Huge skill differences around 1200-1500

Hi all, (this is about blitz games only)

I just wanted to ask some folks about something I seriously do not understand on this server: There are people playing in the 1200s who are CLEARLY NOT that level but about 200-300 points higher. Still, these strong players pile up below 1250 and you encounter them very frequently. Here is my question: Why aren't these players making it pass 1400-1500 and stay there?? Instead it seems as if all the ultra-strong blitzers always go up and down by about 200-300 rating points! Is that normal? Are those strong 1200s using engines on the side? I don't get it. I played at 1450 for a while myself - I have never encountered the level of strength I face at 1200. To me this is totally confusing as 1400/1500s should not have too many problems with 1200s ... Any thoughts? THANKS!

@sneaker, isn't it a little bit odd to call a blitz rating you have, "more of a luck factor"

a few months ago I made up my mind to raise my blitz ratings (yeah I have since lost the higher blitz)... 

and just going from 1000 to 1200 I noticed two huge things

1) the clock is king.

2) white blunders were frequent, still all the simple positional stuff applied,  if you get into a tense positional bind you dont' have time to figure it out (see 1). so winning meant staying equal and out of hard, awkward, positions

I also want to point to the op that in blitz there's quite a lot of new kids that come in, catch the bug and start climbing- and at 1250 you could be encountering some of these rapidly rated kids.

Thanks for your answers... It's true that there are lots of newcomers that climb up. Still - looking at the ratings of 1200s that CLEARLY beat me, they run in the 1700s !! and they also fall down to 1200 again. Also talking to lots of them corroborates this. Anyway, I just do not understand why there is SUCH A HUGE skills difference and why the strong players do not make it pass 1600 and stay. I guess there is no answer and I should shut up and play. cheers

I looked at the profiles of the 20+ opponents you lost to in blitz today. I compared 3 of their stats:
blitz rating
Highest blitz rating
Best win

And I compared it to yours. You have more divergence than all of your opponents except 3 or 4. If they are using an engine on the side then it seems you must be too

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Maybe this mistaken perception comes from the fact that different combinations of skills can reach the same level... especially at lower ratings where no one is well rounded. For example someone may be a 1300 player because they always attack, or they're 1300 because of an opening system they use. Or they don't know much but they're always looking for tactics. Or they're better at using the clock (playing passively until their opponent is low on time, then trying to complicate the position).

I'm guessing when you lose to someone with a similar skill set to yours, it feels normal. But when you lose to someone who is proficient at the things you're not, they feel unnaturally strong because you're using yourself as a reference point.

your rating IS rocky, I looked it over.

and I have struggled around the 1200's.  haven't gone above it in years.  perhaps there's just too much drinking and partying in blitz.

one day sober they drive their raing up to 1600 and then during a drunken night of fall they lose and lose- back down into the 1200's.

I don't know.

in standard I don't think there's the volatility.  I take my standard rating seriously!  perhaps other people do to- so moving up and staying up is a bit of an accomplishment.

 Thanks everybody for your answers. I guess most of my fluctuating rating is caused by ME. Just wnated check whether I am the only one experiencing these things. I probably should quit blitz and start playing longer games. Otherwise there is NO option to improve. Best, gregor

Couple reasons:

- 1200 is the starting level for blitz at chess.com, so quite a few 1400+ players start new logons (despite it being against the 'rules') so they can have fun pounding on lesser rated players.

- I've run into a lot of players that seem to intentionally sandbag by running their rating down by losing a lot of games in a row by quick resigns, so they can do the same. You can often tell these folks, as when you play them they seem very, very strong for their rating, and a quick look at the game history often reveals they were +200 points their current.

- I think there is a pretty big strength fluctation in 1200-1500 level players. Now that I'm usually past the 1500 blitz mark, I will say that the main reason 1200s stay 1200s is NOT just tactics - it's their overwhelming lack of any positional understanding. Basically they win games by hope chess, meaning hoping and waiting their opponent blunders a piece or pawn with no compensation. 

I get into this weak style of play from time to time even now when I do nothing but study tactics - which is EXACTLY what most of these 1200-1500 rated players do. You'd think that would make you stronger, but the reality of chess is that the vast majority of moves have a positional basis and deciding tactics are only a (small) minority of the moves.  So if you can't understand how to improve your piece and pawn position, you'll never get to bust out tactics, and will in fact get few chances to even attack. 

If you doubt this, watch masters like Chessnetwork and John Bartholomew win blitz games on youtube. They rarely go into 3+ move combos, and pretty much never rely on 5+ movers. But they do spend a lot of time in quieter positions making sure they don't go wrong and improve their position, and after that, the tactics are easy. Easy enough for a 1200-1400 to spot almost all of them.