Originally posted by GettareClick on Help and then Chess FAQ and look at the following:
After winning a game and instead of gaining rating points I lost a batch. Then I won another game and received no gain in points at all. I can understand an abberation on the first one but what's with the second one. Does that mean my next win will be another loss????
I just won a game. Why has my rating gone down?
Then look below and it shows how the ratings are calculated.
I haven't really looked at your games, but it is perhaps a combination of two things: 1. Your rating is provisional. and 2. You need to play opponents with higher ratings. The provisional rating takes big leaps, so you need to constantly try to play up a little until it your rating gets established.
I hope that helps.
Originally posted by GettareThat you would describe the situation as "beyond baffling" speaks volumes about your lack of patience, when all you had to do was click on "help" where your question was already answered.
I can understand losing a few points rating in spite of winning a thankless victory, but I just won another game right after that abberation and my rating did not increase. That's TWO IN A ROW with no gain. It's beyond baffling.
As an impatient person myself, I can tell you that a lack of patience only makes the game harder. Take a deep breath, and don't give up so easily when faced with a problem to solve.
Of course, you could have said "beyond baffling" simply because you are prone to hyperbole. In that case, welcome to the forum, because we do it all the time! 😉
From the FAQ:
I just won a game. Why has my rating gone down?
The rating calculation (see below) means that until you complete 20 games (i.e. while you still have a provisional rating), it is possible for your rating to go down even when you win a game.
How is my rating calculated?
When you join, you are given a rating of 1200.
If you enter into a rated game, your rating will be recalculated on its completion so long as at least two moves have been made by each player.
Note: Until you have completed 20 games your rating may go down even when you win a game!
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.
Players are rated using the following formula:
New Rating = Old Rating + K * (Score - Win Expectancy)
K is a constant (32 for 0-2099, 24 for 2100-2399, 16 for 2400 and above)
Score is 1 for a win, 0.5 for a draw and 0 for a loss.
The Win Expectancy is calculated using the following formula :
Win Expectancy = 1 / (10^((OpponentRating-YourRating)/400)+1)
The Win Expectancy is used in the rating calculation but is interesting on its own. For example, the calculation below is for a rating difference of 200. This shows that if you have a rating 200 points higher than another player, you can expect to beat them, on average, three times for each four games played.
Win Expectancy = 1 / (10^(-200/400)+1) = 0.76
Note: ^ = "to the power of", e.g. 2^3=8.
If you have a non-provisional rating and you play a provisional-rated player, then you receive (or lose) only half the number of rating points you would normally. If the provisionally-rated player has played fewer than five games, then their rating is treated as 1200 when calculating your rating.
- Joined
- 12 Nov 06
- Moves
- 74414
Your rating is still provisional, your rating went down because you're beating up weaker players. It is this way to prevent inflated ratings. For example, if the first game you play is against a 2300 rated player and you lose, your provisional rating will be 1900 after that game. If a player didn't lose rating for beating up weaker players the guy with a 1900 provisional could simply play weak opponents and easily have a 1900 rating after 20 games.
You only have 1 rated game left to play before you lose your provisional status, then you can beat up as many weaker players as you like and you will gain rating (Unless your rating is more than 714 points higher than your opponent. In which case you get zero points).
Hope this helps.
