12 Year Old Skill Increase
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I've seen it in School Team where upto under 11 team is very weak; but under 13 is strong. I think in Chess 13 year should be treated as adult!
Children absorb lots of information. The most information is learned at the beginning of a subject. Is this increase based on age or novelty of information?
Sep 22, 2017
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#5
Ages 9 or 10 to 15 are the years for rapid improvement in chess. I think 12 to 15 are particularly critical for young players at the highest level. This may sound disheartening to older teens and adults, but it's also encouraging for those who are not already beating the world at age 8. Did you know that no boy has every won an U8, U10 or U12 world championship and gone on to become an adult world champion? Carlsen's best finish was 2nd in the U12 category.
When I first started chess (at 12), I took a turn for the worst. My blitz rating hit a rock bottom 590 before I went up a little. But by the next year I got up to 1500 USCF rated and 1700 online. With no coach at all. Since that happened 2 years ago, I've edged up to 1800 USCF but not made such a huge skill increase, and I don't expect to at all.
Anyways, this thread truly isn't a bragging thread, It is aimed to discuss something I noticed in alot of my friends: what I call the 12 year old increase. It happened to a load of my friends:
a 1100 went to 1500
a 1400 went to 1700
a 1600 went to 1800
a 1400 went to 1600
a 1600 went to 1900 (and is still going fast)
I think a brain development around 12 1/2 years of age impacts skill increasage. I don't know if this is so, but it's interesting. And i've seen it about 6 or 7 of my friends around this age range. I don't quite know why my growth was so damn huge, because I didn't know how to castle, and 12 months later I'm 1500 skill no coach, just playing my heart out on chess.com (old account btw). Has anyone experienced this kind growth? or seen others? Also does anyone think this theory of mine is correct or wrong? Please discuss.