Is it possible for someone to start playing chess at a later stage in their life say for example 50 years old and still make it to Grand Master level?

Yes, there may not be many precedents but yes it is

I recommend changing your approach though. Don't set grandmaster as your goal. Start by trying to become a decent player. Once you're decent, try break 2000. When you're at 2000, move on to the next goal and so on.

But what do I know, I'm only a lowly 1500 player with less than a years experience 

I imagined that it would take quite a lot of stamina to become Grandmaster, but then I know guys over 70 that can still run pretty decent 10k times! I suppose it's all about drive and determination - something I think younger people have more of.

I would bet on "no." But that's no reason not to try. You could do a lot worse things with your life than spending it trying to master this beautiful game. Most people do!

Young brains soak up knowledge and experience differently--and better--than our older brains. But as I say, so what? What if you stall out as a Master? It will be a terrific achievement, and think of all the fun you will have had! 

There's a first time for everything. 

Probably not, because our cognitive features really get hurt past a certain age.

So how old do you think the cut off period is? 30? 40? 42?

You're an excellent example of birth being that "certain age"

Ooooh!

Ireland has no natively-born GMs. There are 1,192 GMs in the whole world and the number is declining due to new regulations. Keep that in mind.

It's not like the title MD or Judge, there aren't millions of them around the world. Only one out of every 6.5 million people is a GM, if the world has 6.5 billion people.

Still, I'd love to see some guy take up chess at age fifty and become a GM by age sixty or seventy. That would be cool. 

 Always nice to hear from that frustrated female. Btw, when is she going to get laid so we can have a new and improved tryst?

 GM Viktor Korchnoi would slap you lol.

Korchnoi only didn't become a GM until later due to some technical issues and the fact that the GM status didn't start until something like the 1950s.

Though on a pretty unrelated point, Korchnoi was not a "prodigy" in his childhood, he seemed pretty normal.

This got me thinking; who was the youngest GM?

Youngest Prodigy: Samuel Reshevsky

Youngest GM: Magnus Carlson

Youngest Expert: ?? Some 10yr old in California  

Youngest Potential: Bobby Fischer

Youngest Class C: ??? some 6yr old whos niw 20somethin and hes a NM.

So Magnus Carlson was the youngest GM.

 Yeper unless thers someone who achieved GM at 12 I don't know about.

Why?