Not that long ago I was in the 1700s

@Pronatorade said ^

As recently as July actually. Now I struggle to stay in above 1500. Since starting online chess about 8 years ago my blitz rating gradually increased. For the last year or so it felt like the high 1600s low 1700s was my natural spot. The last few months have felt different. Obvious blunders from my opponents don't happen nearly a...

This was obvious what I was getting at. I know there are cheaters, and I know nothing can really be done, but I thought it was worth pointing out that in the last 6 months there has definitely been a surge. People have become aware of the various plugins you can obtain and how to avoid getting caught.

My rating decline is proof that I don't cheat and I never will. If people want to cheat to beat me then that's fine. I will never sink to their level.

It’s not cheaters. You are bad at visualization and calculation. That’s why your peak rating is bullet.
The problem is, with less time to think you will not train that part of your brain, thus not improving.
It’s not a conspiracy, it’s just a poor training method and denial.

Bullet is great to satisfy your “instant gratification monkey” and people with ADHD like me will have a hard time escaping it’s grasp. Maybe one can gradually increase time limit?

@Rookitiki said ^

It’s not cheaters. You are bad at visualization and calculation. That’s why your peak rating is bullet.
The problem is, with less time to think you will not train that part of your brain, thus not improving.
It’s not a conspiracy, it’s just a poor training method and denial.

Bullet is great to satisfy your “instant gratification monkey” and people with ADHD like me will have a hard time escapi...

Doesn't explain why I spent many months 200 rating points above where I am now. Why do the opponents at 1500 feel way better than they were a couple years ago? Did everybody go read chess books over the summer? And again, I'm aware that playing slower chess would help me improve. I don't have that kind of time, and I what I enjoy about chess is being able to get a game in here and there.

I think it's pretty obvious that there's quite a bit of cheating in the mid-rating levels. I think my experience proves it.

I have experienced the same, I was up to 1800 rapid last year, now struggling to get to 1700, also i have looked at the profiles of some players that have blown me of the board and some were like 1900s last year and are now 1600s, does seem odd...

chess is becoming more boring with each passing month I'd say really, there is so much theory and engine lines even at 1300 that it sucks all the fun out of a game, there is no creativity, no one takes risks, just the same boring dry lines over and over and over again, with all the youtube videos and engines it is boring as hell, not to mention that all the starting players are out there to chase rating it is very boring I'd say, it is close to just playing bots at this point, or the anonymous games are still fun, as there people actually try different things and stuff, cause it is anonymous and therefor not tied to rating, but otherwise it is very dry I'd say

@N00801 said ^

chess is becoming more boring with each passing month I'd say really, there is so much theory and engine lines even at 1300 that it sucks all the fun out of a game, there is no creativity, no one takes risks, just the same boring dry lines over and over and over again, with all the youtube videos and engines it is boring as hell, not to mention that all the starting players are out there to chase rating it is very boring I'd say, it is close to just playing bots at this point, or the anonymous games are still fun, as there people actually try different things and stuff, cause it is anonymous and therefor not tied to rating, but otherwise it is very dry I'd say

Not true, look at my games. I am not playing theory. Mostly, I am playing bullshit openings and am comfortably sitting in the 2100+ blitz range.

So at your level you should be fine playing without knowing any opening theory.

@Ragnor-Ragnorson said ^

I have experienced the same, I was up to 1800 rapid last year, now struggling to get to 1700, also i have looked at the profiles of some players that have blown me of the board and some were like 1900s last year and are now 1600s, does seem odd...

Look at your rating graph from Jan 09, 2024 to today. A linear estimation would likely yield a nearly horizontal line. Maybe you lost 10-20 rating points at best. Taking into account that mild rating deflation* has occurred on Lichess the last couple of years, you have not become worse. You hit a plateau.

In other words, your perceived recent downward trend is just a normal fluctuation. In a similar fashion, you had a weak period after your peak of 1811 (October 1, 2024) that lasted over half a year.

the entire rating pool is in flated

@Tictactotactic said ^

the entire rating pool is in flated

Inflated is not the same as inflation. You can say that the pool is inflated if a player's Lichess rating is higher than their Fide Elo.

When I talk about rating deflation I mean that a player whose chess skill has stabilized slowly tends to lose rating over time.

It is totally possible that ratings are "inflated" compared to Fide Elo, but still have a tendency to deflate over time. However, the trend is not necessarily monotone. Depending on the distribution of players that enters and leaves Lichess, we may experience periods of deflation and inflation.

Take a look at Maia 9's rating over time. You should be able to see the downward trend though the bots actually playing skill has remained constant as far as I know.