— John Emms
The Illusion Of Progress
Hitting 2500+ feels like you're knocking on the door of 2600 but boom you realize as each game progresses it's even more difficult than it feels. Every extra point is brutal. I set my rating range to play players with a minimum of -0 and a max range of 500. With that settings, I'm usually playing players above my rating range. At lower levels, when you start playing bullet, its all about tactical awareness and speed but at once you hit 2300+ upwards, the difference isn't just skill anymore, It's the more like who has the best under extreme time pressure and still play the possible best moves.
The Competition Is Crazy
At this level, everyone is fast, and it isn't just speed you need in a bullet game, you have to also play good chess. Many of the 2600 bullet chess players are decent fide rated classical players - some are titled and many more are streamers who are playing with so much focus. I enjoy the competition however, it can be very frustrating when you don't get easy games.
The Mental & Physical Factor
I can't lose three straight games and keep playing. Mentally I get frustrated and if I continue, I keep losing. Also it works in the reverse for example yesterday, I won 8 games in a row against 2450+ players. The key to the streak was winning the first three games. So yes, mentally you need to be strong to break a rtaing range. Also you need to be able to okay alot of games. So you need the physical strength to do this.
My Personal Experience: The Harsh Reality of Bullet Chess
I know how unforgiving bullet chess can be, when I got to 2546 which is my peak rating, I thought I'd definitely break into 2600. With my good form, Slightly stable internet, what could possibly go wrong? But then, the losing streak was inevitable. I started making mistakes, missing simple wins, one loss turned into another, and before I knew what was going on, I was down to 2399. I managed to climb back to 2430+ recently. The thing is I wasn't even playing terribly. Sometimes a few unlucky games can shift everything in the opposite direction
Conclusion
2600+ bullet isn't just another milestone ,it's a whole different ball game. I'm pretty sure when I achieve it, I'd stop bullet for a while and move on to blitz or other chess variants with another goal. If there's one thing I can say for bullet chess, is the journey is just as intense as the destination.
_I am @samostically,I love to talk and write about chess because i benefited alot from playing chess.
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Impressive.
Long time! Thank you as always.
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