When are you no longer a beginner?

I believe a rating above 1200 is intermediate level. Youve past the rookie level.

You first.

Hi!

Here some widely accepted categories based on rating blitz chess.com:

Beginner up to 1099

Intermediate from 1100 to 1699

Advanced from 1700 up to 1999

If you are interested in a study plan to improve, check out my post: https://www.chess.com/blog/maafernan/chess-skills-development

Good luck!

^ you have to differentiate between different time controls when categorising rating levels. 1700 for Blitz for example is harder to acheive than 1700 rapid.

Great question! In my opinion it is around 1200-1300. Anything before 1300 and you can lose OTB to people who don't play chess but know the basics and rules.

Hi @PrincessChloe42

It depends on what you refer to when you say "beginner" Are you trying to say newer to chess, or are you talking about chess ability? If you are referring to being "newer to chess" or not, then it depends on your sense of identity and comfort to the game. Do you consider yourself a chess player? If yes, then you aren't a "complete beginner" learning the rules; you are a chess player (even if "beginner" in ability level. Some people think a beginner means still learning the rules, other people think it means learning the basics and other people think it means crossing a certain rating level; different people have different opinions, but what matters is YOUR own opinion! You are a beginner if you feel like one, but you aren't a beginner if you don't feel like one.

If you are referring instead to chess ability, then things get a little complicated. The global average chess rating constantly fluctuates a little, but it is usually less than 800 and a few months ago when I made a video on this topic, it was in the 600s. This means that someone learning the rules could actually be better than average just from this alone!

Ability-wise, I'd say beginner level is anything sub-1000 or sub-1200 chess.com rating, or somewhere in this ballpark.

Even though the majority of chess players are "beginner level" by this definition, I think most give ability as something like this:

Beginner: under 1200

Intermediate: 1200-1800

Advanced: over 1800

This advanced side runs into similar problems though because just like how most chess players are beginner level (average rating of 600s is below 1200), the intermediate range players are also super advanced to most. For example 1500 chess.com rating is something like 95 percentile in the global statistics! Yet, somehow this isn't "advanced" by this standard? You see some of the problems with defining levels.

Rather than get too fixated on what people think you are: just enjoy the game of chess and identify as a chess player. Rating doesn't matter to that. Even a complete beginner, learning the rules and rated literally 100 (lowest possible rating on here) is still a chess player if they consider themselves one.

Here is the video I referenced:

When you stop hanging pieces every move or two.

When u understand what chess really is about, it's not just a game, it's something much more

beginner is a unit of time not skill. I'd say about 500 hours (completely arbitrary number btw) of playtime doesn't matter how good you get.

If you are asking when a player is not a novice it's tough to say. I'd say top 50 percentile whatever rating that may be. you could make an argument that its top 75th percentile.

Really the rating system avoids the need for these type of questions, in domains without rating systems the question is more interesting.

Don't be so focused on your rating. Enjoy the game, and if you have some amount of ability, you will improve. But if you are focused completely on a rating you are missing the point.

There's no single accepted metric. It's not worth worrying about. No one cares apart from yourself and if the issue is how you feel about yourself then labels won't help.

it's relative. when Bobby Fischer went to his first Interzonal he played the Caro kann. after his first loss in the two Knights variation, the other GMs went up to winner and asked him how Bobby played? He said, play the two knights game. He doesn't understand positional play.

i think FM=not noob
IM=decent player
GM=Good player
2700+=Excellent player

2800+=god.

only because people play more rapid, like everyone plays more rapid(at lower levels)

at IM and GM level ppl play more blitz so blitz 3000 is easier than rapid 3000

Anything less than 1500 is beginner.

1500 to 2000 intermediate.

>2000 advanced

why do flamingos got dem little stick legs?? are they okay!?? it aint right, man. it just aint right..