Fast Rating Switch?

I find it quite annoying when I accept say, the challenge of a 1350 player (that's high-end for me), and by the time I know I'm close to winning again, I look again at their rating and they've dropped to 1200 or under.

Of course, this is a symptom of online chess, and playing simultaneous games (you can lose 10 games through the duration of 1).

So, admins and masters of chess.com, does this mean I win less points by the end of the game if I win? 

im not sure, although i answered your question as a master of chess.com, im only one in my head. Im assuming the reason for it is that if your opponent drops to a lower rating during your game, technically they were that rating before your game. As they likely didn't get worse. And if they did get worse, perhaps your rating shouldnt go up as high for beating a worse player. This may not be the reason, i am just guessing

But when you commence a game, you're commencing with a guy of that rating, knowing that you're playing someone on the level their rating corresponds with, and, will win/lose the points corresponding to the relationship between their rating and your own. Therefore, if their rating changed dramatically during the game, the rules that you had assumed were set when you began have just completely changed.

If I'm wrong, tell me, because I think this should be changed. 

Yes, but you have already finished the game. Maybe you were wrong at the beginning and your opponent is too strong/too weak. But it has nothing to do with the rating calculations. If they are stronger (higher rated) and you win, why not to increase your rating more then?

I know Jay discussed the issue with some experienced chess players. I have to say that in the beginning I thought it is wrong.

What do you mean by "Yes, but you have already finished the game." ?

What I mean is, If I were to play you right now piotr,I know that your rating is 1791, so I would gain 'X' points for a win, lose 'Y' points for a Loss, and (in this case) gain 'Z' Points for a draw. Now, if during the duration of this game, you lose a hack of a lotof games, to the point your rating was lower than mine, then if I won, I've going to win about 1/4x! And if you win another 50 games during this game, I'm going to be losing about 2y!

See where I'm coming from? Anyone agree?

yes. not being a chess.com master or anywhere close to that,logically one would think that the plusses/minusses to your/his(hers) rating should be "etched in stone" until the completion of that game. however i am not sure what the "experts" would say--anyone willing to comment?

I think the problem is more with new players who are clearly a much higher standard than 1200. I tend to take on people of whatever rating, including new people to the site. Many times I've lost to people of 1200 or something close to that, losing a bagload of rating points whose play is clearly much more like 1700.

Chess.com rating doesn't really matter at all, but you're going to play someone of genuine 1200 rating quite differently to somone of 1900.

A rating is an "estimate" of a player's skill. This means that ratings are never exact, and always changing to try and get closer to the actual player's skill level. Therefore, when you win or lose a game, you are compared to your opponents CURRENT skill level or rating, and your rating is adjusted according to the most accurate (latest) rating that they have in order to adjust your rating as most accurately as possible.

It works both ways. If you start a game against a 1500 rated player (who is actually much stronger), and by the time you win your game, they have won 3 other games, their rating is now 1800, you should get credit for beating an 1800 rated player.

Just as if you start a game against an OVERRATED 1500 rated player, and by the time you win your game they have dropped down to 1300, you should only get credit for beating a 1300 rated player.

This is the correct way of adjusting ratings in chess.

 Never,Ever,go in thinking you will lose or you will.I go into every game for a win. That said,If you play an opponent and there rating changes you are still playing the same opponent.Except your win or loss and go on...

 but you also started with a 1200 rating right?? if you move back the time you can say that to yourself my friend.

 my answer is yes. so if you play here primarily just to earn high rating point, you resign the games that you are sure youre losing so that when you win a game, you will get additional rating as high or maybe higher than you expected.

but there are games that even material down is playable. 

The reason to calculate a rating a certain way is not based on how the users feel. It is based on what gives the most accurate set of ratings. The way the ratings are calculated -- adjustments made based on the ratings at the time of game completion -- generates the most accurate set of ratings.

In general, most players ratings will be fairly stable. They will rarely change hundreds of points during the course of your game (this is different for new users).

I understand your point Russ, but the truth is it can work the other way around also, your opponent could win a couple games during your game and thereby increasing your rating a lot after you beat him/her. In addition, if that were done it would not be possible to change a player's rating as long as they had a game in progress. They would have to wait for that player to have no current games in order to change their rating. They would never be able to change an opponent's rating if they had to wait until that player had no current games in order to change the rating.

I play for fun not ratings anyway but I hope I was able to explain my point to your satisfaction. In a nutshell as long a you had a game in progress your rating would never change if they did the ratings the way you suggest.