How does chess.com calculate accuracy?

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Avatar of Gambitron5000
After completing this game and running the analysis, the report said I made 3 inaccurate moves, on moves 3, 7 and 8.  In my mind, that means my accuracy was about 8/11 or 72%, but the report said I had 94.5% accuracy.  How does chess.com calculate accuracy?



Avatar of notmtwain
Gambitron5000 wrote:
After completing this game and running the analysis, the report said I made 3 inaccurate moves, on moves 3, 7 and 8.  In my mind, that means my accuracy was about 8/11 or 72%, but the report said I had 94.5% accuracy.  How does chess.com calculate accuracy?



 

No one knows. They haven't revealed it. A search of the forums will reveal much speculation.

Avatar of notmtwain
HerNaturalConfidence wrote:

They pull a number out of a hat?  I had a game earlier where I scored 99% accuracy and it said I had 5 blunders and 3 mistakes on the post game screen

I haven't seen one like that. Please post a link to the game.

Gosh. You are 42-0. It would be interesting to see such a game. I took a look and saw a couple of 99 accuracy games but didn't find that one.

 

Avatar of m_connors

Accuracy isn't based on best moves divided by total moves. It is based on the cumulative effect of calculating the "centi-pawns" difference from each move versus zero; zero being every move is perfect so there is no difference. I also don't think Book moves are a factor. The number of moves is likely a factor, as well; however, the math is beyond me. Your accuracy is higher when the difference between the sum of each move's difference from "perfect" is very small. So a game with a lot of Best and Good moves should have a high accuracy rating, even with some inaccuracies, or even a mistake; whereas a game filled with mistakes and blunders is going to have a very low accuracy rate.

In your posted game, whenever a move was made that isn't Best (or Book), you see the numerical difference between the move as made versus the best move. For example, White's third move, c3, was "Good" and resulted in a "score" of -.06, but the Best move would leave the position as +.20. That is a difference of .26; these differences add up. It is the sum of those differences placed into a formula that determines accuracy. An average per move is determined.

Clicking on "Details" from the report shows that the average difference per move for Black in centi-pawns was .22, which is pretty good (accurate); White's average per move was 3.06, pretty bad.

Avatar of allysonkat

That 99 accuracy doesn't mean you are playing 99% accurately, it just means you are playing 99% like a computer. Something to think about as you continue your 'career'.

Avatar of notmtwain
HerNaturalConfidence wrote:

98.5 vs 98 but I still came out on top.  I'm not convinced the stat means anything

It helps to identify people like you. It is 99% accurate in predicting which accounts get closed.

 

Avatar of UWillResignYesUWill

@HerNaturalConfidence

Avatar of ironcode1

It seems to be very close to (best+excellent moves)/(total moves excluding book). There seems to be some deviation, though, which could be related to how "excellent" and excellent move is. But seems roughly right.

Avatar of emilio89

I was wondering about this as well, so out of curiosity I ran an analysis on today's Skilling open game between Magnus and Nepo, the one where Nepo blunders a full knight out of the opening. He still got 96% accuracy! I think there's something more to this, e.g. the computer has does some machine learning analysis to take into account what moves are more difficult to find for a computer. Very confusing though

Avatar of xor_eax

I dont use "accuracy" as an indicator of how well I played. If you navigate to the Details tab there's a Best move % metrics. I find this a bit more accurate and when you see it, you will realise even though the accuracy may read over 90%, the best move % could be lower than 50%. I consider it a better indicator of "accuracy".

 I also look at the engine evaluation and whenever it goes down I consider it a subpar move, even when my accuracy rating is overrated for the match.

Avatar of xor_eax
notmtwain wrote:
HerNaturalConfidence wrote:

98.5 vs 98 but I still came out on top.  I'm not convinced the stat means anything

It helps to identify people like you. It is 99% accurate in predicting which accounts get closed.

 

So according to your logic, and considering my ELO rating, in my last 7 games there's a HUGE probability I was cheating using an engine? RIIIIGHT. Except if you look at the best move % metric in the Performance tab you will see i only match the best move in around 50% or less of the match.

Avatar of 1e4c6_O-1

speaking of accuracy look at this game

 

Avatar of Phantom_Beast23

To answer the OP's question:

Chess.com uses their magikz to judge ppl on their games

Avatar of Vincidroid

They do quick maths! 

Avatar of ironcode1

You don't have to always hit the "best" engine move and consider everything else sub-par. Engines are no gods, and their evaluations are often flawed (or they wouldn't lose to other engines). It's just how they work - they go to some depth and try to judge there. Anything that happens beyond that horizon is not really considered. So if an engine says a move is +0.2 and you play something that's 0.05, you know what? Your move might eventually prove to be better.

 

What engines are good at is detecting huge blunders. You lose a couple of pawns or a piece. Because even a pawn down, if you don't look at the analysis to the end, it might be a drawn endgame.

So I think it makes sense for "accuracy" to look at more than just the best move.

Avatar of Gambitron5000

1e4c6_0-1 What was the accuracy on that game?  Too many brilliancies to calculate?

Avatar of Babel64

Just found this thread.  I speculate that each move's +/- pawn value is compared to what it deems "best" and it then averages those differences over the number of moves played.  A blunder would lose more pawn fractions than an inaccuracy...

Avatar of Optimissed

  How does chess.com calculate accuracy?>>

Very badly indeed. They don't understand maths at all.

Avatar of KeSetoKaiba

Avatar of DonatoMaster10
1e4c6_O-1 escribió:

speaking of accuracy look at this game

A perfect game of chess always ends in a draw.