Can I start playing chess at a higher level at the age of 37? I’ve been asking myself this question 10 days after my first real rapid chess tournament. On January 6, 2026, I participated in the Three Kings chess tournament at the local community center Stanička, a rapid format with 7 rounds, 10 minutes + 3 seconds per move. I scored 4.5 points and finished 5th out of 25+ players. As an amateur, with no knowledge of openings, endgames, or overall chess tactics. On top of that, I had a chance to draw against a 2100+ ELO player, but as a typical amateur unfamiliar with endgames, I went for the win and ended up losing :)
My chess experience up to that point was exclusively on chess.com, playing 5-minute Blitz games, where I was hovering around 1500 - 1700 ELO. Playing in a live tournament, however, is a completely different experience. The stress and pressure are much more intense. Also, having to play several rounds in a row at full concentration is not exactly easy for someone who isn’t used to it.
I started wondering whether there was a chance to play chess at a higher level, despite my age and lack of experience. First, it was clear that I needed to fix my current chess game and learn how to improve. I made the following changes:
- Play 10-minute Rapid games
- Join a chess.com club
- Study chess openings and endgames
- Tactical exercises and puzzles
10-minute Rapid games
I stopped playing 5-minute Blitz and started playing 10-minute Rapid to gradually learn to concentrate and plan my moves. Rapid has a different rating than Blitz, so I started at 1500 ELO on chess.com. Paradoxically, I lost a lot of my first games because I had trouble forcing my brain to start thinking about moves and stop automatically playing the first move that came to mind. Eventually, my Rapid rating started climbing.
Joining a chess.com club
I’m currently in the “Slovakia team” club and started joining tournaments with a “Daily” time setting, meaning 1 day per move. It was an absolutely different format from what I was used to, but at the same time it helped me think more deeply about specific positions and moves.
Studying chess openings and endgames
I knew I had weaknesses in this area. I chose two books to start with, which I’m still studying. “FCO: Fundamental Chess Openings” by Paul van der Sterren, thanks to which I understood that the opening is about controlling the center, developing pieces, and king safety. Only now did I realize how many possibilities each opening brings and how different the tactics are when choosing individual moves.
The second book is “100 Endgames You Must Know” by Jesus de la Villa, where I started learning fundamental endgame techniques like Opposition, King and Pawn vs King, and various types of checkmates. All these trivial things that children learn in chess clubs, I only realized as an adult. I can’t even count how many times I lost in similar positions just due to lack of experience. And I still have a lot of catching up to do.
Tactical exercises and puzzles
This is where I discovered Lichess. I had an account for a long time but it was almost inactive. I have to admit, though, that the Lichess platform is among the best things any chess player can have. I try to do all tactical exercises honestly and to the best of my abilities.
The result?
Thanks to these changes, I managed to improve my Rapid chess rating on chess.com from 1500 to 1900 ELO. It’s a fascinating jump and a realization that I can beat players I previously couldn’t even dream of beating.
I understand that my age, brain, and daily work activities won’t allow me to reach grandmaster level. But I still keep asking myself: Is it possible to reach 2300 ELO?
