A ranking of 1200 is given to all members initially. Above that you're above average, if you're below that, you are below average. A ranking of 2000 or above is a fide master or international master. 2500 or above is grandmaster status.
To summarise
1200=average
below 1200, below average
above 1200, above average
This is probably not by the book correct but is a system for determining your relative strength
The higher the number, the stronger the player.
For example, a 1200 rated player will very likely lose to a 2000 rated player. If you beat a very high rated player you gain more points than you do for beating an equally rated player. If you draw a lower rated player you may lose a few points. (Your first few games your rating will change hundreds of points to help estimate it where it should be -- after that you will gain and lose around 1 to 30 points for each game).
There are different types of ratings depending on who is issuing it. Online, it just depends on the particular site. For example a 1200 on chess.com is not necessarily a 1200 on Yahoo! chess. And a 1200 chess.com turn-based rating is not necessarily equal in skill to a 1200 live-chess rating. Although in every case, the higher the number the stronger the player.
The important ratings are the ones issued by national organizations and the international body of chess abbreviated FIDE. FIDE ratings are certainly the most recognized and generally the most respected.
Furthermore, ratings are statistics. A 100 point difference means the stronger player is expected to score 64% over the course of many games. 200 points is 76% -- 300 is 85% and 400 is 92%. Generally speaking, just about any player can beat any player once however unlikely it may be...
For reference.
A beginner who recently learned the rules could be thought of as rated somewhere around 800-1000 although some may be higher or lower. Every time you gain 200 points worth of strength you are in another class. On a United States heavy site like this you'll often hear reference to class players. More examples: The ratings 1000-1199 are class E :: 1200-1399 class D and so on until you get to 1800-1999 which is class A and 2000-2199 is a candidate master or expert.
In general 2200 is the weakest professional player and may be called a chess master. Some masters post on these forums and you may see a NM, or FM by their name. NM is a national master (such as a nationally rated master from the united states). FM is a FIDE rated master.
As you go even higher you have to earn titles based on your performance at tournaments. In general IMs (FIDE international masters) are ~2400-2500 and GMs (FIDE international grandmasters) are usually 2500+ although in some cases a rating may be very high without the titled requirements (such as a 2600 rated IM) or meeting requirements very quickly before you rating has caught up (such as a 2400 rated GM). GM is the highest title awarded.
The best players in the world have ratings in the high 2700s and low 2800s. In general at this level your title is worth more than your specific rating, although a 2700 rated GM is an elite GM and would probably look down on a lower rated 2500 GM. The world champion is not always the highest rated player, but his rating will be in the top 5. Being world champion is obviously worth more than having 10-20 more rating points.
And remember a chess.com rating is not a FIDE rating! I am rated 2100 here but in a rated over the board (abbreviated OTB) tournament I would likely lose to a a "real" 2100 player. This is common for nearly all the ratings on this site. A chess.com rating will be higher than the equivalent FIDE rating.
where can i check my rating on this site and how can i increase it??
On this particular website, everyone starts with a rating of 1200. Your chess.com rating right now is 1200.
You can see your rating by moving your mouse over your name. To check more specific info about your games like number of wins, losses, best rating and so on, click on your name Mansimar96 and then go to either "Online chess" or "Live chess"
In online chess you have between 1 and many days to make each single move. In live chess you have a set number of minutes for the entire game. Anywhere from only 1 minute for each player to more than an hour.
You can only increase (or decrease) your rating by playing games.
Can you guyz tell me what are the ratings you all keep talking about??
For example
Someone says that he is 1200, some say 2000 what are these ratings is the less one better or the greater one and is there a standard system of ratings??