How old can you be, and still be able to improve in chess?

I'm entirely unsure how you got that conclussion from my answer.

The answer is a qualified yes. IF one has not already spent a great deal of time studying the topic, then improvement is possible through the accumulation of small advantages, such as the development of knew habits or the acquisition of general knowledge. That said, past the mid-20s true mastery will not be achieved because the ability of the brain to form really large sets of new connections is decreased. There are biological reasons why adult learners actually have to employ different learning strategies than younger students: their brains physically work differently at the biological level. 

That said, if the person has spent signfiicant time in study, and has achieved and plateaued at a level of performance that would be considered mastery of the skill, then statistically signficant improvement just isn't going to happen. And that is in large part because the spike-timing dependent plasticity impact on neural connections will have basically cemented certain thought patterns and processes within the brain. 

I'm  not talking about peak creativity. I'm talking about the physical ability of the brain to grow new hebbian connections. 

A 20-something adult who has played the game seriously for 8 years and is a 1600 player is not going to become a GM. And the issue isn't the time they have to spend on the game.  The issue is just how the brain works. However, that person may still realistically improve a class and sometimes. So setting a goal of getting to 1800 isn't completely insane. But they shouldn't expect much more than that.  A 20-something who has never played the game and starts up learning it seriously, can also expect to achieve a high amateur class level of play, but they also will never be a GM. 

it has less to do with your age and the health of your brain. everyone says true inprovements are impossible unless you start at a young age, but naysayers bw damned! so, if you invested in your future, and are healthy, you could be the next polgar!

If you enjoy the game it doesn,t really matter.

I am 67 and like you have returned to chess as a way to keep my brain active.  I know I can improve because right now I am very rusty as far as chess is concerned.  You should do whatever you want to enjoy life no matter what it is.  Most of all ignore the idiots of the world, they will someday be facing the same issues we have.

@Bishod may be rude when speaking to older people - but they may well have the last laugh, as they attend his funeral. One never knows...

I guess they won't, you know?

Being in idiot is not necessarily a guarantee for a long life... :-)

Too old to become a grandmaster?

Was Magnus Carlsen born to be a great chess player or did it just happen by chance?

Is your understanding of the world materialistic (temporary) or spiritual (permanent)?

Is your life over at seventy or do you keep your dreams alive? What if you can be anything you want?

To be a successful chess grandmaster you need to develop certain qualities such as composure (ability to function under stress), ability to concentrate and avoid distraction, clarity of mind, be uninfluenced by situations and the vibration and thoughts of others, perseverance.

The tool to develop such qualities is meditation and introspection, getting to know your self. If you say I can’t meditate because there is too much interference in my mind then that is your main problem right there and the thing that is hindering your creativity and success.

Like your desktop computer, you can load up a new programme anytime but if your hard drive is cluttered and full of rubbish then your experience will be inhibited by poor performance.

So my tip for improvement at any age is to learn how to declutter your mind. But like anything else in life, meditation requires hard effort in order to make everything effortless.

And keep your dreams alive.

Thanks for nice words. Oh yes, I will keep my dreams alive - but I am not aiming to be a grandmaster.  My dream is to get better than I am today and have lots of fun games where I am not lost too quickly 

I start when I was 18 from 0 and know I am 21 and have archived almost 2000 on blitz on chess.com, never is too late

I have started play chess at 35, i only knew how to move the pieces before. I was thinking that i am too old to become reasonably good at chess but that is obviously not true, specially after reading this thread. I am spending a little time every day to learn, solving tactic puzzles, taking lessons, watching videos with commented games, reading, and trying to implement what i learn in my games. I feel that i am improving and having fun. It is hard work to analyze positions and calculate candidate moves, i am sure my brain gets plenty of exercise during the process  

well  i'm 65  now  and   was a club player  for  about 30 years , getting to 164  elo rating .I'm shot as a player in terms of getting stronger , main reasons being .

a: could nt be bothered  with slogging my brain and getting headaches  and nightmares of  dreaming of  being a pawn down in a laborious  pawn endgame .

b: short term memory is not as good  as it was , and typically  i can work out a long winning combination but forget the first  move  of that combination .

but where there is a will there is a way , so if it's important enough to you  you can improve .

post#5 Means a lot. As with anything it needs discipline to improve! As I have observed in my own games I steadily improve in strength if I consistently look at the position on the board objectively as opposed to making random or semi- automatic moves. It also helps playing in longer time control. Good luck!

Regarding short term memory, yes it actually affects Chess play, That is why going for positional play rather than dynamic and tactical positions will bear fruit, as positional play is understanding more about the position thus requiring less calculations, however calculations are unavoidable in every part of the game. I mentioned this because if a player spends a lot of time calculating then he or she gets exhausted rather easily as time goes longer and this is true especially for the older player.

Two or three hundred pages of intermediate-level Tactics and Endgame books by well regarded authors (like Paul Littlewood and John Nunn) can move you into the 80th percentile of global chess players.  Just focus, and do it.

And don't get bogged down by "Opening Systems Choreography," that's where most people stall out.   

As for the physical or age-related aspect of the game -- your chess strength is arguably strongest between 15 years old and 45 years old.  But who cares??

You can always improve your chess knowledge, until you're 98 years old, as per @Ponz111's post above.  FYI --He's a former U.S. Correspondence Champion and great contributor to these forums.

On balance, you can almost always teach yourself to play, better, faster and stronger, regardless of your rating.  A concise core of "chess knowledge" makes the game wonderfully enjoyable (at any age) and any rating.  Very Simple.

Best Wishes.

I am sure I read recently that someone became a chessmaster at 72 years of age.  No mean feat!

i taught my grandmother to play chess and the moves

she is 81

she is old and wrinkly and she smells funny (sometimes)

But what do you guys aim as a goal? I am quite happy doing better than yesterday. And I am learning every day   But, to be frank, I do not understand all statements about tactical or dynamic or strategic play. I do not know what you are talking about. I do the best I can...

You are close to 1500 I think a reasonable goal is 1600 and maybe long term goal will be 1800. (1) Skills that a chess player should know and will help them achieve those goals, attacking skill is important because without it we can't punish those who break chess principles. Good book is " Attacking the King: Everyman Chess.(2) Tactics is extremely important it help an attack or win material, more material mean a easy win in the endgame. Good tactical book is  Chess Tactics for Champions by Susan Polgar. How to play the endgame is important without proper technique a mere pawn up is only a draw, when it actually is a win, there are position when being two pawns  down is a draw or even down a piece can be a draw, a good endgame book can explain it simply and interesting. My recommendation is Silman's Endgame, it is entertaining and fun book and highly instructive too; not overwhelming like some endgame books. 

I will like to add, you are  so sweet and nice person it a pleasure to answer to your post and read your comments. A chess player like you will always have friends, you are super nice.

Short term memory  .........i watched a simo  by Tal  about  45 yrs ago at my club in liverpool , he played about 25  players  as white on all boards .He would go around  pretty fast (he  was in the centre of a rectangle of tables/boards) occasionally  he would stop as though stunned  and put his hand to his chin and look around  urgently .We all thought  that he had blundered on his last move (i was a spectator) , but what it was  is that he could nt remember  where he  had left his  fags !!

According to the site's STATS, you're in approximately the 81st percentile of Daily Players.

https://www.chess.com/stats/daily/ossilov

On balance, you've already "made it," and 81 percent of the Daily players are "weaker" than you.  So enjoy the limelight, and improve at your own pace.

Teach those grandchildren how to play.  They will have fond memories of your chess time together.