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All truth about ELO rating system

Yury Markushin
Yury Markushin
10.08.2009
Category: General Information
Tags: elo rating, explained chess ratings, FIDE, USCF rating system,

ELO is the most popular rating system which is used to calculate chess strength of players in FIDE, USCF and the majority of chess federations and online chess websites (like ICC or Yahoo! chess). The higher ELO rating is the stronger a player is. In ELO system, a player moves from one class to another (say from class C to class B) for every 200 points earned. If the difference between ELO ratings of two players is 200 points, the strongest player will win about 75% of games. If the difference between ratings is 400 points, the stronger player will win about 95% of games. If the difference is 600 points the stronger side will most likely win 99.999% of all games. Let’s say somebody with 1400 ELO plays somebody with 2000 ELO. The second one will win all games. Well, except for those drawn in case of tornado or fireโ€ฆ

Here is the list of titles with approximate ELO ratings:

  • >2,700 – Grandmaster qualifying for the world championship match
  • 2,500-2,700 – Grandmaster (GM)
  • 2,400-2,499 – International Master (IM) or Senior Master
  • 2,200-2,399 – National Master (NM)
  • 2,000-2,199 – Expert or Candidate Master
  • 1,800-1,999 – Class A
  • 1,600-1,799 – Class B
  • 1,400-1,599 – Class C
  • 1,200-1,399 – Strong Beginner
  • 1,000-1,199 – Beginner
  • <1,000 – New player
  • 100 – Minimal possible ELO rating

Ready to start winning games? Check out our store and articles:

  • The Grandmasters Chess Training Guide: Reaching 2200 Elo in 2 Years
  • Comprehensive Beginnerโ€™s Course: 0-1400 ELO
  • How to Gain ELO Points โ€“ 5 Tips and Secrets
  • 5 Reasons Your ELO Isnโ€™t Improving
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s.d.pinku
10.26.2014 12:03

In my short knowledge thats i will knew
that 2300 + = Fm & 2599+=Super GM .
plz correction the article.

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Yury
08.19.2014 01:10

[quote name=”Joaquin”]2300 to 2399 is Fide Master, not National Master(2200 to 2299) :)[/quote]

Yes, you’re right:) FM can be 2200 though.

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Joaquin
08.18.2014 20:35

2300 to 2399 is Fide Master, not National Master(2200 to 2299) ๐Ÿ™‚

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James
08.28.2013 20:47

I love these chess sets. I have been looking to buy unique chess sets

0
Reply
verna
08.12.2012 00:31

i hav a chess set for sale still in the packets has not been opened any one keen on byuing it ๐Ÿ˜€

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Reply
Yury
02.26.2012 21:04

[quote name=”lyn”]where can i buy a life size chess here in the philippines?
help..[/quote]

I’m not sure I don’t sell chess sets:)

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lyn
02.13.2012 06:55

where can i buy a life size chess here in the philippines?
help..

0
Reply
Yury
01.31.2012 15:44

[quote name=”mohan.h”]very good information[/quote]

Thanks, mohan.h!

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mohan.h
01.20.2012 07:29

very good information

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Reply
Yury
11.05.2011 03:43

Beer isn’t the best choice for a chess player, if he wants to win of course.

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Reply
Matt Smith, modMACRO
10.24.2011 18:15

Nice post. The Elo Rating System can be used for any head-to-head match up. For fun, I created http://BeerVersusBeer.com to do the same with beers.

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Reply
Yury
02.22.2010 19:37

It is easy to obtain an official rating, you just play in officially rated event (FIDE, USCF, or your national chess federation) and they will give you a rating after you play specific number of games (~20). It is not an online game, but a real over the board chess with long time control ๐Ÿ˜‰

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chetumal
02.22.2010 16:36

how do u get a rating? besides the yahoo
fn chess.com that booted me and msn

0
Reply
shosh3333
02.08.2010 19:18

:sigh: ๐Ÿ™„ :zzz ๐Ÿ˜ฎ ๐Ÿ˜ก ๐Ÿ˜• ๐Ÿ˜ฎ ๐Ÿ˜ฅ ๐Ÿ™ ๐Ÿ˜ณ :-* ๐Ÿ˜ 8) ๐Ÿ˜‰ ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ˜† ๐Ÿ˜€ ๐Ÿ˜› ๐Ÿ˜ก ๐Ÿ˜ฎ lol

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Reply
shosh3333
02.08.2010 19:16

๐Ÿ˜€ one guy look like he’s being perverted on the last one

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Reply
indonesian girls
01.07.2010 00:33

cool picture manโ€ฆ

0
Reply
asher
01.07.2010 00:32

really amazing pictures

0
Reply
Ben
01.07.2010 00:32

Cool sets!

0
Reply
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