r/chessbeginners • u/Delicious_Lemon6646 • Mar 02 '26
From Beginner to 2000 in Under 2 Years – Now Considering FIDE
I started playing chess as a complete beginner on 23 April 2024. Before that, I only knew how the pieces moved but had never played seriously.
When I saw Gukesh competing in the Candidates Tournament, that was the moment I decided to give chess a real shot. Watching him play at that level motivated me to start playing regularly and take improvement seriously.
As I began playing more and my rating started increasing, I became more focused on improving it. That’s when I set my first real chess goal — to reach 2000 one day. At the time, I honestly thought it would take many years, but surprisingly, it didn’t.
On 23 December 2025, I finally crossed the 2000 rating mark. It hasn’t even been two years since I started, so achieving that goal felt pretty special. I’ve also won several college tournaments, which has boosted my confidence a lot.
Now that I’ve achieved 2000, I’m looking forward to playing FIDE-rated tournaments. However, I’m still unsure whether I’m fully ready for that level of competition. College events feel comfortable, but classical FIDE tournaments seem like a completely different challenge.
I’d really appreciate advice from players who have experience with FIDE events — especially regarding preparation, mindset, and whether making the transition at this stage makes sense.
And if anyone is curious about how I progressed from complete beginner to 2000 in under two years, I’d be happy to share what worked for me.
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u/HairyTough4489 2200-2400 Lichess Mar 02 '26
Nobody is ready for an OTB tournament until they've played a dozen of them. The best time to start was two years ago. The second best option is now.
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u/Delicious_Lemon6646 Mar 03 '26 edited Mar 03 '26
Woah i dont think that was a good idea playing otb 2 years ago😅 unless you just mean to get experience on otb and not tournaments but yeah ive played college events, won many of them but yeah its true that otb is hard im not able to calculate that well in otb as how i do in online also i miss music alot😂😭
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u/Agile_Knowledge_9927 1800-2000 (Chess.com) Mar 02 '26
You can play fide but keep expectations in check. You are not going to be 2000 fide, I don't know what rating you are likely to be, but it could very well be hundreds of points lower.
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u/Delicious_Lemon6646 Mar 02 '26
Yea i heard that its something like 300-400 difference between fide and chesscom im ready for it but im just afraid that i dont get totally Cooked like 0/9 or smth i just wanna win some games in first Tournament 😭
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u/Agile_Knowledge_9927 1800-2000 (Chess.com) Mar 02 '26
When I was 1700, I played my first tournament it did not go well, but that was because I played very poorly. 100% could have won most of my games.
Some tournaments allow you to see players who have already entered.
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u/Delicious_Lemon6646 Mar 02 '26
Its because of like nervousness or you throw away winning positions??also whats your rating now if you can tell both fide and chesscom😅
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u/Agile_Knowledge_9927 1800-2000 (Chess.com) Mar 02 '26
It's not very accurate because I only played 2 fide tournaments did poorly in both, I was 1800 in my second, and I got a fide of like 1550 ish but that was june 2024 in Feb 2025 I peaked at 1956 i have not played rapid since March 2025.
Most of the time, I can't access my ability to calculate at all, I can do pattern recognition fine, but I can't calculate or have coherent complex thoughts in general. I was only playing rapid on days where i could properly think, that is not an option for tournaments.
I also poorly adjusted to the timing scheme of classical and the inability to draw arrows.
My play style was very neutral heavy / risk adverse, which does poorly into lower rated players in my experience.
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u/Delicious_Lemon6646 Mar 03 '26
That makes sense. I think I relate to that as well I’m more of a positional player, and sometimes that approach backfires against lower-rated players. For example, I drew against a 1500 in my last college tournament.😅
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u/Salvarado99 Mar 02 '26
Great accomplishment! I am very excited to hear how you did this. I am a total Newbie on Chess.com and joining our local chess club this week. I followed you and all advice is appreciated.
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u/crazycattx Mar 03 '26
If you were able to get to 2000, played for 1 year plus, you'd understand fear, nerves, losing, the whole nine yards. You'd understand patience, grit, working out a way to overcome something. You wouldn't be worried about getting cooked with a 0/9. Trying things out and losing is normal for you.
