My understanding of the rating system [I'm sure someone down there v will correct me otherwise] is that in the initial phase of joining the system the amount by which your rating changes after each game is much bigger than later on. So when I first got here I got lucky and beat a couple of higher rated players so my rating jumped quickly into the high 1500s. Then after time my results levelled out to 1400-odd and now after some practise I've built up to the low 1500s having never (in almost a year) been able to match the rating I got in the first week of being here.
Practice makes imperfect?
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nigelnorris wrote:
My understanding of the rating system [I'm sure someone down there v will correct me otherwise] is that in the initial phase of joining the system the amount by which your rating changes after each game is much bigger than later on. So when I first got here I got lucky and beat a couple of higher rated players so my rating jumped quickly into the high 1500s. Then after time my results levelled out to 1400-odd and now after some practise I've built up to the low 1500s having never (in almost a year) been able to match the rating I got in the first week of being here.
When you said that I became so tempted, so here is my correction :D
Every player has a variable which is called Glicko RD here at chess.com (and many other places around the world). When you begin, this variable is very high and hence bigger rating changes. Once you start playing more games in relatively quick succession (that means not 1 game every year) this variable starts to decrease. This mean that your rating will fluctuate less and your rating is more accurate. However (this is the point which you missed out), if you don't play in a long time the variable will increase again. This is because during that time of absence from this awesomely cool site you might have come significantly weaker or stronger. This once again allows bigger rating change and the reason I think you can figure out yourself.
I don't know about other people here, but my rating went up to 1560 when I first joined and won a bunch of games due to my opponents timing out, but after I kept playing a bunch of games it dropped down to the 1300's.
N2UHC wrote:
I don't know about other people here, but my rating went up to 1560 when I first joined and won a bunch of games due to my opponents timing out, but after I kept playing a bunch of games it dropped down to the 1300's.
Mine went down from the default 1200 to 800, then went up to 1350, but not because of time outs. Now it's at the crappy level it is.
electricpawn wrote:
Imperfect practice makes imperfect. Hall of Fame second baseman Rhyne Sandberg would take only 10 ground balls to warm up before a game, but he was focused and made sure his technique was perfect.
Reevaluate your training methods. If you've hit a ratings plateau, maybe a coach could help.
Have you ever hired a chess coach?
From a musician's point of view, practice does NOT make perfect; perfection in music is not the goal, but expression is. Strong practice makes IMPROVEMENT! We all have periods in which we work hard, but the improvements seems to elude us. My suggestions are to change how you work, to create some freshness in your approach, and to find inspiration from new sources.
Let others worry about ratings. Focus on doing your best; play to win; enjoy the process.
Good point.