How can an average joe get from 1800 to master level?

I just hit 1800 in around 2 years and want to get to master level in the next couple of years, but I do not know how to progress further? Does anyone have suggestions

You can follow multiple chess accounts on instagram. That can help you solve puzzles. One of my favourites is @Nemo.gambit.

Hope this helps!

Lasker said that 200 hours of doing the right thing is enough to play on par with a master, i.e. around 2000.
The core is to play games e.g. 15|10 and analyse lost games so as to learn from your mistakes.
Also good is to study annotated grandmaster games.

The thing is, every person is a bit different, so there is probably no universal way. Nobody could say to you something like: "Yeah, people around your level are really bad at the endgame, so improve upon that, when maybe that is your strong suit compared to your current level.

By the way, I am looking at your profile, and I am noticing that your highest tactical score is below 2 300. For reference, I am 100-150 points lower in rapid, and my highest tactical rating is just below 2 400. I consider tactics in general (calculation and all associated with it) as the weakest part of my game, so it seems that it is maybe even more pronounced for you.

If that is the case, you should consider focusing your work there. I don't know if you use chess tempo puzzles. If you don't, I find them even better than chess.com ones, but you may practice both. Along with that, you might want to think about buying some puzzle book in accordance to your level.

Of course, I don't have detailed information about your chess, you know your chess capabilities better than I do, so take this with a grain of salt.

In general, you have 2 options.

1) Try to do it completely on your own, with trial - error approach, trying to identify your weak spots and then improve upon them, and afterwards try to improve other aspects as well.

2) Money is not much of a problem, and you wish to invest some of it into your chess improvement, so you hire a coach to help you with some guidance.

In any case, good luck.

They can't, is the answer.

Well, the average Joe don't really get to 1 800 in 2 years in the first place, so perhaps the phrasing of the average Joe is a bit of an exaggeration.

They could get to 1800 in bullet pretty easily!

Bullet is so alien to me, that I don't know how to respond to that.

I don't play it either. I've played a total of about four times and probably won them. I remember checkmating someone in a 1 minute bullet probably 12 or 13 years ago in my previous account. But I don't believe it counts as chess and when GMs and masters play it, it's just to show off.

Yeah, I mean there is sure skill related to it as well, but I would be flagged on move 6, and the experience would be just different from the long games I generally like to play.

As for the OP, he meant his rapid rating I believe. His account was created back in 2016. but he played only 1 blitz game back then. He started playing more in 2019. For instance, his second rapid game was played in November 2019. so perhaps 2 200 FIDE is not completely out of the question.

2 200 FIDE is more like a very strong recreational long distance runner.

It is not nearly the same as an Olympic sprinter. He is not asking to be a super GM.

#12
Running demands muscles, joints, heart, lungs...
Chess just needs a brain.

Yeah it is a baby game in a sense that no person who starts late can be world class. But OP didn't say anything about being a super GM, or a regular GM (although even there, there is this guy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ye_Jiangchuan who started at 17), he is talking about 2 200 FIDE.

Compared to a GM, CM is actually a baby, and super GMs picture 2 200 level like a 9 year old starting out. For instance, chess YouTuber Hanging Pawns started several years ago (into his 20s), now he just passed 2 000 FIDE mark with his latest tournament.

Of course, 2 200 FIDE is still very difficult to achieve for an adult improver, and for majority it is impossible, but not for everyone. Major concern is of course time one can allocate for chess as an adult.

Thank you for the hint. I looked at @nemo.gambit on instagram (https://www.instagram.com/nemo.gambit/) and it was great. I feel so much better right now. Everyone should follow it tbh.

So you should not analyse your wins too much? Only the losses are enough? I thought that I should analyse every single game I play

I think this Chinese guy was playing GO from his childhood and became (one of the) top players, which has similar thinking patterns as chess, so that is the main reason he could get such good I guess.

#17
Only analyse losses. You learn much more from a loss than from a win. It is also to counteract the human tendency to lavishly analyse wins and briefly shove aside losses with some excuse: a blunder, time trouble, bad opening...
#19
Average Joe = 2000 after 200 h - Lasker

The way to get from 1800 to master is to go up 400 points. I hope that helps.

Next question....

stop seeing yourself as an average joe , believe in your ability and hone your ability , become consistently strong , and always learn from your losses