is getting to 1200 even considered an accomplishment?

I have generally had a rating of around 900and would play casually a lot with basically no improvement, and then during the quarantine a few months ago I read the book Bobby Fishcer Teaches Chess and after that very quickly got up about 1150 but then fell down to around 1050 shortly after. After putting a lot of work and taking a few lessons I finally cracked 1200. So, basically I got from 900 to 1200 over the course of a 3 months and it took a lot of work, puzzles probably ended up being the most useful tool for me.

However, even though 1200 is something like the 70th percentile or so, what I've read suggests that it's still seems to be considered to be a pretty abysmal rating by the chess community. I guess my question is if this degree of improvement over this amount of time is any indicator that I could ever be truly "good" at chess or does it more suggest the opposite? I would also like to add that this is my rating for rapid and I still cannot seem to really improve at blitz at all, which is frustrating, although I also don't play it nearly as much.

Consider adjusting your expectation. It takes most people years to become 'good' at chess. It is not a game that can be mastered in a few months. Give or take, under 1400 is novice, above 1400 is intermediate, I'm not sure where good starts, maybe 1600-1800. If you enjoy playing, and the idea of becoming a consistent 1400 sometime next year doesn't put you off then stick with the program. I think most people are capable of being good players if they enjoy winning and losing, and, above all, have bucket loads of resilience. A sense of humour also helps, for when you blunder a win to someone half your rating

1200 is a good achievement for a beginner who has lived in the 900 range for a while.
Mathematically, a 300 Elo point gain means you’d be expected to beat your former 900-self about 80-85% of the time now. So it’s definitely good improvement.
I don’t know if I progressed fast, slow, or normal, but you can see I was 670 rated last March, and hit 1200 by summer 2019, and 1500 by late fall. I massively plateaued at 1500 until late Spring 2020 and now slowly started to improve since then and am 1650 now. I’d suggest tactics and endgames as two primary resources for studying!
I wouldn’t focus too much on hitting rating milestones by X time, focus more on new concepts, tactics, strategy, etc and the rating will follow... and you can set yourself small incremental goals -> 1300, 1400, etc.
Update: I'm now coaching chess having risen from 600 to 2200 over the past three years, feel free to dm me for a chat and study recommendations.

 

It all depends on each individual.

 

For me, I can easily break the 1200 barrier, so I do not find it an accomplishment.

But to a player rated consistently around 1000, a rating of 1200 would be an accomplishment to head towards.

 

P.S. When I was a beginner, 1200 was actually quite of an accomplishment to attain, so it can also depend on stages of a player's chess journey.

 

Also remember that a lot of the community players have played chess for quite some time already, and as such they would find 1200 rather low. Compare that to newbies who newly come in.

 

This phenomenon is similar to entering the workforce. If you are in the workforce or are about to enter the workforce, you would be facing an entire community of colleagues from different age bands and different levels of experience. Of course, your colleagues, having been in the company for quite some time, are more familiar with processes and therefore have baseline expectations. To them, everyone in the company is expected to be able to complete certain tasks, so the specific task is probably just another daily routine. But to a newbie in the company, completing even one such task is already an accomplishment which will probably pave the way for future accomplishments.

 

When each individual starts out in chess, they don't immediately attain a consistent rating of 1200. It's just that experience allows these players to gain more knowledge. I can say that for someone who hits 1200 within a few months of learning chess, on average, the player is definitely good. 

Congratz on the improvement! A 300 point gain is fantastic. Keep up the good work!

I've been playing in over-the-board tournaments since the late 1960s. 

So yeah, it takes a while to get good. I'll get there some day, though...

I can’t imagine ever getting to 1200, so I’d say it’s an accomplishment!

@consistentlyfalconer, the gap from 800 to 1200 is closer than you think.

With a change in mindset, ie. the mental questions you ask yourself during the game - should take you to 1000 straight away, and tactics training should help you with the test!

this

@kraig, I think that's what I'm finding so discouraging at this point, finding out that a 400 point improvement still isn't even regarded as particularly significant

+1

Definitely. When I was first beginning, every single rating point I earned was an accomplishment. Don't sell yourself short.

Sooner or later, you'll find yourself at the top if you work hard enough.

You've worked hard to get to 1200 so that's an acheivement! I've just done the same - it's taken 6 months of practice, effort and training for me to get in the 1200's. Personally I find the improvement in my game and understanding more of a reward than the numbers after my name as I'm enjoying playing more. Lets face it I do it for fun, if it was my job my family would starve

 

But that should also be an encouragement, because the gap between your 1200 rating and say, 1500-1600 is also closer than you may think at this moment in time. When I was 1200, "1500" seemed like a solid seasoned rating that was miles away - but I surpassed it within 3 months of hitting 1200.

As long as you have a decent study methodology, you'll be fine. I'd suggest watching John Bartholomew's fundamental series on youtube, followed by his Climbing the Rating ladder series, starting at Up to 1000, then watching 1000-1200, 1200-1400, and so on.
In terms of topics you should research and learn basic king and pawn endgames and rook endgames.

Lastly, there's always room for tactics training (puzzles) at every level of your development.

It’s an accomplishment if you feel like you’ve accomplished something. Becoming obsessed with ratings is a hamster wheel: you’ll never be happy. If you hit 1500 you’ll be happy for a few days but then you’ll be sad that you aren’t 1600. It becomes a never ending cycle of misery. Just enjoy the game.

oh...

True. @NikkiLikeChikki just understood me rn... 😭

I am in a never ending cycle of misery then

Hard to judge true rating on internet chess. I played players 300+ above mine and they play like beginners. However, I also have been crushed by a lowly rated player that has flawless moves. Any upward progress is an accomplishment. Being too hanged up with rating points could undermine your progress of learning and enjoying the game...Chess is a complicated game that takes a long long time to be good at it. Good luck on your next goal and may the Chess Gods grants you a 1000 points more.