ever to become Grandmaster?

Aaaagh....that list shows people born in the 1800's being given the GM title in 1951 because that year FIDE granted the title to great players of the past before they had ratings. 

What is an honorary title and why is it given?  Thanks.

He should be called a Great Grandpamaster....88 ?....double infinity ?

I'm working on it -- I'll let you all know when I make GM at age 90

LOL Oh wow, grandmaster at 88?? That is amazing!! I had a dream to be the world's chess champion, but my parents refused to help me become a very serious chess player because I had wanted to play very seriously. I gave up on playing seriously in February 1997 because my parents refused to drive me to my local chess club. I did not have my own car at the time and I did not have my own license either. When I lost a record of seven games in a row to start the chess season, I told the chess club president that I was quitting chess. He just laughed at me!! I never went back since that night. Since I knew about grandmasters when they were just teenagers, I thought about who the oldest person to become grandmaster. I saw on here that it was 88 years old!! Maybe, I can beat the record!!  I would love to be a grandmaster in chess, but I do not have the money to be tutored at all.  I guess there is hope for me to become a grandmaster after all, then.  Maybe, I can be the oldest world chess champion!!  Hehe So, you will have to wait in line, VeganMeatball!! LOL

Eugenio torre and rogelio antonio and nelso mariano of tau gamma phi / sigma

Thanks iRio, Joel Johnson

For me, I started late - my first tournament was at age 17, right after the Fischer World Championship in 1972. I was able to reach 2300 by age 23. I am currently 62 and have the time to get stronger. But, health issues can just kill any progress that could get me closer. It is a goal, but FM and IM come first. Yes, I know Ben well. He could have a GM much, much younger. He was the highest IM in the world for quite some time, as was Igor Ivanov.

GM Yuri Shabanov started playing tournament chess when he was about 27.  He didn't start becoming strong until his late 30's or early 40's.  He became a GM in 2003 at age 66.

Larry Kaufman became an IM at age 33, and a GM at 61 in 2008.

Oleg Chernikov became an IM at age 49 and a GM at 64 in 2000.

Averbakh became a GM at age 30.

I played Averbach in a simul 51 years ago. Who won, I am not telling, but the game lasted 5 moves. 

Interestingly, he played as his opening move 1 e4 on the odd boards and 1 d1 on the even boards.

He moved very fast, and completed his first moves at running pace.

People, the question is WHO IS THE OLDEST PERSON TO BECOME A GRANDMASTER, NOT WHO IS THE OLDEST GRANDMASTER?? The oldest person to ever become a grandmaster is Jacques Mieses at age 85. Here is the link:

https://www.quora.com/Who-was-the-oldest-chess-player-to-be-awarded-the-GM-title

Old masters sometimes get awarded the GM title because they won the senior master tournament. More interesting are replies that show people who got their GM norms the usual way, but just later in life. It just shows it is possible if you just love studying the game at your own pace and are not under pressure.

Great question! Oscar Shipero became a GM at the age of 74. Although it seems he wasn't the oldest.  And you're right, jk2017, it is possible if you've got the talent, confidence, commitment and discipline.  Age has nothing to do with it. It's just that few people want to commit to anything when they reach a certain age whether it's chess, exercise, diet, etc. :-(

Mieses, age 84, defeated a van Foreest, and claimed that "youth had been victorious"

Which one? Dirk, or Arnold?

Arnold died in 1954, and is the great-great-grandfather of Jorden, Lucas and Machteld. Dirk died in 1956.

Jorden is grandmaster since 2016 (age 17) and has had Elo of 2641 (in June 2018, age 19). Lucas is grandmaster since this October (age 17), and has has Elo of 2506. Machteld is 11 or so and has had Elo of 2132 (in April).

What was the peak Elo of Arnold and Dirk respectively? What was their Elo in 1950?

Hermoine2008, he is the oldest grandmaster alive, not the oldest to receive his title!

In every case, you need to develop an extremely deep understanding of chess very early in life.  Rolf Wetzell wrote the book, Chess Master At Any Age and explained how he achieved it after age 50, but he was a highly rated club-level player in his teens.

Everyone levels out, growth stops, then the slow decline begins.