is age related to chess?

Here are a few facts about chess and age:

• Learning young enhances probability of higher lifetime performance.
  
• Performance deteriorates with age, but not greatly.
  
• One can still become a master at the game after the age of 40.
  
• No one is ever to old to have fun playing chess.
  

Age does affect playing ability. No one over 150 has ever learned how to play chess. So start now!

is it right that you should learn more about chess even if you're too young?

yeah...people should not judge a player by his/her age..

Age does not matter.This is why chess is the greatest game ever invented!!!! A 5 year old can play an 80 year old. It is the game of the minds.It is never too late to learn if you really want to learn.Chess is the best!Chess is candy for the mind!!     SPIKEY11

wow..a 5 year old kid??that's cool..yeah..i agree,chess is the best sport for both kids and adults..lol

Remember, the great masters like Bobby Fischer was a young lad when he became a champion.Chess is the ultimate NATURAL high for all ages!!! There has been recent studies that chess is not only great for younger minds but, for older minds.Chess helps stimulate the mind (brain) if you don't excersise your mind you will lose it.This is why we need to endorse this great game to the highest level."Baseball is for a season,Chess is for Life".          SPIKEY11

great words of inspiration mate..thanks..

Good question...actually it does matter some! Most players that become chess masters learn how to play it in the age range of 4 to 7 years old. Of course you can still become a chess master if you start later than that, but the older you get, the more difficult it becomes. Also, there was a match last year called the NH Chess Tournament (also known as Rising Stars vs. Experience) in Amsterdam, Holland  between 5 of the best young Grandmasters (age range from teenagers to players in their early 20s) & 5 Grandmasters that were in the age range of ~40 to ~80 years of age. They played 50 games of 1 vs. 1. The Rising Stars team spanked the Experience team by the score of 33.5 to 16.5. They gave them 1 point for each win, .5 for each draw & 0 for each loss. They definitely taught the Experience team some chess lessons that they won't soon forget. Well, at least until they get too old too remember them.

I can agree to a point- youth have an upper hand. The young mind can think quicker,reacts faster,or shall we say crisper.I have been there just last year I was in a tournament I put  up a fight-But,the outcome was not so good for me. Those youngsters were awesome!I can say age does not matter in order to play chess- this again is what makes it so great.   SPIKEY11

I'm "old school".....but i prefer algebraic notation, I like to play the "french defense"  and sometimes i castle long, if you get my gist..... but perhaps i digress...

Same old argument youth vs experience.  If the match was  youths vs 30-50 how close it would be?  I think the ideal player will have a mix of youth and experience.

I wonder also if say you start off at say 5 what the peak age for playing ability will be on average?

The Journeyman player will always be the better player, the apprentice player will learn from the Journeyman and will one day become a Journeyman him or herself.This is called "discipleship" without it the young player will lack in all areas.                                      Spikey11 

this topic is fun...lol...

yes,

yes, i agree it also exercises young minds to become more logical...

well, while age doesnt matter, it could matter in how they play. a child could have a problem understanding and seeing the moves in possiblilities than an older person. they also have less experience to certain formations and setups. :)

yeah..that's true too...'cuz when i was still a beginner, i really had a difficulty in learning some techniques..

yup, same for me. i started when i was 6. i was ok, but i didnt understand most of the things, i only knew the basics. so...i stopped playing for about 8 years. now that i understand much more, i can understand chess much more. therefore, it is much easier for me to learn and understand this game.