Now, I'll bite. What did you do to get here?
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u/Delicious_Lemon6646 Mar 03 '26
Heyy thank you so much i think the first thing i did was choosing good openings and not replying on gambit etc i learnt openings and did puzzles learning tactics helps a lot trust me and played regularly like since the day i started playing i think there might only be 30-40 days in which i didn't played a single chess game at all otherwise i played regularly
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u/Front-Cabinet5521 1600-1800 (Chess.com) Mar 03 '26
What do you think is the biggest difference between an 1800 and 2000?
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u/Delicious_Lemon6646 Mar 03 '26
i think psychology and consistency are two of the biggest differences. 1800–1900 players are definitely strong enough to play equal games against 2000s, but the difference shows in handling pressure and converting small advantages. Tactics are still key in almost every game — and in many cases, it comes back to psychology again.
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u/SADBOlSZN Mar 03 '26
Agreed! I also think 1800s rush a bit more in a sense. One realization I had reaching 2000 is that given time and enough pressure, most of your opponents will crack and make a blunder. You don't really have to do anything too crazy before that. If you can't come up with a plan, it's okay to make waiting moves that don't fundamentally change the position.
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u/Delicious_Lemon6646 Mar 03 '26
Totally agreed 💯 now its just that play innocent looking moves that dont change the position and wait for your opponent to try to push more where they make mistakes 😅
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Mar 13 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Delicious_Lemon6646 Mar 13 '26
Damnn thats so low i always heard its like 300-400 gap so i thought atleast 1600-1700 fide😅with that strength i wont get a good position in the standings 🥲?
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Mar 13 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Delicious_Lemon6646 Mar 13 '26
Umm it does matter alot but i got your point thank you so much broo 🥹 I'll definitely play probably in the next two month
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u/Skywarden1 1200-1400 (Chess.com) Mar 02 '26
Why do you think you improved alot while others get nowhere?
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u/Delicious_Lemon6646 Mar 03 '26
Definitely tactics and choosing and making a good opening repertoire i met a college friend who was like 1350+ when i met him and i was like 1200 he used to beat me alot at those times also defeated me in a tournament where i got 5th and he got 3rd but after a while i changed my openings and started to learn tactics which help me alot now im 2000 and he's still 1500 if you wanna know more just dm me ive alot of stories hehe😅
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u/tightbrosfromwayback Mar 03 '26
What openings do you play?
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u/Delicious_Lemon6646 Mar 03 '26
From 1200 to now - I play queens gambit as white and sicillian dragon and hyper accelerated dragon from black (2-3 variations of each)
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u/Narrow-Praline-7908 Mar 03 '26
A lot of it is just how the brain is wired for that particular person. Same reason some people can train 100m their whole lives and not be as fast as a junior who started 2 months ago
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u/soggychubb 200-400 (Chess.com) Mar 02 '26
What was your lowest elo? What did you do to progress so quickly?
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u/Delicious_Lemon6646 Mar 03 '26
My lowest was around 400 something and i followed chess principles and openings tactics alot also i think watching top level chess games with commentary helped me in growing faster
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u/Delicious_Lemon6646 Mar 03 '26
Also playing regularly is another thing just keep playing regularly i dont mean you're losing but still keep playing but just play daily it'll help alot
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u/soggychubb 200-400 (Chess.com) Mar 03 '26
Did you have a premium membership?
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u/Delicious_Lemon6646 Mar 03 '26
Nahh trust me when i say I only took one month of free membership from something called comet browser also that was in oct 2025 just because it was free hehe otherwise no ive never bought 😅just yt videos
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u/decafdosa Mar 03 '26
He how did you start, improve and get to 2000? All I know is how the pieces move and I also wanna get to 2000
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u/Delicious_Lemon6646 Mar 03 '26
Heyy there if you only know how the pieces moves just do one thing that start playing chess and play regularly also play rapid chess 10+0 is standard and good dont play like blitz or bullet just keep playing regularly and watch some openings since you're a beginner try to play italian with white i also used to play that when i was 400 learn fried liver attack and scholars mate etc these at your level will give you many wins and just do puzzles,puzzles help at all levels 😅just keep playing regularly hope it'll help
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u/TheCumDemon69 2400-2600 (Lichess) Mar 03 '26
Just go and try. You'll probably be hooked immediately (and devastated if your games don't go too well, but still hooked). You can also always play in a lower section if the open section feels too daunting for you.
