Chess Ratings & Improvement on Chess.com

Rapid

Daily

I'm also above average potential. Is there a t-shirt or coffee mug to celebrate my centile? Let's hope it's all downhill from here 🙃

I have the impression that a lot of inactive accounts are also considered in this average, and I believe these inactive accounts will be reset to a certain rating. So, it would be interesting to know what is the average rating of all active accounts. Furthermore, I would say, do not focus too much on online ratings, they are very much inflated. As an example, I do not have any chance against a club member in online chess, his rating is circa 700 points above his OTB-rating and OTB I crush him... whereas it seems very hard for me to achieve a rating of 2,200 online... true chess is OTB and not online, this is at least my opinion. Furthermore, many of the games are blitz and bullet (often the party who can manage the mouse better wins...), this is also not very representative, even rapid is not very popular online.

Chess certainly comes in many flavours. otb vs onlin

sorry. phone. as I was saying, chess certainly comes in many flavours: otb, online, bullet, daily and so on. Some of these are more recent developments. And comparing stats between these should be done with caution with a large health warning. But I dont think there is a true form of the game. Only many variants, some older and some newer.

Yes.  With enough dedication and practice, you have the potential to be a much stronger chess player.  

Many times, players get discouraged by losing or decreases in their overall ratings, but it happens from time to time.  The important thing is not to give up and to make yourself stronger.  

You are definitely above average in skill if you are holding a 1300+ rating.  I'm wondering if many of the players who are above the Mean (Average) or Median range have prior generational knowledge of chess that was passed down to them when they started?

Actually, it's quite rare that a higher OTB rating will automatically translate into higher online ratings to create an ratings inflation.  The reason being that OTB is slowed by the physical action of moving pieces across a board which doesn't translate into being better at making any particular move but just slower.  It can be fractional but in a timed setting as blitz, it could make somewhat of a difference. 

Have you noticed any perceivable difference in your personal gameplay OTB versus online?  Are there other factors of OTB that contribute to either more or less precise movements?

I'm not convinced a snapshot rating can ever be interpreted in terms of 'potential'.  It measures where you are now, it could be you are improving really fast or you may have peaked there and been at the same rating for 5 years.  Potential is very difficult (I would almost say impossible) to measure really.  Some players just reach a ceiling faster than others who progress to that level more slowly, but than continue on beyond it.

I recognized that I play much better OTB, I need somehow the 3D-effect, the complete overview of the board and I did not grow up in the internet area. Furthermore, I do not really enjoy online chess, I miss the psychological part, the interactions with other players and much more... 

I recently received a challenge from a fellow member on Chess.com who told Me that because I was rated 2188, I didn't know what it was like to have to fight to earn a rating like players who are rated near 1900.  That somehow I had lost touch by posting a thread topic about ratings in the forums.

Well, I can assure all of you that my intentions are entirely genuine in nature.  

Today, my rating has fallen from 2188 to 1921...  which is -267 points from my rating when I started this thread topic.   I'm sharing this because I just want anyone who is in a similar situation or who has experienced rough spots in chess to continue fighting.  

Now is the time...

Let's just say that it's going to be Epic

Who is 3600?

Me SHlT at chess.

Hi Everyone

I want to encourage you to continue in your pursuits to get better.  There are many factors that can affect your rating or at a given time, but persistence and dedication are key to improving your rating over time  

I want to thank many of you for your personal messages of hope and inspiration over the past month or so, and I'm very encouraged by the progress that many of you are making.  Keep up the good work!  

The question that comes up the most is "How do I improve my chess skills?"

While that is a very broad question, it is a topic that is quite relevant to your overall rating on Chess.com or even in a national or international rating system.  

The answer to the question is also quite nuanced because it varies depending on your specific skill level and where you want to be in the immediate future.  For example, there are ways of improving your chess skill that a beginner may benefit immensely from that an intermediate to advanced player might not find as useful.  Meanwhile, there are ways of practicing that would not benefit a beginning player because such ways of developing are oriented towards a more advanced skill set.  

The commonality between all skill levels is that determination & persistence is the key to improvement.  Is there anything more important to the development of chess skill?  

I have spoken to some of the top players representing different countries from around the world, and I came away impressed by the commonality in thought and differences in approaches that exist around the world. 

There's no way that 800 is the median rating, that's far too low, surely?

Actually, in Blitz on Chess.com, the Median is around 800 which relates to the value or quantity lying at the midpoint, such that there is an equal probability of falling above or below it.

Meanwhile, the Average rating in Blitz is slightly higher at around 900 or 913 to be more accurate.