Children rated 1200 tend to be much stronger than adults rated at 1200. This could be because children mostly play against other children in scholastic events, but in tournaments face off against some adults, who don't have the formal study program of a chess team.
Are Lower Rated Players Stronger Than They Used To Be?
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Hey all,
I've played a reasonable amount of chess two times in my life. First was in high school. I never really studied strategy, just tactics and even that was very minimal. Mostly, I just played. Without any real study, I was rated about 1200 on two different sites.
I recently started playing again a bit more seriously (about 15 years later). I do a lot of tactics, opening study. I've noticed, however, I'm lucky to break 1000 for any length of time. I tend to hover around the 900 bracket.
My question is, has my ability to play chess actually become *worse* since I was a kid who didn't study at all, or has the game of most low-rated players risen significantly? I thought I was a decent player for a casual, but I feel like I gotta work ALOT harder just to remain above 900 than I did to be 1200 back in the 90s.