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My first ever chess rating

My first ever chess rating

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J

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08 Oct 09
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I have just received my first ever chess rating, which I'm quite proud about in one way but on the other hand its left me a little confused!
I know this as probably been asked a fair few times before but how come my rating has gone down even when I've won?
Also how many game would it take to get an accurate rating & how does this rating compare to over the board ratings?
Cheers 'a fairly proud' Jay

JoR
Scotch addict

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Congratulations on winning your first five games!

For RHP ratings, have you read this part of the FAQ? If that doesn't make sense then ask again. Your RHP rating is officially accurate when you complete 20 games - the "p" will disappear. There's a discussion on comparison with OTB ratings in Thread 112073

J

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Thanks for that.
Has anyone got a maths degree to deciphor the ratings formula & be able to explain it to a 9year old please?
Cheers Jay

G

Lagos

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You can't be nine.

J

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Originally posted by Goshen
You can't be nine.
Mentally??

a

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He meant "dumb it down" so he could understand it.

G

Lagos

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Originally posted by a4h4
He meant "dumb it down" so he could understand it.
Guessed as much. But didn't want to assume.

J

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Well can anyone 'dumb it down' for me please?
I cannot understand how I can win 2 games & lose points!!??

G

Lagos

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Maybe you can ask Russ or one of the other mods

QI

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Originally posted by JayDoherty
Well can anyone 'dumb it down' for me please?
I cannot understand how I can win 2 games & lose points!!??
It happens because that is how the formula works for provisionally rated players however if you want to try and avoid it happening you have to play (and win) against those players whose rating is no more than 200 points below yours at the time you end the game. Not easy.

S

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Originally posted by JayDoherty
Well can anyone 'dumb it down' for me please?
I cannot understand how I can win 2 games & lose points!!??
FAQ

o
Art is hard

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Originally posted by JayDoherty
I have just received my first ever chess rating, which I'm quite proud about in one way but on the other hand its left me a little confused!
I know this as probably been asked a fair few times before but how come my rating has gone down even when I've won?
Also how many game would it take to get an accurate rating & how does this rating compare to over the board ratings?
Cheers 'a fairly proud' Jay
it's pretty simple. Untill you have played 20 games your rating means absolutely nothing. The machine, the maths, it's all still calibrating. It's not tuned right yet, as there are to few games to give a correct rating. Why you loose points when you win. I don't know and who cares? It dosn't say anything about your chess ability yet.

h

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Your rating may drop due to your average opponent's rating dropping, and thus making your "performance" lower as well. Not so difficult to understand. After 20 (25? 30?) games you cannot lose points due to wins against lower-rated players though, as the rating is not calculated as if it were a "TPR" (Tournament Prestation Rating or something along these lines) anymore.

J

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Thing is my rating went up twice after I beat a 1119 & 1196 players then after I beat a 1289 & 1200 players it went down, I dont know where I am after beating a 1407 player?
I know its got to find an average after so many games but it doesn't make much sense to me that my rating goes down after beating stronger players?

K

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Originally posted by JayDoherty
Thing is my rating went up twice after I beat a 1119 & 1196 players then after I beat a 1289 & 1200 players it went down, I dont know where I am after beating a 1407 player?
I know its got to find an average after so many games but it doesn't make much sense to me that my rating goes down after beating stronger players?
Until you complete 20 games, you will have a provisional rating. This rating is calculated as the average of all the games you have played. Each game is scored as being your opponent's rating (for a draw), your opponent's rating plus 400 (for a win), or your opponent's rating minus 400 (for a loss). If your opponent is also on a provisional rating, then the 400s above become 200s. If your opponent has played fewer than five games then their rating is treated as 1200 when calculating your rating.

Since your rating is still provisional, this is the only part of the formula you need to understand. Your rating is basically just an average of your opponents' ratings plus or minus 400 points depending on if you win or lose. If your opponent is also provisionally rated then it's 200 points.

The short answer to your question is that your third opponent (as well as your 4th and 5th) was provisionally rated at the time your game ended so you scored less points for that victory.

To break it down:
Your 1st opponent was rated 1119. Add 400 to that because you won and you get 1519.
Your second opponent was rated 1196. Add 400 and you get 1596.
Now you add 1519 and 1596 together and divide by two to get an average of 1558. This was your rating after your first two games.
Now your third opponent was rated 1289 provisionally. Add only 200 to his rating and you get 1489.
1519 + 1596 + 1489 = 4604
4604/3 = 1535 (your rating after three games)

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