Well, I suppose the fact that 2200 is where FIDE title of Candidate Master starts seems a reasonable enough level to set as where Patzerdom ends. Below that you're just a letter. Personally I think Candidate Master is a dumb name for a title or category. FM, IM, and GM seem resaonable. Just drop the "Candidate" part. Master, FM, IM, and GM.
Cutoff Rating When No Longer Patzer ?
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Pat the bread of. No the level do 2013 :P
I'd say cutoff rating for patzer is 2300. Below that, we're all amateurs. NMs still butcher endgames to a degree that would put any IM/GM in tears.
I play against patzers so much I got mated on g2. Be honest. Seriously, has anyone else got mated like that in a tournament? I'm not much of a patzer, but my hiding my attack skills are weak. I still go for queen, knight, and rook attacks when I have many other available pieces. But at least I don't do cheap tricks. Maybe.
Titled players are over 2% of people who play rated chess. I think the cutoff might be 1400 USCF.
LongIslandMark wrote:
At a minimum, I think it's just someone who has learned to stop leaving pieces hanging, not step into mate, notices mates-in-two, doesn't go for the "bait" left hanging on purpose, etc. In other words, someone you actually have to play chess against as opposed to trying to fool them with cheap tricks and traps.
Hey, I agree, but there's still a problem of perspective. People make those mistakes all the way up to GM level. Just much less often as you go up.
But I'll still give my opinion in agreeance and say somewhere around 1600. I heard that's when Dan Heisman says people stop playing "hope chess."
2500
Ranx0r0x wrote:
Well, I suppose the fact that 2200 is where FIDE title of Candidate Master starts seems a reasonable enough level to set as where Patzerdom ends. Below that you're just a letter. Personally I think Candidate Master is a dumb name for a title or category. FM, IM, and GM seem resaonable. Just drop the "Candidate" part. Master, FM, IM, and GM.
Players under 900 are Candidate Patzers. :P
Besides, compared to a tablebase, everyone/thing is a patzer, even Houdini 3 x64 on 8 HT cores @5GHz.
2100 FIDE, is what an IM told me.
Most IMs and GMs are patzers at life. I'd rather be an IM or GM at life than at chess.
you guys are setting the bar for non-patzer way too high lol. i would say about 1500 FIDE means you are not a patzer
wood pusher cutoff = 1300 uscf
coffee house player cutoff = 1600 uscf
Patzer cutoff = 1750 uscf
Decent player = 2000 uscf
e: Yes, I'm calling myself a patzer 
expand wrote:
Most IMs and GMs are patzers at life. I'd rather be an IM or GM at life than at chess.
See Kenneth Colby's wonderful read, "Secrets of a Grandpatzer". He thought anyone 1699 and down was a patzer. 1700 to 2199 was a GP. BTW, he was a SIGNIFICANT contributor to early days artificial intelligence and the modern day chess computer's ability to analyze.
indian1960 wrote:
I think it's 2000 when you actually begin to become a ligitimate CHESSPLAYER. Until then, you're just a woodpushing tilapia. Dr. Kenneth Colby (wiki him !) believes it is anyone under 2200. But, I think that's a little harsh. What do you think ? And be honest with us and yourself.
When Fischer went to Iceland to play for the World Championship they said it was time to see if he had what it takes, or if he's just another patzer from Brooklyn. It's in the eye of the beholder I guess.
When I was 900 I thought those 1200s were tough, when I was 1200, I thought those 1400s were tough. It depends how good you are. If you're a 2200 I bet you play the patzer when you sit down across from the 2550. 
Ron-Weasley wrote:
indian1960 wrote:
I think it's 2000 when you actually begin to become a ligitimate CHESSPLAYER. Until then, you're just a woodpushing tilapia. Dr. Kenneth Colby (wiki him !) believes it is anyone under 2200. But, I think that's a little harsh. What do you think ? And be honest with us and yourself.
When Fischer went to Iceland to play for the World Championship they said it was time to see if he had what it takes, or if he's just another patzer from Brooklyn. It's in the eye of the beholder I guess.
When I was 900 I thought those 1200s were tough, when I was 1200, I thought those 1400s were tough. It depends how good you are. If you're a 2200 I bet you play the patzer when you sit down across from the 2550.
good point.
For the record, Colby played 1900 in his heyday in the 1970's. So, per him, he was a mid-level grandpatzer.
In other words, Colby made a serious attempt to discern two amateur categories below candidate master. Which I agree with RanxOrox, CM is a weird and superfluorous title - why not just Master ?
I think it's 2000 when you actually begin to become a ligitimate CHESSPLAYER. Until then, you're just a woodpushing tilapia. Kenneth Colby believes it is anyone under 2200. But, I think that's a little harsh. What do you think ? And be honest with us and yourself.