Well, there are certainly plenty of conversations to be found around here...not sure how good they'll all be though.
This site remonds me of the metaphore "a diamond in a rough". There are plenty of diamonds in a VERY large rough lol
It's not a perfect analogy. You can get better, play 1 game, lose, and the rating goes down. But if you're an active player and play a variety of opponents then this will give a good approximation of skill. If you feel like you've improved a whole class (200 points) then your rating will eventually reflect it if it's true.
I had to throw it out there. Maybe I'm pushing back more since so many players seem more focused on reaching 2000 than expanding their game.
However, I can say you've given me something to think about.
It's not a perfect analogy. You can get better, play 1 game, lose, and the rating goes down. But if you're an active player and play a variety of opponents then this will give a good approximation of skill. If you feel like you've improved a whole class (200 points) then your rating will eventually reflect it if it's true.