Chess rating system


In playing my first game on Chess.com, I received a rating of 1200, before I played. Why, and how was that arrived at?
Ditto. I wasn't happy either. I'd much rather start at zero and be rags to riches..
"Started from the bottom...now we here..."
"Started from the bottom...now we here..."
Sing we me.
"Started from the bottom...now we here..."
What? I started at 900 something!

In playing my first game on Chess.com, I received a rating of 1200, before I played. Why, and how was that arrived at?
Ditto. I wasn't happy either. I'd much rather start at zero and be rags to riches..
"Started from the bottom...now we here..."
"Started from the bottom...now we here..."
Sing we me.
"Started from the bottom...now we here..."
What? I started at 900 something!
You started at 1000. You chose your "level" when you created your account, which sets a default rating. I don't know what all of them are actually called but the bottom I think is Beginner and you chose the next one up.

In playing my first game on Chess.com, I received a rating of 1200, before I played. Why, and how was that arrived at?
Ditto. I wasn't happy either. I'd much rather start at zero and be rags to riches..
"Started from the bottom...now we here..."
"Started from the bottom...now we here..."
Sing we me.
"Started from the bottom...now we here..."
What? I started at 900 something!
You started at 1000. You chose your "level" when you created your account, which sets a default rating. I don't know what all of them are actually called but the bottom I think is Beginner and you chose the next one up.
I chose beginner level.

Oh, I thought beginner was 800. Guess that level is called something else since your ratings started at 1000.

New account signups do ask for a skill level. It doesn't give actual numbers in that section, but will assign the rating based on the selection. My guess is that there is a default choice and if you miss changing it, you get the lowest option.

viswanathan wrote:
...turtle, the general points system followed is as follows:
pawn - 1pt.
knight/bishop - 3pts.
rook - 5pts.
queen - 10pts.
of course points are not everything...
Correct me if I'm wrong, some books say the relative strength of the bishop is higher by a fraction of a point (1/4) -- 3 1/4 or whatever fraction, and queen is 9 points, and the king is 3 points.
Shouldn't the king be infinite points?