Psychologists have long been interested in chess and chess players. Some have even gone so far as to compare the role of chess in the cognitive sciences to the role that fruit flies play in genetics.
Because it possible to rank and track the performance of chess players across their careers, chess provides an excellent arena for the study of how skill, training, and performance interact.
One important, observation is that chess masters usually play their best chess when they are younger, but as an article in yesterday’s New York Times points out, this is not always the case:
“Unlike in football, basketball or baseball — where players lose their skills as they age — in chess some older players experience a competitive renaissance and regain the form that made them champions.”
Related articles
- World’s Youngest Chess Expert (uniquedaily.com)
peakmemory 
Thanks for posting this article. It’s good to hear you can make a comeback at any age