Perhaps of interest:
https://www.chess.com/article/view/can-anyone-be-an-im-or-gm
Also:
What It Takes to Become a Grandmaster by GM Andrew Soltis
Too late to become GM?
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No, but it is rare. Someone did become a GM in Sweden and they did not start to play until their early twenties!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ye_Jiangchuan
Nice story, I didn't know about him.