I think it completely depends on who is being asked....
Cutoff Rating When No Longer Patzer ?

I think we should divide between the chess player, the amateur chess athlete (like the guys that train in weekends, soccer or basketball) and professional chess athlete (like the payed soccer players).My list would be:
<900 Learning the rules
900-1200 House (family) player: The one that wins against board game players in home play.
1200-1500 Chess player: The one that LIKES chess and has chess as a hobby.Plays friends that also like chess, at home, when possible.
1500-1800 Amateur chess athlete: The guy that really TRAINS and enroll in local chess clubs's tournments.If kid, uses to be the best one at his school.
1800-2000 Third division Chess athlete
2000-2200 Second division Chess athlete.If below 12, a chess prodigy
2200-2400 First division Chess Athlete.The first chass in which the majority are chess full time professionals.
2400-2600 World class Chess Athlete.The stars.
2600-2800 Chess legends: The athletes that are known even by another generations and that changed the way the game is played
2800+ The Chess Stars, the ones form Hall of Fame.A new 2800 + player could be a star but not (yet) a legend.

Didn't Kasparov say there were only 4 people in the world who really understood chess and the rest were just wood pushers?

Didn't Kasparov say there were only 4 people in the world who really understood chess and the rest were just wood pushers?
Then he lost to a lot of wood pushers.

Didn't Kasparov say there were only 4 people in the world who really understood chess and the rest were just wood pushers?
Then he lost to a lot of wood pushers.
Yeah I thought that comment seemed a bit arrogant, even for Kasparov, but in his prime, there wasn't many elite players, maybe 4 or 5 that I can think of...Bobby Fischer ruined everything...

I searched for the quote but could not find it. I think I saw it in a youtube video.
I remember Nigel Short talking during the world cup about the proliferation of titles. They were not specifically talking about patzers, but he was saying too many title players are not that good. He did not like America's lower standard for giving titles and he proposed 2600 or 2650 as the level for GM's.

I searched for the quote but could not find it. I think I saw it in a youtube video.
I remember Nigel Short talking during the world cup about the proliferation of titles. They were not specifically talking about patzers, but he was saying too many title players are not that good. He did not like America's lower standard for giving titles and he proposed 2600 or 2650 as the level for GM's.
I thought 2600 was already the GM cutoff?

I searched for the quote but could not find it. I think I saw it in a youtube video.
I remember Nigel Short talking during the world cup about the proliferation of titles. They were not specifically talking about patzers, but he was saying too many title players are not that good. He did not like America's lower standard for giving titles and he proposed 2600 or 2650 as the level for GM's.
I thought 2600 was already the GM cutoff?
nup 2500 is
I searched for the quote but could not find it. I think I saw it in a youtube video.
I remember Nigel Short talking during the world cup about the proliferation of titles. They were not specifically talking about patzers, but he was saying too many title players are not that good. He did not like America's lower standard for giving titles and he proposed 2600 or 2650 as the level for GM's.
thats a pretty interesting idea

I was once told that 1600 USCF was a "decent amateur" for what that's worth. 2000 seems like a decent cutoff for non-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
Wow! I'm an International Wood Pusher!!!
BTW: i totally agree jfiquett.

I've heard mid-2300 players say very stupid things in game analysis, so I think the cutoff has to be higher, 2400 at least.
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
Wow! I'm an International Wood Pusher!!!
BTW: i totally agree jfiquett.
really even though you see 2300 player doing mistakes in 90 minute official games, good ims wouldnt even do in 3 minute games???
well i cant judge fm analysis, but to an amateur the games of a good IM look tremendiously better than that of a player below 2400...
and to an amateur like me there is even a world of difference between a good or solid IM and a weak IM.
ofc it only looks to me like that and i have no competence to judge it, but still thats my opinion
Yep, a patzer is anybody who is more than 400 points weaker than the speaker (up to some mostly arbitrary upper limit).