You're kidding, right?
I've played a few games in my time...
Swingin Swede is a chessplayer as well.
Ghostie says he was a 1500-1700 player at one time...can't remember the exact rating; but he said so in a pm long ago...
Yeah, when I was 13... then I "retired." Well, I kept playing throughout high school, off and on, and ended up on a couple of Indiana state championship teams, and then I really did "retire." My grandfather taught me to play when I was 6. I'd say 5 or up is fine, and who knows? If you have the next Bobby Fischer on your hands, then even earlier... just keep 'em away from the anti-Semitic literature.