How to beat lower rated player?

Ratings can be very misleading, and different players have different strengths and weaknesses along with different styles:

Some players can attack fairly well, but do not know how to play when not attacking and in a "boring" position. They are clueless.

Some players knows tons of openings and can name them all. They have lots of book knowledge and know what grandmasters play upto move 10 or 15 in any given line. They know all these tricks and traps and may catch you slipping... Oh... you got them out of book somehow, or managed to survive that strong opening? Well, they don't have as solid of a middlegame and their endgame is often weak.

Some players are really well rounded. They play just like a GM for the most part. They are formidable in all areas. The thing is though... They have a much higher blunder rate than a GM making them not nearly as strong as they could be. A true pity these players are.

Some people like boring games. They want to put you to sleep and then go "Aha!" on move 53 when you make an innacurate move and then they wiggle in for an advantage eventualyl a win... Thing is though... These players are often times not bold enough to get an advantage when they could because they are too cautious. So you can slip a bad move in here and there without them catching it.

Some players will act professionally all of the time and be a true gentleman. Other players will curse you out add several minutes to your clock, offer a draw, and then resign after you refused to allow them a takeback for the 2nd time.

Some players are a sleepy old man that has been playing chess for over 50 years. They were once a bit sharper, but they have all the experience in the world. Others are a young child new to the game hyper and full of energy.

Some players are playing for the last time... Their dog died... They just lost their job... And the wife just left them, and they are going to blow their brains out tomorrow. Today they are playing for fun though one last time I suppose... Others are playing a game of chess on the best day of their life. They just got that promotion at work they have been working hard for. The wife is finally pregnant after trying for so long, and their favorite food is for dinner, with that new baby on the way and a changing work schedule their is not going to be much more time for chess. Even more others haven't a clue that this is their last game. They never see that bus coming before it's too late... Oh well.

Some players play seriously. It's not so much an art for them, but a science. They study chess and study and study and study... They make work of this game. Other players play not so seriously at all. They will play the bong cloud or random sacrafices and other strange moves.

Chess players come in all shapes, sizes, races, genders, styles, skill levels, experience levels, nationalities, languages, ages, and sexual orientations, and ideologies... Yet some folks are foolish enough to trust a rating? I am X number good at chess... It's a temporary quantification of an unquantifiable number. What kind of chess player someone is far far deeper than some number or title for that matter.

@mrjive

You make a good point, I should be more literal:

For me, I had it set 100 under and 100 over until I reached 1900.

However, at that point, I realized that if 1900 is better than 90% of the people playing on the site, then there will be 1 person at 1900 or above for every 9 people that are below.

This means that I'll have to play lower rated players 9 times for every 1 time I play someone above my rating.

This is like trying to cut teeth on marshmellow.

So the way that I have it set now, is that I'll try to keep around 50 points under, and 150 points over.
This way, if I do play someone who is slightly under my rating, it's still an even match and a tough fight.

But you are correct, MrJive, I was incorrect to gloss over that point.
It's important that people are willing to play lower rated opponents from time to time, even if it's just by 50 points.

@Onyx_Chess
I think your math with "...9times for every 1 time..." is wrong. If you had set things to 1800 - 2000 at your level of 1900:

From lichess.org/stat/rating/distribution/rapid
below 1800: 82% of players
below 1900: 90%
below 2000: 95%

so you'd get the 8% of all players between 1800 and 1900 which are below you and the 5% of all players between 1900 and 2000 which are above you.
You'd play 5/13 = 38% of players above you and 8/13 = 62% below you.

@Alakaluf

Yes, you're correct. Thanks. My math was assuming a filterless setting, and I also should have used 2000 as the benchmark instead of 1900.

That said, the point still stands.

Once players get to the 1900-2000 range, if they leave their filter at 100 under and 100 over, then they'll mostly be playing lower-rated players. "Every three games that you play one will be your equal," is horrible odds.

Even worse at 2000 where "Every four games you play, one will be your equal."

Really no cookie cutter way just apply pressure long term and try to get them in a tactic or uncomfortable position try an unsound gambit ._ thanks onyx ill get ya one day

Chess For Tigers is a great book discussing this. Gives good advice from a master.

@dooeyDecimal

Oh for sure man. Probably sooner than you think.
I can tell that you're one of those "on the rise" kinds of players.
We'll play again very soon.

I have to confess being one of those bad players using no filters at all and relying on the auto-MM.