How far should you expect to get after about a year of studying/playing chess?

Agreed. I would have made the same assumptions as waffflemaster about the user who claimed this. If anyone has gotten to 1700-1900 after a few months (or even a year) of study, that is a rare person indeed. Certainly not the norm.

I would expect a reasonably young person who has just started chess, loves the game, joins a club, plays regularly OTB and anayzes his games with stronger plyars to reach ~1600 level after 30 OTB games (1-2,5 years)

Of course, it could be much more or much less depending on the person.

Depends on many things.  If you start at 1500 then a 100 point gain assuming you're active is quite good whereas if you start off at 500 and seriously study the game then you could reasonably gain 1000 points in a year assuming you study appropriate material and master it.  Basically the higher you are the lower ELO gain you should realistically expect. 

lol

What's the lol for? Do you think it's so untrue you find it humorous? I managed to reach 1500 within a few months on standard, though I dropped a bit then  started playing lots of blitz.

Question: I only play online games. Is the rating achieved for Standard and Blitz categories under these conditions comparable to the rating one might attain playing OTB?

From a technical point of view, there is a correlation. However, OTB chess is a different experience. Some people may find OTB stimulating and play much better, while others can't adapt and will play worse.

I would strongly recommend you try OTB, if only because it would be a shame to play chess only online...

1900 or 2000 in a few months is unreal without hard work and playing a hell of slow chess (paying ones dues) for some time it's impossible for any player to fully develop their skills and aquire the necessary experience to compete at a high level.

It just doesn't happen just like that at the snap of a finger come on.

After a year of playing bullet 8 hours a day, or after a year of reading books from bad authors 8 hours a day, or after a year of studying good authors but 10 minutes per day, you will achieve a 1700 level.

After a year of well-studying of very good authors (i will name 3 of them, nimzovich, kotov and dvoretsky), 8 hours/day, after 4 or 5 tournaments (one week tournament) during this year, if you try hard and "keep have a character", if you study all aspects of the game - endgame opening tactics strategy, and study some world champions games, and if you're not "disturbed by other things in life", you could reach the top, let's say a level of an international master, or even better.

Who can study 8 hours a day and play 1 tournament a week?

My english is bad sorry

I say 4 or 5 tournaments in a year, so 1 tournament each 2 month. The tournament must be a "long games" tournament, so the tournament must be in one week ( for exemple 9 games in 8 days is good, but 9 blitz games in one afternoon is not).

After each tournament one must analyse his own games, so he can choose the direction of his futur work.

1700 easy

From beginner to International Master in one year. Anyone else agree that this is the most ignorant post of 2013?

He was exaggurating, but he was also exaggurating the amount of work, 8 hours a day is unrealistic. If you make it 4 hours a day for 2 years it would sound more realistic.

Or 15 minutes a day for 32 years.

8 hours a day, 320 day per year, 2 500 hours.

How much serious hours of work do you think a 1500 must do to have a 2400 fide level ?

8 hours a day is unrealistic only if you're disturbed by other things in life, like i said. But I think 8 hours a day for 1 year or 4 hours a day for 2 years is more or less the same.

You also have to assume the player is naturally talented. It's often discussed that not anyone can become a GM with lots of work. I'm sure that applies to CM, IM and NM as well.

In my point of view, work is what only matter here. How do you mesure talent. A GM is maybe talented but what I know is that he has work a lot, and a 1500 hasn't work yet, so we can't tell if this 1500 is "talented" or not.

It took 5 years for Hikaru Nakamura to go from 1500 to International Master, and his growth was considered prodigiously explosive. Sorry, LePont, but you are making absurd statements. NO ONE HAS EVER GONE FROM 1500 TO IM IN 2 YEARS. I am not saying no one ever will. But to say it is reasonable? Seriously...

How do you know the 1500 hasnt worked yet? Maybe he has worked harder than Nakamura, and simply lacks the talent.