Why I have 1900 ELO in Bullet, but only 1400 in Blitz?

My Experience: Blitz vs Bullet on Lichess and Average Rating “Deltas”
Hi everyone! I’d like to share some observations about how Blitz and Bullet ratings relate on Lichess.

1. A Few Numbers from My Analysis

   I pulled data from public Lichess dumps (API, BigQuery) and here’s what I found:

• Average BlitzRating − BulletRating ≈ +200 points
In other words, the typical Blitz rating is about 200 points higher than the Bullet rating.
• Standard deviation σ ≈ 200
– About 68% of players fall in the 0 to +400 range (Blitz – Bullet).
– Roughly 16% are stronger in Bullet (Bullet > Blitz by more than ~200).
– Around 16% are much stronger in Blitz (Blitz > Bullet by more than ~400).
• Dependence on overall level:
– Beginners (<1200) usually stay within ±100.
– Intermediate players (1200–1800) see typical deltas of 200–300.
– Strong players (>2000) can show either small or very large gaps, depending on style.

2. My “Bimodal” Story

   In my case:

• Bullet (1+0, 2+1) I play almost on autopilot: reflexes, pattern recognition, minimal calculation.
• Classical (>30 min) I live every move—deep plans, long calculations, total immersion.
• Blitz (3+2, 5+3) feels like I have neither the raw speed nor enough time for full analysis, so I end up 200–300 points below my Bullet and Classical level.
Some concrete highlights:

• I once beat a 2200-rated player over the board in classical, despite being only ~1200 in Blitz back then.
• A couple of times I “blitzed out” a 2300-bot when I could afford 30 minutes per move.

That’s how I ended up around Blitz ≈ 1400 vs Bullet ≈ 1850—a rare ~450-point gap (over 2σ). At one point I even peaked at Bullet 1940, which really underlines how unusual this split is given my lower Blitz strength.
If you look closely at my profile, you’ll see I barely play Classical or Rapid. Why? Let’s just say that if your opponent has time to “go make tea,” they might discover some “special” secrets about your game in the meantime
I hope that hint is clear.
If anyone else has an interesting story or stats about Blitz vs Bullet differences, feel free to share!
I created this post to raise awareness among newer players about possible rating fluctuations—and just to spark a fun discussion in our community :)