A good chess rating is a rating that is strong for the pool you actually play in. In US Chess, that pool includes a very large number of scholastic players, so the national median sits far below the class letters adults remember from club walls.
Among active rated members in November 2026, the median regular rating was about 836. The 75th percentile was about 1397, the 90th about 1787, the 95th about 1958, and the 99th about 2236. Crossing 1400, the bottom of Class C, already puts a player ahead of roughly three quarters of active rated members.
Class letters, without the folklore
US Chess class bands are 200 points wide once you leave the junior letters. Class E is 1000–1199, D is 1200–1399, C is 1400–1599, B is 1600–1799, and A is 1800–1999. Expert is 2000–2199, National Master is 2200–2399, and Senior Master is 2400 and up. Class J through F cover the ratings under 1000, which is where most new scholastic players spend their first events.
- Under 1000: a normal place to start. Many active members are here.
- 1200–1599: a club player who can finish events and hold a plan.
- 1600–1999: a strong club player. Class A is a serious local result.
- 2000 and up: expert and master titles. This is a small share of the active list.
Good for a child is not the adult number
Scholastic ratings run lower because new players are initialized from age and then move quickly. A 900 rating for a third grader who has played one season is a different fact from a 900 rating for an adult who has played for years. Compare a student with recent opponents and with the section they actually entered, not with a master's memory of what 1600 used to mean.
The useful question is the next band, not a moral judgment. A player at 1510 is not 'bad at Class C.' They are 90 points from Class B. That is a few good events, not a new identity.
Use a published rating, not a guess from online games
Online ratings and US Chess ratings are different scales. A good over-the-board rating is the one posted for regular, quick, or blitz play in a US Chess event. Look the player up, read the class, and see how many games the rating is based on. A rating after 8 games is still on the special formula and will move faster than an established rating after more than 25 games.
Questions
Is 1000 a good chess rating?
1000 is a normal active-player rating, near the middle of the scholastic-heavy pool. It is a real result. It is not yet a class rating.
What rating is expert?
Expert starts at 2000. National Master starts at 2200. Senior Master starts at 2400.