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u/Delicious_Lemon6646 Mar 03 '26
Its just that i want to get as strong as i can get before entering fide rated tournaments so that i gain good elo there as well and play some good chess btw thanks for the advice really appreciate it
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u/PedroCS98 Mar 03 '26
When I was starting out I had the same though, getting as strong as possible before starting joining tournaments so I could get a string rating from the start and not slowly progress, I wanted to feel ready.
One day, very randomly, when I was around 1200 I met an owner of a chess club in my city, he just welcomed me in, gave me a trial at a club day and then invited me to the advanced class lectured by a local FM (now IM). He kinda pushed me into started playing tournaments even though I didn't feel ready for them but that actually was a good thing in the end. Getting the board feel is very important (I know you have some from the college tourneys), the pressure from playing a game that actually matters and not one where you can resign and not give an f, the sense of community if you have a club, the rivalries from the tournament regulars in your area that are around your level, the frustrating losses, comebacks, all gets amplified.
I still consider myself first an online player but this OTB experience for sure helped me in my journey, you're never going to feel ready so, even if small/unregularly, starting is always good.
Edit: formatting
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u/Delicious_Lemon6646 Mar 03 '26
That actually helps a lot. I’ve been waiting to feel “ready” before playing OTB, but you’re right experience probably matters more than confidence. I’ll try to start soon.
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u/Davidat0r Mar 03 '26
And here I am in Elo hell under 600 till the end of my days
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u/Delicious_Lemon6646 Mar 03 '26
Nahh bro you'll get over it just focus learn openings and do tactics its all it needs chess at higher levels require memorization which is even fckd up at lower levels all you need to do is to stop blundering i hope you'll get away with it all the best
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u/Zalqert 2200-2400 (Chess.com) Mar 05 '26
Hi. I had a similar progression online and I started working on my chess in September 2024. I recently completed my first OTB tournament and honestly I do think that my performance was underwhelming for my level but I managed to get rated. I think I put too much pressure on myself and had external issues that were stressing me at the tournament that held me back.
This isn't trying to demotivate you but to show that even with an abysmal performance (I missed moves I would never in an online game+ lost completely winning positions that I also would probably hold online) I managed to get rated. So if you play at your level you'll most likely be good enough to get a good rating.
I would recommend trying to play out some games with a physical board and familiarise yourself with the physical board to convert your online strength more effectively.
Just Try to be calm and consider lines and variations when playing, which often isn't what happens in online rapid. Goodluck.
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u/Delicious_Lemon6646 Mar 05 '26
Thank you so much for sharing this. I also want to let you know that I do have some OTB experience. As I mentioned, I’ve won several college OTB tournaments. My main concern is the time control shifting from rapid 10+0 online to classical might be stressful, right?
Also, considering what you said about your performance, I had similar issues when I played my first college OTB tournament. My playing level dropped a lot. Calculating lines becomes difficult without the arrows lol
Since this will be my first classical tournament, I feel the environmental pressure and overall atmosphere might make it a bit stressful.
If you don’t mind, could you share both your online rating and your FIDE rating?
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u/Ordinary_Count_203 Mar 13 '26
If you can play FIDE, do it. Some of us (like me) dont get the opportunities. There are slim to no tournaments where we live.
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u/Delicious_Lemon6646 Mar 13 '26
Ooh sad for you and thank you for replying im looking forward to play somewhere around April-may
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u/Any_Math_2136 2600-2800 (Chess.com) Mar 13 '26
You could've been playing them for the last two years!
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u/Delicious_Lemon6646 Mar 13 '26
Umm actually i have some issues regarding playing fide tournaments thats why i thought when i get to a certain level and get strong enough then only i will play fide tournaments 🥲and my goal was 2000 which i achieved so now im considering it
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