800 opponents way harder than 1000

I typically play 3/2 blitz.  My score fluctuates all the time...  I dont care really - its just a fun diversion.

But generally speaking an 850 ranked opponent is WAAAY harder than a 1000 ranked opponent.

If you lose a few in a row... and fall into the "dregs" of 900 or below.... it is so much harder.

I swear the 900 level players are so much better than the 1000 level, which makes no sense.

Just curious if anyone else feels the same way

I don't feel that way, from my experience, 800 elo players blunder a lot more than 1000 elo ones

I had a “similar” experience a while back (nearly 11 months) when I was first starting out. I had this theory that the 600-700s was filled with skilled players so but since they all played eachother they all stayed in this little elo bubble, I thought- if I could just get out of the elo bubble then I could shoot my way to 900 or even 1000. One day I thought, “today’s the day, I’m pushing out” I played all day and managed to get mostly wins, and escaped that bubble, the next day I reach 900. Was I correct? No. The real problem was me. I wasn’t playing serious enough which caused me to make many mistakes, when I got down in a session and played for hours I was playing seriously and shooting myself up elo that way. Alternatively I had been doing a lot of puzzles and studying (watching yt videos) but not playing as many games. When I was 600 at that time I might have been slightly underrated, and perhaps even thought this- causing me to underestimate my opponents. Had the same problem of underestimating my opponents due to believing that I was underrated (which I probably was) when I was 1200. Had a couple of sessions where I played serious games, boosted elo quickly up to 1450. When I was 900 I went to 1200 in a couple of days by playing almost 100 games (this is all rapid btw). The point? Play serious games and play MANY over the course of a few days, as long as you have studied the right material and understand the right tactics, you’ll be able to push past and increase your skill by exercising what you’ve learnt.

they are not

Interesting.... What level do brand new players start at? eg When you log in for the first time , do you start at 1000?

I dont think you start at 0 do you?

Elo ratings aren’t perfectly linear, and they fluctuate based on performance, not necessarily true skill.

Yes, i've had this same experience, not understanding how, maybe because of medium starting level

There is no comparison. 800-900 players I do face are WAY stronger than 1000-1200, and not because they play random moves. Maybe there is more cheaters, I cannot explain, but it is absolutely true.

I usually play Rapid so cannot comment on Blitz, but I find c.800 players can be surprisingly good. Contrary to assumptions in some quarters that anyone below 1000 barely knows the rules of chess. That 800s are "way harder" than 1000 I very much doubt.

That is because when you fall down, your mind is in a very bad state which is called "tilting" in chess slang. You play, you lose, then you play one more, then you lose again….

thats mainly due to dumb people loosing on purpose so they can than obliterate lower rated players/beginners.

That is acually a good point