Answers.Body: <p>From a limited sample size of a handful of locals I know, I would say not necessarily. Earlier this year, one of our local chess historians posted a question in a Facebook group, asking what the first rating was. Most of them who later became experts or even masters started out with ratings in the 1000-1500 USCF range.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2024-12-11T23:05:17.223Z
Answers.Text: I hope you don't mean they started as 1500 USCF when they were 8 years old!
Answers.UserDisplayName: qwr
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2024-12-12T15:44:52.917Z
Answers.Text: Not that young, no. I believe they were in their early teens, and 1500 may be a bit too high for the upper range.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Herb
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2024-12-11T22:03:49.083Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2024-12-11T22:03:49.083Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Herb
Body: <p>Virtually all the top grandmasters have been child prodigies, indicating that it is impossible to reach that level without having shown very early strength.</p>
  <p>However, reaching 2000 Elo (as an arbitrary cutoff of strong player) is a much more realistic and achievable task. One chess.com thread I read speculates that anyone (of reasonable intelligence) can reach 2000 with lots of hard work and time invested.</p>
  <p>To make this more objective, of FIDE or USCF players, were adults who have reached 2000 rating after childhood already very good as children? Or did most of them start later in life and gradually increase Elo? Anecdotally, most of the old guys at my local club have been strong since 1991 (the earliest the USCF online database goes), however I do not know their ages at that time.</p>
  
Tags: <training>
Title: Were most adult players to reach 2000 Elo already good when young?
ThreadText: # Were most adult players to reach 2000 Elo already good when young?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2024-12-11)
  
  Virtually all the top grandmasters have been child prodigies, indicating that it is impossible to reach that level without having shown very early strength.
  
  However, reaching 2000 Elo (as an arbitrary cutoff of strong player) is a much more realistic and achievable task. One chess.com thread I read speculates that anyone (of reasonable intelligence) can reach 2000 with lots of hard work and time invested.
  
  To make this more objective, of FIDE or USCF players, were adults who have reached 2000 rating after childhood already very good as children? Or did most of them start later in life and gradually increase Elo? Anecdotally, most of the old guys at my local club have been strong since 1991 (the earliest the USCF online database goes), however I do not know their ages at that time.
  
  **Tags:** training
  
  
  ---
  
  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2024-12-11. Score: 1
  
  From a limited sample size of a handful of locals I know, I would say not necessarily. Earlier this year, one of our local chess historians posted a question in a Facebook group, asking what the first rating was. Most of them who later became experts or even masters started out with ratings in the 1000-1500 USCF range.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: I hope you don't mean they started as 1500 USCF when they were 8 years old!  
  > **username_1**: Not that young, no. I believe they were in their early teens, and 1500 may be a bit too high for the upper range.  
  
  ---
  
  