Rating goals?

What is everyones' goal for a rating? I know that you will probably say something like "3000," but I mean a realistic number. my goal is 1700, and I think that if I keep up chess, maybe I can get there.

chess.com rating goal or real life?

as for me, my chess.com is 2010 :) 101 to go, and I have a lot of won games (I think!) so its looking good

Well, I broke the B class a few months back, so I guess that my next goal will be to become a solid B player, and eventually move to the A class within the next two years.

1800 here, been along time on the 1700 range but sadly I am just under 1700 now so got alot of work to do.

To beat 2600+ players regularly, not from time to time.

Started playing a year ago, and I joined a club half a year ago and shot straight into c class. So the goal is to step into b class this season.

I've never really played before except one so called "game" where I made an idiot blunder, and resigned. I just took this up a couple months ago because I read that learning chess helps improve your concentration. So My goal I guess, is to learn to play a simple game without doing something stupid.

Wow, that's fast in my opinion.

I'd like to go up another 200 points or so -- but I always think that.  When I was 1200 I thought 1400 was the place to be, at 13 it was 15 and so on.  I've finally decided that I don't need to pick a stopping place, I'll just study it as long as I enjoy it and I'll end up wherever I do.  That said I don't think I could make master without seriously taking time to study... or at least another 10 years of this sort of "incidental" study.  So I'd like to see myself make expert (2000 uscf) but there's no real time limit on this, as long as it happens in the next 5-10 years heh.

I am 1100 right now, would like to get over 1200 into the 1300 range

I just picked up the game this past week. I've been doing a lot of studying and I feel like I'm picking it up pretty well. 1188 through my first 50 standard games. What should a beginner have as a goal for a good end of year one rating?

Also if anyone wants to answer a bit of a tangent question...
I'm currently reading Idiot's Guide to Chess. I have CM9000 and Fritz12. If you could add one more book/software to my list what would it be?

It depending how much effort you put in, a little bit each time maybe 1500 by the end of the year, alot of effort and studies 1700-1800 by the end of the year ? 

I wouldn't mind getting back over 2200 USCF again. But realistically that was 25 years ago and I am much older now. A more realistic goal is just to stay where I am!

End of year rating?  It's really different for everyone.  If you're picking it up slowly it will simply stay the same, and not necessarily mean it wont all of a sudden "click" for you later and you'll suddenly get better.  If you're a world champion in disguise you'll gain something like 200-300 points a year for a few years.  A standard gain would be something inbetween.

Pick any one of Seriwan's 7 books out of the winning chess series, they're great.  "Logical Chess: Move by Move" by Chernev is also a good one when starting out but also one you can get a lot of mileage out of.

Chess.com or OTB national ratings?  The great majority of players do not make it to 1500 after only 1 year, so I don't think that's a fair expectation.

Now I know in Soviet Russia if you showed a bit of talent they'd give you a coach and have you to 1800 from nothing in 1, 2 years tops.  If someone plays as a hobby and studies on their own when they can, anything more than 200 points in a year just isn't going to happen.  In fact you should be happy gaining 100 points in a year.  Of course it all depends on where you'll end up... usually an 1000 player can gain faster than a 2000 player for obvious reasons... just wanted to point this out.

was talking about chess.com refer to sleeping king's post above you. 

I guess I get confused sometimes...  when someone says a 2000 player I automatically think USCF or FIDE standards.  The fact that turn based ratings on this site are sometimes hundreds of points different can mix me up

same here, so next time when the peoples start talking about rating they should specified which one they are talking about. 

2100 FIDE

nice, what does a player have to work on to make that jump?

In my opinion it all depends on how much talent you have.  For a gifted player with a great memory they'll make 2100 without blinking (all those darned teenage GMs make me sick ). 

Many players get stuck though around this level (2100-2200), so you have to focus on what's weak for you, fill in any gaps, correct misunderstandings, etc.  That may mean opening memorization, it may mean endgame technique.

Now for the rising starts I was talking about, they won't have to go through this process until they're rated 2450, 2550, etc when they're trying to squeeze out the last few 100-200 points they can.  And of course there's everyone in between so it really just depends.

Though I think the average player can't quite make 2100 on one dimension of play (say strong tactics) unless they're willing to "sweat blood" like de la Meza suggested in his rapid chess improvement book.   And by the way I'll save you the trouble of reading it, he says to find 1000 tactics problems and solve them 8 hours a day until you've memorized them (I'm only very slightly exaggerating) he did and he jumped to 2100 in just a few years, if you can't then you're a baby and should quit now... yes most the book is a pep talk.

I got a bit off subject didn't I... lol