Rating

I'm an older guy who is trying to get back to playing live games after a long hiatus. So I'm not playing that well now and am at a starting rating of about 900-something, which is not a whole lot above beginner. So I did some playing today with players supposedly at my level and encountered all kinds of weird openings in losing three games. In the game analysis, the play of all three of my opponents was rated at 1,500 or above, and one of them played at 90 percent accuracy. I deserved to lose the games, but is sure didn't feel as if I were playing people at my current level.

agreed, this site is designed so you never play people around your skill level

You can't control how well your opponents play, nor how experienced they are.

But you can study the games you played, to learn what you can from your mistakes.

So, don't worry about the things that you can't control. Focus on what you can.

Good advice, but I'd like to start out with some more competitive games and work my way up. It's certainly valuable to learn from your experience, especially the losses, but it's also good to have fun.