Realistic 1 year goals

I've been playing chess for a little over a month now and have seen some signs of improvement. I was wondering what some realistic goals are for my first year of playing chess, that is if I keep working at it regularly (not devoting insane amounts of time to it).

Hi! My name is Lauren Goodkind and I’m a respected  chess coach and chess YouTuber who helps beginners out : 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP5SPSG_sWSYPjqJYMNwL_Q

Send me one of your games and I'll be happy to analyze the game for free on my YouTube channel on Sunday livestream from 1-2PM PST.  Ask me questions in real time!  

 This is a great way to improve!

To answer your question, everybody goes at their own unique pace in chess.  If you want to push yourself, then try to get to 1000 for your first year.  

@1
"what some realistic goals are for my first year of playing chess"
++ A realistic goal is 1500. It does neither need work, nor much time. It is a matter of mental discipline. Always check your intended move is no blunder before you play it. Think about your move and decide, then imagine your intended move played, then check it is no blunder, only then play it. Hang no pieces, hang no pawns. When your opponent hangs a piece or a pawn, take it.

I wouldn't focus on ratings too much. Especially online ones. Try to enjoy the game and enjoy studying/analysis/playing through classics.

But fwitw 8 months of active playing (I only play in winter, because when the weather's good, I'd rather be outside enjoying the fresh air) took me to 1300 chess.com playing 60/0 games, one game per day. I don't think 1500 is unrealistic if you approach it the right way, but at the end of the day, a lot comes down to how your brain works.

Another factor to consider is when & how you play. I play in the evenings after a full day of work - tiredness and inability to fully focus on the game results in some days when I'd struggle to beat a 1000 opponent or blunder my queen in the first 10 moves. This inconsistency in playing quality does bring the rating down quite a bit.

Looking at your last game, you've started a 10-minute game and only used 2 minutes of your time for the entire game (!) - these types of games are unlikely to help you progress, and if you start thinking about every move, you'll find that 60/0 time control feels like a blitz.

@4

"tiredness and inability to fully focus on the game results in some days when I'd struggle to beat a 1000 opponent or blunder my queen in the first 10 moves."
++ You play worse when tired,
but the mental discipline of blunder checking can prevent you from losing your queen.

"you've started a 10-minute game and only used 2 minutes of your time for the entire game"
++ This is a typical beginner mistake: playing hastily and badly for fear of the clock.
That is why 15|10 is good.
Thanks to the increment you can always win a won position or draw a drawn position.
You can focus on chess instead of on the clock.

I agree with the chess coach that 1,000 is a nice goal to work towards given your current level.

I know someone said 1500 but that will require gaining a more comprehensive knowledge and experience with all kinds of openings. A 1500 is on the verge of becoming a serious chess player, that takes a few years.

But who knows, if you have the discipline to not just play but study and do as many puzzles as you can, you might get far depending on your mental strength. And use playing as application of your acquired learning and to test out new experiments, and not for the gamer's enjoyment of winning.

 Try some 60/0 games. The same 1200 "rapid" rating will give you a much more challenging game.

I think my goal for next year is to reach 2130-2150 elo/national in rl

well wish you luck on trying for such lofty goals --- one year i trying to just out of 100 ona regular basis 

Man I have some work to do. Been playing 7 months and am 600.  Almost exclusively 5 min rapid.

Should I be playing longer games?  I was addicted to 3/2 blitz but an opponent suggested I stopped playing it.    thanks

@11
"Should I be playing longer games?"
++ Yes, 15|10 is better.

I went 700 to 1900 then tilted to 1800 im trying to get back to 1900

I started 3 years ago, and established a rating of around 600 after about one month of playing.

My chess.com rating growth:

625 = 3 weeks.
800 = 7 weeks.
1000 = 2.5 months.
1200 = 4 months. (Around the time I posted this very topic 3 years ago!)
1400 = 5 months.
1500 = 8 months.
1600 = 1 year, 1 month.
1700 = 1 year, 6 months.
1800 = 2 years, 1 month.
1900 = 2 years, 6 months.
2000 = 2 years, 9 months.
2100 = 3 years, 4 months.
2200 = ???

The above relate to my blitz progress, I climbed through rapid ratings a little quicker.

I think your 1 year goal should be finding a daily routine for chess, keep it small like solving a few puzzles a day, playing a Rapid game, and reviewing your mistakes in it, then maybe reading a bit of a chess book or online course (lot of free ones on chess.com/chessable lichess ect). Consistency will bring you the best results over time, but don’t focus on rating rather focus on learning something new in chess each day, whether it’s a new pattern, concept, opening or endgame idea, ect. If you learn 365 new things, that’s a lot of knowledge you’ve acquired in a year. Have fun with chess, don’t make it a second job and get stressed over it.

-Jordan

I first started learning to play chess in november 2023 and was completely until august 2024, in november 2024 I was about 900-1000

Jordan is in good company. Magnus also listed Fun as one of the 5 keys to winning chess.