You’re only as old as you play.
The prime playing years for chess players are said to be one’s 20s and 30s, but one great thing about our game is that it can be enjoyed and played skillfully by anyone at any age who can push a pawn, punch a clock and record the moves.
Case in point: There have been some peak performances by players at both ends of the age spectrum in recent weeks. Among the silver-haired set, Georgian GM Zurab Sturua and Luxembourg WGM Elvira Berend are the new world senior and senior women’s champions, having finished first at the last month’s 20th FIDE World Senior Chess Championships for players 50 and older in Assisi, Italy.