Team Matches - Level Playing Field Scheme

 With tournaments, you can choose ones where the rating range across the tournament group will be wide (e.g. in open tournaments). Equally, you can enter rating-restricted tournaments to encounter more equal opposition.

I propose a similar fine degree of control for team matches, particularly between disparate groups. Currently, there is a single automatic policy: each group fields their STRONGEST team. The mechanisms outlined in this thread: EARLIEST, BEST MATCH, FAIR MATCH and WEAKEST - would provide a set of alternative, optional policies.

 These would, in my opinion, rejuvenate the Team Match format, enhance the fun when playing against mega-groups (not least, for members of those mega-groups), and create more varied and interesting teams.

Background to this discussion here.

Hmmm that would be nice.

Maybe the World League could be tweaked a bit. For each round, there will be rating ranges:

1) <1200

2) 1201-1400

3) 1401-1600

4) 1601-1800

5) 1801-2000

6) >2001

That will make the league more interesting!

I agree I think it is a little unfair, as one of the weaker players in all the groups of which I am a member. I think that is a great idea, so that everyone is able to participate as well as havde fun and be challenged.

I second that

I've sent the "team average" suggestion to chess.com in the past. I suggest everyone do the same, if they get enough interest in it, they will do it.  Tell all your friends to do it too.

My suggestion is that a "Team Average not to exceed . . . " option be added to the ratings ranges.  For instance, you could have a rating range 1200 - 1600, but team avg could not exceed whatever you plug in, let's say 1450.  This would prevent other team from top-loading a bunch of 1590's against your 12's, 13's, etc.  Computer would warn team they are over average and not let them lock in.  Please send this suggestion to chess.com, and then post a comment here so that we know how many people have "signed the petition". If enough people make themselves be heard, c.com will listen.

10/4/10  -  team avg suggestion sent to chess.com

I'd like another format, where "team captains" can assign board no's to players, it's fun to try manipulate team results by playing strong players down and sacrificing weak players at the top. Especially if the other team does it too and the whole thing explodes in your face

Doesn't this belong in the "As-bumpy-as-possible playing field topic?

Sound like an attractive scheme; it needs a snappy tag!

Aren't these topics the standard means of "sending a suggestion to chess.com " ?

They don't read all of them.  too many.  go to help & support at the bottom of this page and send it directly to them.  they do read those.

This is not a Help & Support issue. It's a Site Feedback & Suggestions point. I'm pretty sure chess.com monitors this category as well.

Right you are. But I go through "Help & Support" to get to "Contact us" & site/feedback suggestions.  I don't know of another way to get there.

O I C.

all of the above suggestions are good, but 1 step at a time. for now, SEND A MESSAGE to chess.com re: "Team average not to exceed...".  Let's get that done first.  the more messages they get, the harder they'll look at it.

thanx - grb1152

I really like a lot of the suggestions here. I am a member of a small team (6 players currently). We are about to play a team match against a much bigger team, whose average rating is more than 300 below ours. Yet it is likely that we will be favourites to lose because of the other team's weight of numbers. Having an option for competitive matches (e.g. best match or fair match) would be great for small teams, and would also allow lower rated players in bigger teams more chances to play.

Isn't the fair match option available? 

Manually adjusted selection of team from the stronger squad to match the ratings of the weaker team

1. There is little awareness of the FAIRMATCH scheme.
2. There's no mechanism for the smaller group to specify that it's FAIRMATCH Team Match (although they could append it to the match name).
3. It requires extra manual effort on the part of both team admins, particularly the larger group one; trimming the team is a time-consuming and a delicate operation. (Presumably an external script could examine the Team Match and generate the recommended team list?)

It's seems a little couterintuitive at first: the other group's whole GROUP average rating is lower than yours - but the TEAM they are able to field is likely to have a higher average TEAM rating than yours.

The terminology is potentially confusing but it is as well to be clear about the distinction between the GROUP, the SQUAD and the TEAM: A GROUP is a CLUB of MEMBERS. A subset of these members can dynamically form a SQUAD - from which a TEAM is selected for a specific Team Match (set of games). 

ok - TEAM AVERAGE not to exceed (speciified rating).  Send that suggestion to chess.com.  They need to hear it from as many people as possible.

thanx - grb