@very-rusty said
Appears you use to be closer to a master level than expert level you now seem to stay around! 😉
-VR
I have peaked at 2120 twice, usually after some rare wins or (or sudden opponent resignations against higher players occurring around the same time. Once was just this last year, so the only real pattern is a cyclical one.
My peak USCF OTB rating is 1887 (which I hit relatively late, only in the last two years or so) and I tend to hover between 1750 and 1850, but I am erratic.
My RHP rating tends to be between 100 and 250 points higher than my OTB rating at any given point in time, which is part of why I don't take RHP ratings all that serious- they only really compare against other players on the site, but not anywhere else.
I think overall I am stronger than I have ever been OTB in any one game, but I have to really rest before a tournament in order to play several good games in succession. Fatigue leads to lapses in concentration, and one sloppy move erases 40 good ones.
I think my improvement with age is due to learning much more about parts of the game not related to calculating, especially when I can leverage that knowledge to identify and exploit errors from my opponents. It's how GMs win simuls most of the time, and it is a useful mindset when I remember to focus on it.