Differences between 2000 and 2100-2200 • page 2/2 • General Chess Discussion • lichess.org

There is no real difference between a 2000 and a 2100/2200 player. The normal swing between low/high rating is at least 100 rating points.

Chess is hard

Yes as Sargon says. (If you are referring to Bullet)

If you are referring to Rapid --> Classical then there is quite a gap of talent, especially around this level.

The 1800 - 2000 Fide / 2000 - 2200 Lichess Slow is called the 'graveyard' for a reason. It is where most players like myself - Average Joe hit the brick wall. This is mainly because playing a lot with zero studying will only take you so far.
I think it was Kasparov who once said "any club player can get to 1800 just by playing a lot."

The answer is to getting to that level I imagine is hard work. And it seems the biggest difference is Endgames;

In this high tempo Blitz world most players are spending a few seconds thinking about the moves in the Endgames. Lazily using our Rooks to defend sideways. Or lazyily clamping our Bishops onto a Pawn just because it feels safe. And not even stopping to considering whether the position is stronger with the N v B or visa versa.

Clubs players in serious matches will spend an hour on the most marginal Endgames if the position requires. Some players actually read books about Endgames and go through minor edges to squeeze out the win.

Turning losing positions into draws and pushing drawn Endgames into wins will make a massive difference to your rating in the long run. And this is true all the way from Expert - Masters - Magnus. This is why Magnus is the best because he has that edge to grind out the wins in those painfully drawn games.

Personally I haven't got the patience to change and go through the hard work but if you do, let me know how you did it.

:)

@RJblue Yes as Sargon says. (If you are referring to Bullet) If you are referring to Rapid --> Classical then there is quite a gap of talent, especially around this level. The 1800 - 2000 Fide / 2000 - 2200 Lichess Slow is called the 'graveyard' for a reason. It is where most players like myself - Average Joe hit the brick wall. This is mainly because playing a lot with zero studying will only take you so far. I think it was Kasparov who once said "any club player can get to 1800 just by playing a lot." The answer is to getting to that level I imagine is hard work. And it seems the biggest difference is Endgames; In this high tempo Blitz world most players are spending a few seconds thinking about the moves in the Endgames. Lazily using our Rooks to defend sideways. Or lazyily clamping our Bishops onto a Pawn just because it feels safe. And not even stopping to considering whether the position is stronger with the N v B or visa versa. Clubs players in serious matches will spend an hour on the most marginal Endgames if the position requires. Some players actually read books about Endgames and go through minor edges to squeeze out the win. Turning losing positions into draws and pushing drawn Endgames into wins will make a massive difference to your rating in the long run. And this is true all the way from Expert - Masters - Magnus. This is why Magnus is the best because he has that edge to grind out the wins in those painfully drawn games. Personally I haven't got the patience to change and go through the hard work but if you do, let me know how you did it. :)

Le_Patzer83

#14

As someone around 2100-2200 in rapid and classical, I find that the 2000s simply are more likely to overlook something tactical, and they don’t pressure as well as the 2100-2200 players. At this point it’s getting to the level where you have to pressure your opponent in order to make something happen. They are unlikely to just give you nice outposts, damage their own structure or cough up material without you working for it.

RJblue

#15

Thanks everyone! So, I need to extensively study endgames and tactics. I'll do my best!

StingerPuzzles

#16

One cool feature on LiChess is the TV feature. You can watch slow games in realtime. You'll find out that people 100s of points higher rated than you have games with 5+ blunders, misplay openings in the first five moves, blunder simple mates, etc.

At no point in chess rating does something dramatic happen. You seem to want to believe that it does. Some magic 2100 spell that you need to find? That doesn't exist.

One cool feature on LiChess is the TV feature. You can watch slow games in realtime. You'll find out that people 100s of points higher rated than you have games with 5+ blunders, misplay openings in the first five moves, blunder simple mates, etc. At no point in chess rating does something dramatic happen. You seem to want to believe that it does. Some magic 2100 spell that you need to find? That doesn't exist.