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USCF Milestones, Chess Goals, and Time Distribution 10/17/21-10/23/21

USCF Milestones, Chess Goals, and Time Distribution 10/17/21-10/23/21

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Chris-C
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My 3rd-Category norm came through officially this week, so I picked up my second USCF norm-based title milestone.

I really like that USCF has these. I don't necessarily think that they are particularly meaningful in and of themselves, but they make the trek to larger, more significant goals less of a slog across a dreary, featureless rating landscape than it otherwise would be.

I've often told people that I have three chess goals:

  • reaching 1800 USCF (my realistic goal)
  • attaining 2000 USCF (my ambitious goal--hopefully still possible at my age)
  • rising to 2200 USCF (my pipe dream--probably not possible at my age)

Even my realistic goal of just getting to 1800 USCF will be a long trek from where I currently stand at 1656. It's nice to have the struggle punctuated by numerous small achievements that, psychologically, make my progress feel more concrete.

So here, in more detail, are my goals for the next, say, seven to eight years (more on the reason for that time frame in a coming post):

  • Grab the last two norms I need for a 2nd-Category title
  • Snag my 50th regular rated win
  • Reach a rating of 1800 USCF
  • Rack up my 100th regular rated win
  • Pick up the five norms required to earn a 1st-Category title
  • Attain a rating of 2000 USCF

If I manage to achieve all of that? Then the rest of my life will be spent chasing Candidate Master norms until I'm just too old to play chess.

In the meantime, here's my training time distribution for the past week. Most of my time was spent on analysis of my YMCA Fall Open games, and playing round 1 of the Chess Dojo October/November Classical Tournament (G45+30) online.