Late-starting chess players with grandmaster potential?

[willcoldwell]

Hello all,

Thank you for having me in this forum. I'm a writer/editor (who has been playing a lot of chess during lockdown!) and have been thinking a lot about late-starting chess players with grandmaster potential.

I was wondering if anyone in this forum was aware of players who have started playing chess seriously in, say, their mid-20s/early 30s and are showing potential of reaching grandmaster level? If not soon, then perhaps in years to come.

I would really love to speak to anyone who fits that bill and hear more about what that journey is like "later" in life. I would also be curious to hear thoughts on this matter from those who have been more immersed in the world of chess over the years than I have.

Thank you so much !

Will

[Roger de Coverly]

I was wondering if anyone in this forum was aware of players who have started playing chess seriously in, say, their mid-20s/early 30s and are showing potential of reaching grandmaster level? If not soon, then perhaps in years to come.

The latest we're likely to come up from recent years is mid-teens. Arguably if you don't "get it" by the time you are in the final years at school or at university, you never will.

One I recall personally was James Adair. He first appeared on the ECF grading list in 2005 at a very modest level, but rapidly advanced. He was born in 1992 and has been close to a GM title for some years. But he's not a full time player.

[JustinHorton]

Is Jonathan Hawkins anything close to what we're looking for. I assume not really, but are there any examples from the past of world-class players who learned the moves relatively late? I'm sure we've discussed this before on here, but can't think of any useful search terms.

[Matt Mackenzie]

Chigorin is often cited historically in this context? Though that far back all such claims are liable to have scanty corroboration.

[MJMcCready]

I'm not sure how much of a help this is but I do know of a player who learnt how to play chess and started playing at the age of 108 but he never went on to become a Grand master.

[MJMcCready]

I have heard a few IMs say if you are pretty good and put the hours in, you'll get there. I do believe about 6 years ago a student placed a bet at a bookmakers that he would become a grand master before shacking up with some chinese babe and scooting off there.

[willcoldwell]

Thanks for these responses – I'll definitely have a look into these.

Jonathan Hawkins sounds like someone definitely worth speaking to – thanks for the tip – I'm wondering if there's someone out there shooting to be "the next Jonathan Hawkins"...!?

(Though I do recognise that I may be scouting around for someone exceptional...)

[willcoldwell]

I have heard a few IMs say if you are pretty good and put the hours in, you'll get there. I do believe about 6 years ago a student placed a bet at a bookmakers that he would become a grand master before shacking up with some chinese babe and scooting off there.

Do you know any more about this guy!?

[JustinHorton]

Is Jonathan Hawkins anything close to what we're looking for. I assume not really, but are there any examples from the past of world-class players who learned the moves relatively late? I'm sure we've discussed this before on here, but can't think of any useful search terms.

Actually might just have been this exchange

[JustinHorton]

I have heard a few IMs say if you are pretty good and put the hours in, you'll get there. I do believe about 6 years ago a student placed a bet at a bookmakers that he would become a grand master before shacking up with some chinese babe and scooting off there.

Do you know any more about this guy!?

Are we talking about Will Taylor? (May have knocked it on the head after a disastrous 2019, not that there's been any chess this year.)

[willcoldwell]

I have heard a few IMs say if you are pretty good and put the hours in, you'll get there. I do believe about 6 years ago a student placed a bet at a bookmakers that he would become a grand master before shacking up with some chinese babe and scooting off there.

Do you know any more about this guy!?

Are we talking about Will Taylor? (May have knocked it on the head after a disastrous 2019, not that there's been any chess this year.)

Thanks for this – he sounds really close to what I'm looking for!

[Roger Lancaster]

I recall coming up against a 15-year-old whom I'd never heard of in a junior county match back in 1963, thinking I should secure a routine win against this unknown player, but finding myself on the slightly worse end of a draw. The name temporarily escapes me but I believe he ended up as both a GM and The Times chess correspondent.

[Matthew Turner]

I have heard a few IMs say if you are pretty good and put the hours in, you'll get there. I do believe about 6 years ago a student placed a bet at a bookmakers that he would become a grand master before shacking up with some chinese babe and scooting off there.

Do you know any more about this guy!?

It is Will Taylor and you can follow his story here
http://roadtograndmaster.com

In English chess I think you'll find a number of examples of players starting in their mid teens and reaching IM level, but I cannot think of anybody starting in their 20's or 30's and reaching this sort of level. I'd be very confident there were less than 5 players in the world starting after age 20 and reaching GM level and I would probably expect there to be zero.

[JustinHorton]

I recall coming up against a 15-year-old whom I'd never heard of in a junior county match back in 1963, thinking I should secure a routine win against this unknown player, but finding myself on the slightly worse end of a draw. [My insertion - ejh.] The name temporarily escapes me but I believe he ended up as both a GM and The Times chess correspondent.

Ray has absolutely loads of games for 1961 on chessgames, and even more for 1962.

In English chess I think you'll find a number of examples of players starting in their mid teens and reaching IM level

That's interesting, who are you thinking of?

[Matthew Turner]

Justin,
I had a number of names in mind, but I couldn't say for definite. The one that I'm 95% sure about is Mark Ferguson