The Open File - How Good Is a Master?
Submitted by
NM Zug on Tue, 07/07/2009 at 5:52am.
The Open File
by Life Master Mike Petersen (Zug)
How Good Is a Master?
Just how good is a chess master, anyway? How much better is he than the "ordinary" player? Oh, sure, you know he can beat the pants off you any time he wants, but how did he get so good? Well, the question can be answered, but involves the use of a little mathematics. So for those of you who hate numbers, I apologize in advance.
In the US, all competitive chess players receive a 4-digit numerical rating which is based upon their results in sanctioned tournament and/or match play. The system used is mathematically sound and exceedingly accurate in predicting a player's performance over an extended period of time. Game for game, of course, anything can, and usually does, happen. An example will help explain. Say player A is facing player B and both are rated at 1500, which is just about the average rating of all players in the U.S. The winner's rating will increase by approximately 16 points while the loser's will decrease by the same amount. A draw incurs no change in either player's rating. If, however, A is rated higher than B, then a handicap comes into effect roughly equal to 4% of the difference in their ratings. This handicap goes to the lower rated player and is added to the 16 point gain (or loss) he incurs. Say A is rated 1600 and B is 1500. If A wins, he receives 12 points while B loses 12. If B wins, he receives 20 points while A loses 20. If the game is drawn, A loses 4 while B gains 4. So, as you can see, if a player wishes to increase his rating, he must not only beat the players lower than he, but also at least draw with the higher rated players. Losses do nothing but drop him back, like the frog trying to jump out of the well: he leaps up two feet, but falls back three.
Even the best ordinary player - and by ordinary I mean one who does not play in a chess club or tournaments - would emerge from his first competition with a rating somewhere around the 1200 to 1400 mark. So, where does the master stand in all this? Ratings in the US are divided into several classes which are listed below:
2200 and up: Master
2000 - 2199: Expert
1800 - 1999: Class A
1600 - 1799: Class B
1400 - 1599: Class C
1200 - 1399: Class D
Below 1200: Class E
It is easy to see that the difference between the "ordinary" player and the master is about 800 to 1000 points. This is roughly equivalent to winning 60 games in a row against players whose ratings, game for game, were the equal of your own.
So what does all this mean to Mr. Ordinary Player? Well, I am a Master, rated over 2200. My first tournament was in 1970 and I achieved a Master rating in 1980. So, how much better is a Master than an ordinary player? Well, judging by myself, I'd say about ten years.
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Click here for links to Mike's other work on Chess.com
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