Is a 600 chess rating good?
A 600 rating is higher than 0.3% of active Lichess blitz players, 0.9% of rapid players and 0.2% of bullet players, measured on 1 September 2026. The median blitz rating is about 1530. Lichess ratings are a separate scale from FIDE and chess.com ratings.
Is a 600 rating good in blitz, rapid and bullet?
In blitz a 600 rating sits in the lowest tenth: it is higher than 0.3% of the 345,715 active blitz players, and 99.7% are rated 600 or higher.
The same number ranks differently in each time control because each one has its own pool of players. A 600 rating ranks highest in rapid (0.9%) and lowest in bullet (0.2%).
| Time control | Higher than | Rated 600 or higher | Median rating | Active players |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blitz | 0.3% | 99.7% | 1530 | 345,715 |
| Rapid | 0.9% | 99.1% | 1445 | 201,221 |
| Bullet | 0.2% | 99.8% | 1640 | 169,583 |
| Classical | 0.1% | 99.9% | 1560 | 12,241 |
How far is 600 from the top 25, 10 and 1 percent?
The top 25 percent of blitz players start at about 1795, the top 10 percent at about 2010 and the top 1 percent at about 2375. From 600 that is 1195 points up, 1410 points up and 1775 points up.
| Position | Blitz | Rapid | Bullet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top 25% | 1795 (1195 points up) | 1705 (1105 points up) | 1945 (1345 points up) |
| Top 10% | 2010 (1410 points up) | 1910 (1310 points up) | 2200 (1600 points up) |
| Top 5% | 2135 (1535 points up) | 2025 (1425 points up) | 2345 (1745 points up) |
| Top 1% | 2375 (1775 points up) | 2240 (1640 points up) | 2625 (2025 points up) |
How many Lichess players are rated 600 or higher?
On 1 September 2026, 344,750 blitz accounts, 199,386 rapid accounts and 169,317 bullet accounts were rated 600 or higher. In the 600 to 699 band alone there were 1,855 blitz accounts, 0.5% of the blitz total.
What do the ratings around 600 look like?
Between 600 and 700 the share of blitz players a rating is higher than runs from 0.3% to 0.8%. The ladder below shows 600 to 900 in the three largest time controls.
| Rating | Higher than, blitz | Higher than, rapid | Higher than, bullet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 600 | 0.3% | 0.9% | 0.2% |
| 700 | 0.8% | 2.2% | 0.5% |
| 800 | 2.0% | 4.5% | 1.4% |
| 900 | 4.4% | 8.0% | 3.2% |
How can a player rated 600 improve?
At this level most games turn on loose pieces, so the quickest gains tend to come from tactics practice and a blunder check before every move. Reviewing your own lost games shows which kind of mistake repeats.
A first lesson with George Li starts from your own games and ends with a written study plan.
How were these percentiles measured?
Accounts that played a rated game on 1 September 2026, counted once per time control at the rating after their last game, bots left out. The hub page explains the method in full.
Frequently asked questions
What percent of chess players are rated 600 or higher?
On 1 September 2026, 99.7% of active Lichess blitz players, 99.1% of rapid players and 99.8% of bullet players were rated 600 or higher. These are Lichess players only, not all chess players.
Is 600 a good rating for a beginner?
Lichess starts every new account at 1500 in each category (Lichess FAQ, read 2026-10-20), so 600 is below the starting rating. In blitz it is higher than 0.3% of active players, which is a better guide than the number alone.
Is a 600 Lichess rating the same as 600 on chess.com or in FIDE ratings?
No. Lichess says its ratings cannot be compared with those of other sites or organizations, so this site publishes no conversion.
Sources
- Lichess open database, standard rated games (CC0), file for September 2026, read 2026-10-22
- Lichess FAQ, read 2026-10-20
- Lichess: Chess rating systems, read 2026-10-20
Related guides and tools
- Is a 700 chess rating good?
- Is a 800 chess rating good?
- Is a 900 chess rating good?
- Lichess blitz rating distribution
- Lichess rapid rating distribution
- Lichess bullet rating distribution
- Lichess classical rating distribution
- Average chess rating and a good chess rating
- Chess ratings explained
- How to get a FIDE rating
- Book your first lesson
Last updated 2026-10-22.
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