CJKWA wrote:
Simply put, how old is too old to get good at chess?
Thanks!
the correct answer is .... very old!
How old is too old?
Sort:
Hey thanks to all who contributed positively to this thread... you're all tops and I'm very grateful.
Sunofthemorninglight wrote:
you can suck at chess at any age.
Here, here. At age 64 I still amaze myself. Sometimes at inspiration but more often at blunders 
I similarly find amazement in that aspect of my game also... routinely throw my king, queen, etc in front of a bus.
I'm really good at spotting wins for my opponent too. For example, I'll blunder and then notice... "ahuh I've just given you mate in 3 or a way to trap my queen" - its exciting waiting to see if they spot it!
It's a delicate balance between diminishing mental capacity and increasing experience.
BorgQueen wrote:
Get good? Who cares! Just play and study the game for the enjoyment of it.
Excellent suggestion.
I'm just past 30. I started last year and I study every day and I have come very far, IMO. Im aiming to get to master level OTB within...my lifetime. I think I have at least some natural talent, plus I'm embarrassed to even tell you how much I study. For example, I'm on a 2 week vacation, home alone, wife at work, and I've been studying at least 8 hours everyday.
What I'm getting at, and how I see it in my thus far limited experience, is I think that you need 2 things (to get really=IM, GM far).
a. as much natural talent as possible
b. a work ethic that would embarrass a GM.
c. And yes....age and health is the third, equally important factor. I don't think this should limit anyone, so long as they have the talent and drive.
Tomorrow I'll be 76, but I still play like a 74 year old.....amazing!
bukerchi wrote:
Tomorrow I'll be 76, but I still play like a 74 year old.....amazing!
lol! Nice!
When is old too old? Never! When the "Grim Reaper" calls my response will be "Offer you a draw!" Never "Resign".
It's never too late to improve and get better chess is exercise for the mind it's a great way to connect with people and make new friends.
I don't play chess online there's thousands of cheaters and centars in live chess and it's worse in correspondence chess so I stick to chess the old fashion way board and pieces avoids frustration and wasting time I enjoy myself and have more fun playing off the grid.
I came to grips with potential cheaters by ignoring the threat. If I'm playing against someone's chess engine, sooner or later they will be caught and banned. I also check their online play record and if they have no losses, you can avoid them by not making a first move and cancelling the game before it starts.
And if I lose to a chess engine, so what? My rating points don't mean much of anything here on chess.com except to provide an approximate playing strength match. The only rating that matters is OTB where you know your opponent is dependent upon his/her own abilities. Unlike many here, I don't live in an area with chess clubs and an abundance of OTB play, so for me, this is pretty much how I must play. And in the dozen or so games I've played so far, I have yet to find anyone I could accuse of cheating. Yes, there are some who are blocked every day, but out of how many thousands of accounts? The percentage is very small at my low rating level.