the best age to start playing chess
Sort:
please share your opinion on the question - what is the best age to start playing chess?
Jan 26, 2025
0
#4
The problem with 6 years old is that it will take them longer to become a GM than it would for a dedicated 13-15 year old. The problem isn’t how old you are when you start it’s how long it takes you to learn.
Jan 26, 2025
0
#6
i don't think there's many gms that started playing at 13 but i might be wrong.
Jan 26, 2025
0
#7
There's no "best age" because different people have different lives, personalities, learning styles and so forth. Like most things, being introduced when younger is usually a good thing, but it's not a requirement. I've known people age 65+ who took up chess and in even just a few years made lots of progress.
I knew of chess when younger, but hardly ever played. I didn't really start getting into chess until about high school to college age. My high school didn't have a chess team and I didn't play chess at all then, but around the time I graduated from high school is when I started getting more into chess.
Jan 26, 2025
0
#10
im 10, and my USCF rating is above 1000. My friend is top 100 USCF 9 year old rating 2025 updated. 
JustAdroit wrote:
There are gms that started playing older than 13
Yes, there are some GMs who started after 13. This is extremely rare, certainly less than 1%.
So if you use this to prove that 13-15 is the optimal age, you'll have a hard time.
Most grandmasters started young probably like 5-8.
JustAdroit wrote:
There is no optimal age.
Then why did you say 13-15 in comment #2? It certainly didnt take you long to abandon you opinion!