The Day I Broke Through 2200 Bullet on Lichess

Photo by Cole Patrick on Unsplash

The day I broke through 2200 rating in bullet on Lichess was a momentous day for my casual chess experience because it meant that I hadn't stagnated and that I still have means to improve on my play. Consider the fact that I'm not really training full-time or at all in getting good at chess so that made me happy and anxious at the same time because as you may know, once you reach a certain point, things will just get much harder from there on out. And it hasn't been an easy ride since then to be honest. There were many ups and downs between that point and now however, during that time, I've learned a lot not just about playing the game but also about myself and how I fit in this chess world.

I love playing chess as much as the next guy and there's just this exhilarating feeling you get when you actually win by hard work and sheer determination, although luck does play a part in that and the circumstances can also be a very big factor, but all in all, it feels good to win because you have this validation that you're not doing something in vain, that you're not wasting your time playing this game, and that it has some value, if not for other people, at least for yourself. So, that's why I'd like to share the moment when I finally broke through 2200 in bullet on Lichess. It may not mean much to other people but it does to me.

The following game was short but meaningful:


I know that I got pretty lucky with this game especially since my opponent made a critical blunder although I felt that I had a comfortable position. Objectively speaking though, White had a slight advantage before making the blunder so it wasn't going to be easy had White not made that mistake. Either way though, I would have still fought hard for it because it was going to be the first time that I would step on the world of vicious chess, not saying that when you are below 2000 rating in any category that it's not tough, but it's a lot tougher from 2200 and up.

Looking back on it though, I wouldn't say there's much difference between being in the 2000s or below and being in the 2200s and up. Sure, you need to be more precise with your moves and perhaps having an extensive knowledge and mastery of chess principles would give you a big boost but at any level, there's going to be someone much stronger than you but that doesn't mean that they don't slip up or make any mistakes. All it takes is for one blunder, whether you are an amateur or a professional, it's no different. We've seen grandmasters fight each other to the death but there are also cases when it's over instantly. There are many factors involved in how a game turns out and I for one believe that a player's psyche and emotional stability factor in a big chunk of the outcome.

One thing that I've seen playing against people above 2000 bullet on Lichess is that they make less mistakes and have a more solid grasp of the positional nuances in every aspect of the game. Of course, you should take any result with a grain of salt because it's bullet, several factors come into play when you're going up against someone in a very quick time control. Compared to bullet, in blitz and rapid, players have more time and chances to explore the different routes that a game could take and be able to analyze things more carefully. And in time, I will also talk about blitz and rapid. I can't do that right now though because it takes too much time to play blitz or rapid and it's not something that I can completely commit to.

If you're curious, I actually have an above 2100 rating in blitz and above 2000 rating in rapid on Lichess so you can kind of gauge whether it's all a fluke or not which is something I sometimes find myself getting very insecure and frustrated about. But then again, it's just a game and my only goal is to have fun with it, for now. I don't have any plans in doing serious study on chess in the near future because I have other things going on in my life but I would definitely love to at least become better and even close to earning a title in real life. Currently, that's not something I can do but we'll see what the future holds.