How long did it take you to get to your current rating?

just wondering what are people's road to their chess rating. were there any specific books or videos that gave you a significant rating boost.

im around 1200 ELO, and it took me a 5 months to get there. I'm plateauing though, and progress is not as fast as it was below 1000 :)

I've been playing on this site for over a year. I've never read a single chess book or played in an OTB tournament. My rating has remained stable for the past couple of months, and right now I think I'm at the point where I really can't improve much more without really starting to do some serious studying, but I'm not sure whether I want to make that commitment.

So how do they teach chess in your country?

USCF 2188 took 13-14 years then same for 40 years

ICCF Correspondence 2538 [I think that is my rating now although now inactive] about 15 years after I stopped playing USCF over the board

Have had other ratings such as APCT and correspondence in Illinois. 

Those blasted 12 missing USCF pts!  I bet there's a good story behind not making National Master.

Mr_Tarkanian  Actually there is a very good story regarding me not making the 12 USCF points.

After achieving my 2188 rating in 1973 I played in two USCF rated tournaments.  Both were 4 games in one day. [called a Tornado]

In both tournaments I scored 4 wins and no losses or draws.

In just the first tournament I had enough to go over the 2200 level.

Later I waited for the rating changes to show up in my Chess Life.

After 3 months no rating change-still 2188.  Finally I found and telephoned the tournament director.  He told me he had played in both touraments and he did not do well--SO HE DECIDED NOT TO SEND IN THE RESULTS TO USCF. 

By then I was really in to my correspondence chess and was doing much better than my USCF over-the-board chess and never tried to fix the situation.  [little did I know the future benefits of chess.com to titled players]   Just 6 months ago I put an ad in the local paper to try and locate the tournament director [if he is still alive] or any one who played in the  two tornados.  As expected, no response to my ad.

10 months to get to a 1300 rating, which makes me a patzer!

7 months to 1432 LOL

started 3 years ago went from 1376 FIDE Rating to 1665 in the space of 6-8 tournaments

43 years

3 years to get from 600 to around 1500 -_- 

Simple version: Hi, I've been playing chess for 13 years. Live Blitz now ~1700-1800, no OTB ratings although I've went to many unrated events and should be around 1600-1800 at least (judging from my personal experience playing people 1800+.)

Complicated version: About 1 year to get to (estimated) 1400-1600. Then another 7 to retreat to (estimated) 1200. Joined this site somewhen then @ about 1400 Blitz. Then about 3 years to reach 1600+ Blitz. Then 2 more years and here I am. All without serious study.

That sucks to hear! You should really consider trying for 12 more points, unless the rating expires after a time or something.

roder_toro   My health is very bad. I am unable to see very well and am not allowed to drive and for various health reasons can no longer play in USCF over the board tournaments. Also, My chess playing over- the-board type abilities have gone down recently due to new health problems. 

So, no realistic way to get those 12 points--would probably lose points.

rating never expires.  

In my last 16 USCF games I lost to an international master, drew with  the Illinos champion, drew with a former Illinois champion, beat the Chicago champion and beat a grandmaster and won 11 other games for a score of one loss , 2 draws,  and 13 wins  but against very tough competition.

[those were the days]  As a foot note after all this and in the next year

there was a master who had newly won the Chicago Championship with a perfect score of 5 wins out of 5 games. He was kind enough to play me a 6 game match in my own home.  The final score 3-3 but unrated.