Someone please explain the rating system in online chess?

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Queen_of_Knight

My highest online rating was 1490.  I noticed that during a game with an upper 1500's rated player, I would've lost 10 points if I lost the game.  In another game, my opponent was rated 1404, I was rated 1490, and when I lost, his rating raised 70 points!

Seems kinda crazy to me...

Also, I thought that once you started a game, and your opponent had risen in rating since (eg, I started playing a game with a player rated about my rating at the time, and during the course of our game, his rating raised to upper 1600's.  After I lost, I still lost 10 points)...I thought the number of rating points you lose would decrease accordingly in such a case, due to your opponents increase in rating, but apparently all that matters is their rating when you start the game.

Anyone?

heinzie

CHESS CERTAINLY IS KINDA CRAZY

D_for_DJ

Answer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxcOaOTLuIg

Queen_of_Knight

Seriously?

heinzie

Yes, seriously, there certainly are a lot of crazy things out there, as you keenly observed.

heinzie

To get your question answered, you have come to the wrong neighborhood, but you can hope for someone to help out anyway, who points you in the direction of the Help & Support section. And hey, surprise, it is one of the most commonly asked questions: http://support.chess.com/Knowledgebase/Article/View/16/13/how-do-ratings-work

MartzVariation

I can tell you why the one guy got 70 points for winning, I did too when I first started here. I'd lose a bunch of points for a loss and get a lot when I won. I think it's trying to find what your rating here should be. Not to sure about the other questions though.

MJ4H

chess.com uses a second number in its calculations called the RD.  RD stands for rating deviation.  It has to do with how accurate your rating is considered.  The lower your RD is, the more accurate your rating is considered to be.  The more frequently you play, the lower your RD.  If you stop playing altogether, your RD will steadily go back up.

For a simple example of how it affects calculations, let's say you are rated 1200 and you beat a 2000 rated player.  If the 2000 player's RD is very low (considered pretty accurate), you will see a very large jump in your rating.  If the 2000 player's RD is very high (considered less accurate), you will still see a jump, but it won't be nearly as big.

The calculation also considers your own RD.  The lower your RD, the smaller the jumps, the higher, the bigger the jumps.

Queen_of_Knight

Thank you, Martz, MJ, and ImBack.

Queen_of_Knight

How did you swing that?

Queen_of_Knight

Oh, I see you just joined as an alias :D

Queen_of_Knight

Idk, I only have one chess.com account

Queen_of_Knight

*scoff*

Some of us have real invisibility cloaks...

zkman

That player was probably provisional rating when his "K" factor is higher. This means that his rating will be more prone to flucatation to more accurately gauge his actual strength when first starting out. At least that's how I understand it... :P

GMVillads

In your first games your rating change is High. After a few games the rating change is more normal.

roger987

After your first five games you have right rating on Chess.com. I got 822 points after five game! Laughing