From 0 to Master: Complete Journey of Beginner to 2000

From 0 to Master: The Complete Journey of a Chess Player (Beginner to 2000+ Elo)
By: [RaghavLavania] – Blogchamps Season 9

 
Introduction: The Power of a Chess Dream
What does it take to go from a complete chess beginner with 0 rating to a master with 2000 Elo? Is it talent, time, tactics, or just pure grind? In this blog, I’ll break down the entire journey into 6 clear stages, showing how anyone in Asia—or anywhere—can rise in the chess world, even while studying and blogging like me.

Whether you're a school student or a chess enthusiast, this step-by-step roadmap will help you level up!

 
Part 1: 0 to 600 Elo – Learning the Basics
At 0 Elo, your journey begins.

What to Learn:
Rules of the Game: Movement of all pieces, check, checkmate, stalemate, castling, en-passant.
Basic Tactics: Forks, pins, skewers, and basic mates (e.g., back-rank mate, king + queen vs king).
Opening Principles: Control the center, develop your minor pieces, king safety.
Resources:
YouTube: GothamChess, ChessTalk 
App: Chess.com, lichess.org for puzzles & games.
Book: Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess.
Daily Routine:
2 Rapid Games per day.
5-10 basic puzzles daily.
Watch 1 beginner-level video daily.
Tip: Don’t worry about losing. Every loss is a lesson.

 
Part 2: 600 to 800 Elo – Building Foundations
Here you start spotting tricks and playing actual chess, not just moving pieces.

What to Learn:
Opening Traps: Scholar’s Mate, Fried Liver Attack.
Defensive Ideas: How to escape pins, break forks, avoid blunders.
Basic Endgames: King + pawn vs king, opposition.
Practice:
Analyze your games: Find out why you lost.
Play longer games (15+10 or 30 min).
Use the “Analysis” feature on Chess.com
Bonus Tip: Play one tournament game per week, even if it's online.

 
Part 3: 800 to 1000 Elo – Strategic Awareness
You’re no longer a beginner—you’ve got skills now.

What to Learn:
Opening Systems: London System, Italian Game, Scandinavian Defense.
Tactical Awareness: Discovered attacks, mating nets, tempo.
Thinking Process: “What is my opponent threatening?” before every move.
Tools to Use:
Puzzle Rush (5 mins) on Chess.com.
Annotated games of Paul Morphy or Jose Capablanca.
Use a training notebook or blog your learnings.
Weekly Plan:
4 Rapid Games + 3 Puzzle Rush Sessions.
Annotate 1 Grandmaster Game.
 
Part 4: 1000 to 1400 Elo – The Club Player
This is where most players start to feel serious.

What to Learn:
Opening Repertoire: Have 1 opening for white, 2 for black (1 vs e4, 1 vs d4).
Positional Concepts: Weak squares, open files, bad bishops, space.
Blunder Checks: Look 2 moves ahead.
Practice Like This:
Join a chess club (even a school or WhatsApp group helps).
Play OTB (over-the-board) games.
Use software like ChessBase
Tip: At this level, habits matter more than tricks. Avoid time trouble, and stop playing bullet if you want to grow.

 
Part 5: 1400 to 2000 Elo – The Advanced Climb
Now you're one of the top 10–15% players online.

Deep Skills:
Calculation: Start using visualization tools like blindfold puzzles.
Pattern Recognition: You’ll see tactics faster and understand structures.
Opening Prep: Use databases like OpeningTree and study modern lines.
Serious Training:
30 mins tactics/day.
Play classical time control (30+0 or 45+15).
Learn from IM/GM games: Follow legends like Aronian, Nepo, Arjun Erigaisi.
Coach or No Coach?
At this stage, consider a coach or follow structured video courses on Chessable, Aimchess, or YouTube playlists like “Road to 2000”.

 
Part 6: The Final Transformation – Becoming a Master
By now, you're hitting 1900+ Elo. What's next?

Next Goals:
Play FIDE-rated events to get a real-world rating.
Study endgames seriously (like Dvoretsky’s Endgame Manual).
Train like a GM: Daily schedule, analyze all games deeply, maintain a training journal.
 
Final Thoughts: If I Can Do It, You Can Too
I'm a 1150 Elo player, a 9th-grade student from India, a blogger, and a dreamer. I’m not a master yet, but I’ve seen the path. I’m on it—and so can you be.
I want to surprise you all that I made a goal to reach 1000 to 1100 in 1month, but I didn't even worked on it almost whole month, at last when their were just 3-4 days left, I got skyrocket of 100 to 150+ elo in 4 days, I played, learned, practiced, for about 4-6 hours for those 4 days which led me skyrocket, So if I can make this happen, Can't you ??

It’s not about talent. It’s about time, training, and truth.

Every click, every puzzle, every loss makes you better. Blogchamps Season 9 is my arena to share this vision, and I hope this blog inspired your chess journey.

 
Tell Me Your Rating in the Comments!
Are you just starting out or pushing towards 2000+? Share your story, and let’s grow together.