Just the Rules: Official Ratings

Just where is the line drawn? You know the one. The line that determines what rating you are assigned when you plop down your entry fee. The line that determines what section gold — or prize — you can earn. For the sake of fairness, that same line should not only apply to you, but to every other wood-pusher in the tournament. The monthly ratings supplement (or list) is the official ratings gold standard.

Official Ratings: The Basics

Now-a-days, US Chess publishes a monthly ratings supplement. Every month you are assigned an official rating based on your win-loss record (and a few other mathematical factors). So, if your official rating in the June supplement is 1532, then those digits are used for pairing and prize purposes in each and every event you push wood in until July rolls around. The July supplement would then typically reflect your new official rating based on your tournament results in June submitted to US Chess in the first three weeks of that month. If you took a vacation from competing in June, then your official rating stays the same (1532) for chess competitions you may enter in July.

Technical stuff: If your official rating in the December supplement is 1732, it stays 1732 until the next supplement (January) is published. It stays 1732 when you enter any December event. For example: Currently the official January 2026 supplement is being generated on December 17, 2025. So, it is typically the first three weeks of any month that determines the next month’s official ratings. Why? Because it is not practically possible to generate and distribute supplements between the last day of the month and the first day of the next month.

Unofficial Ratings

Your official rating in the November ratings supplement is 1798. After a great tournament, the online event report puts your new rating at 1832. Your new post event rating of 1832! It is an unofficial rating. If you enter any further contests in November, you are still rated officially 1798. Any rating changes from events in the first three weeks of November will get reflected in the December official ratings publication.

Note : TDs can advertise which rating they will use for their customers. That announcement can allow a TD to use your latest available unofficial rating (or your previous month’s official rating, or an average of all your event‘s ratings for the last three months, or etc., etc., etc.). Without an announcement, your current official rating is the gold standard.

Example 1:

In the July ratings supplement your official rating is 1602. In early July you push wood at a local tournament. At the end of it all your 1602 official rating moves down to 1592. A week later you sign up for an event with huge Class C section prizes. Your 1592 rating makes you the favorite to take home a big pot of gold.

When you arrive at the site you notice on the pre-registration list that you are still rated 1602. That puts you at the bottom end of wood-pushers in the hunt for Class B big bucks. What gives?

The TD explains: Your July rating is your official rating for that month. Unless advertised differently, TDs are required to use your official rating for the entire month of July. The event did not advertise otherwise. Your newer 1592 rating is an unofficial rating. The rule is pretty explicit; i.e. the TD can’t use your lower (unofficial) rating for pairings and prizes for the entire month of July.

By the way, that regulation puts a roadblock up. A roadblock that stands in the way of sandbaggers. You know the ones. Strong players that lose rating points on purpose to qualify for the big bucks in weaker sections. While you earned your lower 1592 rating, a sandbagger would lose rating points intentionally to qualify for that same cash. TDs must not allow lower unofficial ratings to be used (see rules 28E1 – 28E2) unless advertised otherwise.

Example 2:

The State of Confusion Open in November is an event with multiple sections. Chess generals can play up one section for an extra $20. You are officially rated 1793, the event’s top Class B rating. At another earlier contest last week, you scored well enough to pick up 10 rating points — you are now rated unofficially 1803 (as per that tournament’s online rating report). You made it to Class A!

Since you aim to improve your game by facing off with other Class A competitors, you enter the Confusion’s Class A section. When you show up you notice that you must pay the $20 “play up” fee to essay games in that section. Why?

The TDs believe you are still rated officially 1793. Your latest, but unofficial, rating can’t be used unless they advertised otherwise — and they did not advertise otherwise. Your choices are to play in the Class B section or pay the $20 “play up” fee into the Class A section. TDs are not required to honor your unofficial 1803 rating; however, ask them to do so anyhow. There is not much of a downside, plus most TDs are accommodating when honoring unofficial higher ratings.

For more detailed information check out rules 28C – 28H3.

Mike Nolan contributed to this column.

Sidebar: This is column number 100! I am amazed. I hope you enjoyed them. I have had a lot of fun writing them. I am looking forward to column number 200.

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 “One Move at a Time”, “The Chess Angle” and my interview hosted by  Kathy Lin (Columbus Chess Academy).