Source: chess.com
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Upcoming Updates to Chess Ratings in the New Year
December 10, 2023
News,World of Chess
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) is planning to update its player rating system starting January 1. These changes are designed to recalibrate player rankings, raise the minimum rating level, and modify the starting rating for new players.
FIDE Standard ELO rating list from January 2003
In mid-2023, FIDE’s Qualifications Commission invited chess enthusiasts to share their thoughts on how to make player ratings more accurate and address the issue of rating deflation. Following feedback from over 150 individuals, a team of chess grandmasters, experts, and statistician Jeff Sonas proposed several changes, which, if the FIDE Council agrees on December 14, will be implemented from January 1, 2024.
The suggested changes include:
A One-Time Update to Player Ratings: This will mostly impact players with a rating below 2000, which is the majority of chess players. Their new rating will be calculated using a formula, resulting in an increase of up to 400 points.
Raising the Minimum Rating to 1400: To address the issue of players getting very low initial ratings at a young age, which contributed to rating deflation, the minimum rating will be increased.
New Method for Initial Ratings: The way new players are assigned their first rating will be changed to better reflect their performance.
Reintroduction of the 400-Point Rule: This rule, which was restricted in recent years, will once again allow for broader application during tournaments.
FIDE is planning to update its player rating system
These changes aim to compress the range of ratings between 1400 and 2000, maintaining the ranking order but reducing the gap between players. The proposed increase in the rating floor from 1000 to 1400 reflects the change in player distribution over the last two decades.
Jeff Sonas has noted that the past method of assigning very low ratings to young and improving players has led to a widespread decrease in ratings across the board. The pandemic also played a role, as fewer rated games were played, yet players continued to improve.
In addition to these, other calculation methods will be improved. The 400-Point Rule will return to its previous state before 2022, allowing for more flexibility during tournaments. Plus, the initial rating for unrated players will now be based on their game performance, with a cap of 2200.
While it’s yet to be seen how effective these changes will be, Sonas is optimistic that they will correct the rating deflation seen over the past decade and help prevent it in the future, leading to a more accurate and fair rating system for all forms of the game: classical, rapid, and blitz.