Just The Rules #70: My Opponent is Rated What!?!?!

What's Their Rating?

You made a decision to check out the competition before the start of round one at the State of Confusion Class. The organizers updated the event’s pre-entry list daily on their webpage. Among the entries you find several GMs that are scheduled to push some wood. Further on down the list you spot some of the event’s yearly participants, and many of them are good chess friends. You’re looking forward to essaying some Blitz and Bughouse with them. There appears to be just one unrated player among the early entries. Your section is a couple of rungs up the ladder away from their Unrated section.

The first-round pairings go up. You instantly recognize your opponent’s name. It is the same unrated player that you spotted earlier while perusing the pre-entry list. Except now they have a rating. A rating that places them squarely in your section. How is that possible?

28C. “…the director has assigned a player a rating.”

Starting with the language in the rule above, and proceeding through rule 28E3, TDs are given all sorts of advice to follow when assigning a rating to a player. Let’s look at a few of the more common instances:

Official Published Ratings Adjustments

There are times between the official monthly ratings supplements that a wood-pusher earns a higher rating than the one published for that month. TDs are allowed to use — but are not required to use — that higher rating for pairings and prizes. This adjustment is good only at that one individual tournament: it does not follow a player from event to event throughout the month. Lower ratings that fall below the official published ratings are not eligible for this adjustment.

Example 1: You enter an event with an official rating of 1593. Shortly before the pairings are made you show the TD your new online (but unofficial) rating of 1611. The TD can (might) assign you the 1611 rating for pairings and prizes for this one event only, but they are not required to that.

Example 2: You show up at a class tournament sporting an 1806 rating — a rating that places you into the Class A section. You show the TD your new unofficial online rating of 1791. That would allow you to qualify for entry into the Class B section. Your 1806 rating can’t be lowered by the TD. You must compete in the Class A section.

Players without US Chess Ratings

Often an experienced chess warrior from a faraway land will travel to essay games at a US Chess event. That individual is probably not really non-rated. They probably have a rating from a foreign country, or they have a FIDE rating. With today’s instant access to the net, TDs can usually verify those ratings with relative ease. The rulebook has a boatload of information on how to convert those (verifiable) ratings into US Chess ratings (for the purpose of pairings and prizes at that one tournament). Those conversion formulas are different from one home country to another. There is also more information about conversion formulas in the US Chess online ratings document (section 2).

Example 1: A Canadian (CFC) player enters a US Chess tournament while claiming their homeland rating to be 1782. They ask to be entered into the Class B section of the event. The Canadian federation lists this player as 1782. The rulebook says no adjustment is needed. The US Chess online ratings document uses the formula 1.1 × CFC – 240 (1.1 x 1782 – 240 = 1720.2). The formula is slightly different for CFC ratings equal to or below 1500, before you get any ideas. Our Canadian visitor can play in the Class B section with a rating of either 1782 or 1720. As a practical matter, the TD can follow the rulebook wording and not adjust their rating.

Example 2: Player A is a visiting foreign wood-pusher. They have a FIDE rating that is verified as 2385. There is a prize for those rated below 2400. For this one event’s pairings and prizes, the rulebook conversion guide says to choose one of three formulas: FIDE + 50 (2385+50= 2435), FIDE x 0.895 +367 (.895 x 2385 +367 = 2501.6) or FIDE + 100 (2385 + 100 = 2485). The US Chess online ratings document indicates that the math for converting FIDE ratings is 1.02 x FIDE + 20 (1.02 x 2385 +20 = 2452.7). The formula is slightly different for FIDE wood-pushers rated equal to or below 2000. The TD can choose whichever FIDE formula that works for them. Note that all of this player’s converted ratings put them out of contention for any 2300 prize. The safe move for a TD is to assign the highest converted rating of 2502 (rounded up from the conversion formula) to this player; however, any of the converted ratings can be used.

One Last Word

When a player’s rating is unverifiable, they typically play as Unrated in their first event, or they are seeded into the top section. Some events limit the prizes for this first timer’s over-the-board experience.

Individual organizers may use different formulas and methods to determine what converted rating to use for foreigners as long as they advertise that method in their publicity. The bottom line is that TDs can follow US Chess advice, use their own formulas, or just make these players essay games as an Unrated.

Some organizers have been known to check all the available sources when seeking a player’s highest rating. That top number then gets assigned to that player for that event. So, if an entrant’s top of the line rating is in Blitz or FIDE or foreign or Quick or…, it trumps the US Chess official monthly regular rating. Of course, this ratings assignment method needs to be advertised in advance of the tournament.

For a bucketful of information about all the different ins and outs of assigned ratings—improperly assigned ratings, players with multiple official ratings, assignments based on non-rated activity, etc.—check out the rules cited above using the online link below or see pages 89 – 93 in the printed rulebook.

The free, updated US Chess Rules (Chapters 1+2 + 9 + 10 +11 from the 7th edition rulebook) are now downloadable and available online.
 

Want more? Past columns can be found here or by searching the Chess Life Online archives.
 

Plus, listen to Tim when he was a guest on the US Chess podcast “One Move at a Time.”

Tim Just is a National Tournament Director, FIDE National Arbiter, and editor of the 5th, 6th, and 7th editions of the US Chess Rulebook. He is also the author of My Opponent is Eating a Doughnut & Just Law, which are both available from US Chess Sales and Amazon/Kindle. Additionally, Tim revised The Guide To Scholastic Chess, a guide created to help teachers and scholastic organizers who wish to begin, improve, or strengthen their school chess program. US Chess awarded the 2022 Tournament Director Lifetime Achievement Award to Tim. He is also a member of the US Chess Rules Committee plus the Tournament Director Certification Committee (TDCC). His new column, exclusive to US Chess, “Just the Rules” will help clarify potentially confusing regulations.