1600 Good or Bad?

I'm sober when I make my moves in correspondence games.

Rick, how is possible that you are only 1500 in online chess considering that you play at 1500 level in blitz?

1350 is about average, so 1600 is above average

If you are an ameture you are unknown to man. How do so many good (or goodish) chess players have so much trouble spelling? Are my literacy skills holding me back?

That's quite impressive!

I see 1600 as a decent club player

Most chess players are poor. Coz instead of doing something to earn money, they spend too much time in it playing. 

Stolen from another forum, so I'm actually quoting some guy here :

Anyone 200 rating points under me must be an idiot, don't they have common sense ?

Anyone 200 rating points over me must spend their life playing chess, they must be addicts !

I used to think it was invincible, but after studying chess for quite awhile 1600 (even USCF/FIDE standard) they aren't as immortal as I once thought.  They understand the value of certain positional nuances, but have weaknesses in determining their proiorities.  They're usually weaker in openings they aren't familiar with, so ...Qb6 open Sicilians with 2...Nc6 or 2...e6 is a sound and dangerous surprize weapon for that level. 

Or maybe because boards and pieces (and even memberships as USCF membership is around $50 a year for an adult) are inexpensive?  Can't buy a chess engine and database if you don't have a job unless you're a trustafarian (trust fund baby). 

I really don't want to spend time perfecting my spelling when i type! I don't care if my spelling is not corret if people understand it

1600 is a very respectable rating. Its not remarkable because I believe anyone with a little bit of work can achieve 1600. However 1600 is no slouch.

Your rating doesn't necessarily mean you will get more money, even if you're a GM. Its like a resume accolade. you still have to market yourself if you wanna get money. you could make more money than all the players better than you if you are the worst chess player in the world, if you know how to market yourself, and your game; now, more than ever. its gonna be different for everyone.

What money do you speak about?

We play Chess not for money.

It feels at once that you are russian.

It's amazing. Best rating EVER.

When I achieved 1600 OTB after a summer of lessons from a master, it was a good rating. When I achieved 1800 less than three years later, 1600s were those I had to beat every game. Now, falling to 1800, an ever present danger when I fail to dominate 1600s, is a sign of failure. I’m only good if I can get back near my peak and maybe gain the last twenty points I need to cross 2000. Alas, I’m too close to 1800 at the moment.

I’m referencing specifically OTB ratings. No one cares about those on this site.

In other words, it is all a matter of perspective. When you are a beginner, 1600 is way up there. When you are a master, it is a distant memory.

The critical question is, are you having fun? Do you enjoy the challenge and the joy of learning to play a better game? 

You will never improve your winning percentage much because it will always be close to 50% here. 

I am an su 27 flanker

yo

Depends on who you consider chess players in “all”. All players who have played in a tournament is a more select group than all those who have played an online game, but do not understand castling nor en passant.

My current OTB is 1858 and my USCF online blitz is 1838. These are the resulting percentiles, nation and state rankings.

For comparison, here’s a friend’s percentiles and ranking. His current USCF is 1605. Just below 90th percentile in the US. Our state uses a separate rating system for scholastic chess, which reduces the skewing caused by thousands of casual beginners. In our state, he is at the 80th percentile.