Different Rating Groups

Rating: The measure of skill in Chess. But what are some different rating groups? Today in this blog, I will be going over that.

Welcome! As I already said, I will be splitting the different ratings into 7 different groups, ranging from Noob to Master. Hopefully, you will learn something from this blog. So let's get right into it!

Newbie: 

For the Newbie category, it is for players rated <400. Usually, players with this rating group just started playing, and don't really know much about the game. They make routine blunders and miss many chances to get a better position. It is not too difficult to get out of this rating category, as it is easier to pull off easy strategies if you learn them. One of my games at this level went like this:

Wow. Just...Wow. The amount of blunders in that game is unheard of. There were so many opportunities, and so many were missed. The game ended in a Back-Rank Checkmate, but it was pulled off terribly. Well, let's not focus on that and move on to the next group!

Beginner:

For the Beginner range, 400-900 is fitting. People at this level know the gist of the game and know a few different checkmates (Scholars Mate, Ladder Mate, Back Rank Mate, etc), but still make silly mistakes such as blundering pieces, blundering checkmate, missing free pieces, and more. One of my games at this level went like this:

A few mistakes here or there, but that game didn't go too badly. It was an appropriate game for that level. The first few moves were not very good, as well as some of the middle and endgame moves. Overall, getting to this level isn't too hard, and getting out of this range is a little harder, depending on the player if they put in the work.

Intermediate:

When you are rated 900-1400, you could be considered intermediate. Players at this level have probably been playing chess for at least a year (unless you are naturally good at chess). At this level, you can start learning new Openings, Tricks, Gambits, etc. A recent game of mine at this level went like this:

As you can see, at this level you make considerably less amount of blunders. Mistakes come here and there, but overall most games are played with around 70-80% accuracy. For me, as a player in this range, I find 1.e4 to be the best for me but 1.d4 can also work for people in this range.

Skilled:

I can no longer speak from experience from here on so I will be using quotes from chess players occasionally from here on out.

Once you get to the 1400-1700 rating range, you can be considered skilled. Although you may not be at good as higher ratings, you are still significantly higher rated than the average chess player. One of my friends when he was at this level played this game:

According to the game review here, My friend played with 80% accuracy while to opponent played with 70% accuracy. That seems pretty classic for this Rating Group. On the higher-rated end of the section, players can run into a chess plateau and struggle to get past 1700. My friend who played this game said about how they got past this rating: "The thing is to get a really good opening repertoire like get good at those openings, build experience, learn theory, and also get good at endgames and do lots of puzzles and those will help with tactics".  

We are over halfway there in the blog! So let's move on to the next group!

Advanced:

If you are in the rating range of 1700-2000 you can be considered advanced. At this level, people tend to see you more as a threat. At this level, players can get a rating bump, when they struggle to improve (See top blogger @DanielGuel's tournament blogs). But if they get past this level, they are very close to a title (NM for some places and CM for FIDE). 

An anonymous player online said in a forum for how to get past 2000 was:

1. Utilize the resources available on chess.com, such as the analysis board, puzzles, and lessons
2. Play as many games as possible against a variety of opponents to gain experience and exposure to different playing styles
3. Study the games of strong players and analyze their strategies and tactics
4. Participate in online tournaments and events to gain experience playing in tournament-like conditions
5. Seek out local chess clubs or groups in your area, even if they are not close by, you could travel to them
6. Look for online coaches or find chess books or videos that can help you learn new concepts and improve your game
7. Practice regularly and consistently to build and maintain your skills

When you get to 2000, it is a big accomplishment because of the fact that many players never in their life get even past 1000.

Pro:

After reaching 2000, many call you a pro. It is at the point where you are closest to getting a title (OTB). Players at this level know what they are doing, and can even defeat Titled Players. At the higher end of this range, you can start going for FM, or IM if you have the norms required. 

Players get stuck here for months, maybe years (Check out @Lightning's tournament blogs), but if they don't stop working at it, many can improve to their first title. Now, on to the final Rating Group!

Master: 2400+

Think of your favorite top players- Levy Rozman, Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, and more. Well, they are all at this level and have been for quite a while. In a tournament, if you see players at this level, you should probably be nervous. At this level, everybody knows good openings, nice traps, brilliant checkmates, and more. 

Even in digital chess, this is still a tremendous level to be at. When you get here, you should be proud. 

Thanks for reading this blog! Tell me what you agree, and disagree with here in the comments. Seeya!