Is a 900 chess rating good?
A 900 rating is higher than 4.4% of active Lichess blitz players, 8.0% of rapid players and 3.2% 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 900 rating good in blitz, rapid and bullet?
In blitz a 900 rating sits in the lowest tenth: it is higher than 4.4% of the 345,715 active blitz players, and 95.6% are rated 900 or higher.
The same number ranks differently in each time control because each one has its own pool of players. A 900 rating ranks highest in rapid (8.0%) and lowest in bullet (3.2%).
| Time control | Higher than | Rated 900 or higher | Median rating | Active players |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blitz | 4.4% | 95.6% | 1530 | 345,715 |
| Rapid | 8.0% | 92.0% | 1445 | 201,221 |
| Bullet | 3.2% | 96.8% | 1640 | 169,583 |
| Classical | 1.6% | 98.4% | 1560 | 12,241 |
How far is 900 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 900 that is 895 points up, 1110 points up and 1475 points up.
| Position | Blitz | Rapid | Bullet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top 25% | 1795 (895 points up) | 1705 (805 points up) | 1945 (1045 points up) |
| Top 10% | 2010 (1110 points up) | 1910 (1010 points up) | 2200 (1300 points up) |
| Top 5% | 2135 (1235 points up) | 2025 (1125 points up) | 2345 (1445 points up) |
| Top 1% | 2375 (1475 points up) | 2240 (1340 points up) | 2625 (1725 points up) |
How many Lichess players are rated 900 or higher?
On 1 September 2026, 330,427 blitz accounts, 185,053 rapid accounts and 164,103 bullet accounts were rated 900 or higher. In the 900 to 999 band alone there were 13,662 blitz accounts, 4.0% of the blitz total.
What do the ratings around 900 look like?
Between 800 and 1000 the share of blitz players a rating is higher than runs from 2.0% to 8.4%. The ladder below shows 600 to 1200 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% |
| 1000 | 8.4% | 13.1% | 6.4% |
| 1100 | 13.8% | 19.8% | 11.1% |
| 1200 | 20.5% | 27.4% | 16.5% |
How can a player rated 900 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 900 or higher?
On 1 September 2026, 95.6% of active Lichess blitz players, 92.0% of rapid players and 96.8% of bullet players were rated 900 or higher. These are Lichess players only, not all chess players.
Is 900 a good rating for a beginner?
Lichess starts every new account at 1500 in each category (Lichess FAQ, read 2026-10-20), so 900 is below the starting rating. In blitz it is higher than 4.4% of active players, which is a better guide than the number alone.
Is a 900 Lichess rating the same as 900 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 600 chess rating good?
- Is a 700 chess rating good?
- Is a 800 chess rating good?
- Is a 1000 chess rating good?
- Is a 1100 chess rating good?
- Is a 1200 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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