Is It Too Late for Me to Become a Chess Master at 17?

Hey everyone,

I'm Zatch Elvenson, a 17-year-old high schooler who's been playing chess for about a year now. I started learning chess the day I created this account, and you can track my progress through my stats. I've always heard that to become great at chess, you need to have been playing since birth, dedicating countless hours every week while having a natural talent or deep passion for the game. Unfortunately, I only started at 16, but I've managed to reach a peak rapid rating of 1695 and a blitz rating around 1550.

So far, the only opening I know well is the Italian, which I use for both white and black, but I’m planning to dive into more serious opening study soon. I also regularly practice puzzles and watch content from GothamChess, Hikaru Nakamura, and others to improve.

Here's my question: Is it possible for me to become a Grandmaster, or at least a Candidate Master, if I really put in the work and maybe get some coaching? I know it might sound unrealistic, but I’m serious about pursuing a title, and I’m willing to give it everything I’ve got, using all the resources at my disposal.

I’d love to hear the thoughts and advice from my fellow chess enthusiasts on how to best approach this journey.

Thanks in advance!

There has been one account where a chess player started at 18 years old and became a GM, but the case is quite rare. I started playing at 11, and am now 16 and hard stuck at 1500-1700. Depends how much time you are willing to put it, but it 100% will be thousands if not tens of thousands of hours.