Our ELO system, explained!
As we all know, chess.com has implemented an elo system to determine how good a player/bot is. But this leads us to the question:
What is an ELO?
Well while I'm sure while most of you know what the ELO system is, some of you don't. And I'm here to change that.
An ELO of a person is infact, the number presiding next to the subjects name. The higher the number, the higher the elo and hence better the skillset. Take the ELO of the Martin Bot with Stockfish 16. Martin has around 250, while Stockfish has around 4000+.
What would happen if a higher rated player would play against a lower rated player?
In this case if the person with the higher elo wins, he won't gain much points . For instance, if it was 2467, it would be something like 2469 (it varies on the opposing player's elo). This is because this result is an expected one and the opposer doesn't even lose that much either. However this is not an infinite elo machine. Chess.com doesn't approve rated games if there is an avalanche in the ratings...I think.
The Maths Behind it
Maths is literally everywhere :c
This subheading is the proper explanation. So if you didn't understand anything yet. You have no hope. I'm sorry, my guy.
Warning ⚠️: on first glance, it's terrifying.
The equation we have to use is this:
R' = R+K(S-E)
E= Qa/(Qa+Qb)
Q=10^R/400
Qa for you, Qb for your opponent
What the first equation says is that your new Rating (R') is equal to your current rating+ your "winnings". This is based on a POT system, like in poker. With the letter E and the next two equations being your anti. This is based on your current rating R. The S is your result. Win, S=1; Draw, S=1/2; Lose, S=0). K is just a multiplier to spread the rating out. Chess.com uses a K of 16.
What else can we use it for?
Almost anything basically. You wanna know the goat of ur favorite sport? Use this system. Someone has done it for Formula One and the GOAT was a spainiard named Fernando Alonso.
The top 5 were:
- ALONSO
- FANGIO
- BUTTON
- VERSTAPPEN
- ASCARI (not me lmao)
Thank you for visiting the Redwood lounge and peace!
