Chess rating system

erik wrote:

everyone starts at 1200. then as you play you get a new rating. it is all based on the Glicko ratings system :) check it out - it's a fun read!

http://math.bu.edu/people/mg/glicko/glicko.doc/glicko.html 

---

 The problem I have after reading this is Glicko assumes the rating of a player who has been out of the game for a while is not reliable. Let's say that I play chess for 20 years and earn a 1700 rating then stop playing for 20 years. A new prodigy comes up and after 2 years of playing has a 1700 rating but his rating is earned more recently than mine was. That would make the prodigies rating after only two years of play more valid than my rating earned after 20 years of play because I haven't played in 20 years. I could have 1000 professional games under my belt and the young prodigy only 100 so how is my rating less valid than his? I would consider the newer players rating the less reliable because he has fewer games. Time should have no effect on how many points someone gains or loses from a match. If we could bring J.R. Capablanca back from the dead would anyone say that his rating is less valid than Vladimir Kramniks?  

I'd like to know what is going on with the tactics trainer rating, if anyone else is amused by how the trainer rating changes, or if it is just me

First I went up to about 1600, then suddenly plunged to 800 in the space of about 2 days, then zoomed back up to 1700 before drifting down to less than 1400, then raced up above 2000 in about 48 hours before drifting back to about 1900

The actual rating is less important than the fact that it seems to be moving all over the place. Is my skill in tactics really changing that much over the space of a couple of weeks (and in some cases a matter of days), or is the tactics trainer on drugs?

Don't get me wrong, I think that the tactics trainer is one of the best features of the site, but I would prefer to see a slow and gradual increase in my rating that reflected a real improvement in my tactics, rather than a completely bonkers, helter-skelter voyage all over the place

it doesnt matter how much your rating is, its all about playing the game of chess. win or loss you always learn from a game of chess.

i didn't have time to read the posts but i just wanted to know if it wouldn't be better if we ranked instead of rated. this way you will know that on chess.com you are ranked number 1234 (eg.) and not rated 1187 (eg.). what do you think?

inferno wrote:

i didn't have time to read the posts but i just wanted to know if it wouldn't be better if we ranked instead of rated. this way you will know that on chess.com you are ranked number 1234 (eg.) and not rated 1187 (eg.). what do you think?

---

 i think we already have taht too :)

i know that erik, but what i am saying is that instead of this complicated rating system (seeing that it's accuracy is being questioned) why not just use the ranking system only!!!

inferno, how would you determine everybody's ranking? How do you determine how to change a player's ranking when they win or lose? (don't just say it goes up if you win and down if you lose, the programmers need a precise calculation for it.)

 

Just because a few people who don't  understand the rating system question it's accuracy, we shouldn't scrap a system that is both well founded in math and statistics and tried and true (the glicko rating system is used in other places with much success).

 

Also, my rating today can be compared to my rating next year. My ranking today might have nothing to do with my ranking a year from now. 

well in that case loomis excuse me for asking questions!!! let me just say this, " a person asks a question because he/she does not understand/know about the subject", so go figure!!

So here is a simple question - what is the difference between ranking and rating?

i would say ranking is used  to show your position in relation to other players and ratings to calculate your skill level!! hope that answers your question paul. oh and for your information " I AM MERELY ASKING QUESTIONS BECAUSE I WANTED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE RATING SYSTEM AND HOW IT WORKS, because i saw the way ratings is caculated and it was confusing yet interesting at the same time! 

In that case inferno, excuse me for answering your question!!!

 

And in all sincerity, the next time you ask a question, end it with a question mark instead of three exclamation points and perhaps people will understand better that you are asking a question and not making a suggestion that borders on a demand. 

inferno wrote:

i didn't have time to read the posts but i just wanted to know if it wouldn't be better if we ranked instead of rated. this way you will know that on chess.com you are ranked number 1234 (eg.) and not rated 1187 (eg.). what do you think?

---

well gentlemen i sincerely apologise if it sounded that way, but I think my first post ended with a question mark! 

inferno wrote:

i would say ranking is used  to show your position in relation to other players and ratings to calculate your skill level!! hope that answers your question paul. oh and for your information " I AM MERELY ASKING QUESTIONS BECAUSE I WANTED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE RATING SYSTEM AND HOW IT WORKS, because i saw the way ratings is caculated and it was confusing yet interesting at the same time! 

---

Inferno - thanks - I have only played 9 games on line so far - and have no ranking - is it safe to assume I will get a ranking after I have played more games?

hi...

i just wanna say hi 

Some people say that chess should be played for fun and that ratings should be of no consequence.  In any sport or game, like baseball for instance, you can have a friendly game with people around your area or you can play for trophies and the opportunity to play in much higher rated leagues.  If you want to make chess a major hobby or even a profession, a rating is very important in chess.  If the grandmasters didn't have ratings, we would not know who was the best.  It is a matter of preference.

I think ironranger has it right - we all play chess for some very different reasons - I'm very new to the game and I'm intrigued as a learner - the ratings are helpful in finding people who play at a level similar to my own so I don't get blasted away and easily discourgaed - my hope is that in time my abilty will increase and if so I expect so will my ratings - expecting sooner or later to rise or fall to my own level of competence

Rating does nothing of telling how strong you're.  People's styles differ from person to person some people are better at one type of game than other types.  I believe that everyone can play like a grandmaster and already has done a game that a grandmaster would have done.

Hi all, new here. Just wanted to chime in on this thread, as it has been a topic of discussion on just about every chess site I have played on. Here's my take on the whole thing: Ratings do matter, but not for your ego. They give a general idea of your overall ability, which has value for various reasons. Ratings can be manipulated, there's no question about that (example: only playing people much weaker than yourself to get a falsely high rating), but these poeple will be quickly discovered when they face off against someone who has "earned" their rating. We are all perfectly capable of playing well above or below our rating, so it is only a general guideline. Also, an 1800 rating on one site has nothing to do with where your rating will land on another site. The rating on any individual site is specific and relative only to that pool of players. Therefore, you can't compare any online ratings to official ELO ratings in any meaningful way. Additionally, this is Correspondence Chess, so it really is a different game from OTB Chess, and most peole that play Correspondence Chess know this already. Anyway, there's my 2 cents, and I'm glad to have found this site. It has a nice interface, and a lot of nice features. Best of luck to all.

Agent86 wrote:  The rating on any individual site is specific and relative only to that pool of players. Therefore, you can't compare any online ratings to official ELO ratings in any meaningful way. Additionally, this is Correspondence Chess, so it really is a different game from OTB Chess, and most peole that play Correspondence Chess know this already. Anyway, there's my 2 cents, and I'm glad to have found this site. It has a nice interface, and a lot of nice features. Best of luck to all.

---

Agent 86 has a good understanding ofwhere things are at. Correspondence chess is a quite different game to OTB. The latter favors the person who can think deeply and quickly, with good (almost photographic) memory, whilst the former is for those who are more analytical and think more deeply but slower. There are innumerable games from famous OTB players where a good CC player can find errors because of the opportunity to consider a wider range of moves and responses. This is no different to people generally, some of whom can debate any matter very strongly on a moments notiice, while others need time to get their thoughts together, but having done so, can articulate their point of view with authority.

hello all i agree with some ppl bout rating i think they very important