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Common Questions
Q: Why did my rating change when I didn't even play that day?
A: As soon as you play one game with another rated player, your rating (post)
is attached to everyone else's ratings through that game (a spring), until the
start of another cycle. Any change in your opponent's rating will pull on the
spring and cause a change in your rating, too. In theory, it is possible for a
game to affect the ratings of every player in the system. For example, if you
(as a 1d) lose an even game to a 3k player, it will cause a fairly large
decrease in your rating. :-( But if that "3k" player then wins several more
even games against 1d and 2d players, this will increase his or her rating
quite a bit, and this in turn will reduce the change in your rating. (Perhaps
that game was not so unlikely after all. :-)
Q: I initially set my rank at 5k, but that turned out to be too low. I changed
it to 1d, but my rating didn't change. Why?
A: When you set your rank and play ONE game against another ranked player,
your seed is initialized and you enter the ratings system. From then on, your
RANK and your RATING are entirely separate. Your RANK is only set manually
with the "rank" command, and your RATING is computed automatically. The moral
of the story: pick a reasonable rank BEFORE your FIRST game. After that it is
too late.
Q: I have played games with other ranked players, but my rating doesn't
change. Why?
A: There is a lower limit (currently 27k) below which ranks and ratings and
games are ignored. (This is because some players use NR and ??? just for
fun, and because NR and ??? are not part of the ratings system anyway.) If your
seed was set to a value lower than this, nothing will ever change it. Start
over with a new account and set your rank to something higher than ??? BEFORE
your FIRST game. (Also look at the answer to the next question.)
Q: What happens if results of a game does not count towards my rating?
A: Please make sure the game would be against a rated player.
Q: What do I do if my rating is not changing?
A: If your rating is not changing one of two things is happening. 1) You are
playing as expected of your rating, or 2) The ratings are not counting your
games. To find out the difference, make sure the number of rated games you
are playing is changing, from day-to-day, as expected. If this number is
changing, the ratings system is counting your games.
Q: Do 9x9 and 13x13 games count?
A: No. All games which are not 19x19 do not count towards ratings.
Q: Does a game with a 'NR' and '???' player count?
A: No. See: help entry help rank help rank
Q: Why does my rating change when I do not play?
A: Your rating depends not only on the games you play, but also on the
people you play. If you play fred and fred does very well, your rating
will increase as well, without you playing anyone else.
Q: I set my rank too low initially, can I change it and have the rating
change accordingly?
A: No. You just have to wait for 20 games until your rating is displayed.
After 20 games I would think your rating will stabilize.
If it is more than 5 stones off, them you may need it adjusted.
Q: How can I reset my seed and start over again?
A: You cannot. Try creating a new account instead.
Q: How do handicap games affect the ratings?
A: Handicap games are treated just the same as regular games. If a teaching
you cannot keep a rating with a teaching game, you probably cannot keep
the rating.
Q: Why did my rating change when I didn't even play that day?
A: As soon as you play one game with another rated player, your rating (post)
is attached to everyone else's ratings through that game (a spring), until
the start of another cycle. Any change in your opponent's rating will pull
on the spring and cause a change in your rating, too. In theory, it is
possible for a game to affect the ratings of every player in the system.
For example, if you (as a 1d) lose an even game to a 3k player, it will
cause a fairly large decrease in your rating. :-( But if that "3k" player
then wins several more even games against 1d and 2d players, this will
increase his or her rating quite a bit, and this in turn will reduce the
change in your rating. (Perhaps that game was not so unlikely after all.:-)
Q: I initially set my rank at 5k, but that turned out to be too low. I
changed it to 1d, but my rating didn't change. Why?
A: When you set your rank and play ONE game against another ranked player,
your seed is initialized and you enter the ratings system. From then on,
your RANK and your RATING are entirely separate. Your RANK is only set
manually with the "rank" command, and your RATING is computed
automatically. The moral of the story: pick a reasonable rank BEFORE your
FIRST game. After that it is too late.
Q: How accurate are the ratings?
A: Probably not more than 0.5. The games played are usually played down
to one 1.0
Q: Why do the ratings not move 'fast enough'?
A: The ratings do move about the speed they should. You actually can
move from 25k* to 5k* in a matter of months. The players 10k* and
below are allowed to move more quickly than the stronger players.
This is to allow for people learning. After about 10k*, the ratings
are as slow as they are for every other player.
Q: Why do I have the wrong rating?
A: If you have played 20 games, given a close seed (within a few stones),
you probably have a rating close to your true IGS rating. Your IGS rating
will possibly not be the same as the rank you are used to using in your
local club. There is no absolute strength for a give rank. A one dan on
IGS is different than a one dan any where else. The names are the same,
but they are same names for different strengths.
Q: Why are there drops in my rating?
A: As it adjusts itself, peoples'
ratings become higher and higher. We adjust the ratings DOWN or UP by
tracking a few players throughout the system. For example, if you have
a consistent player who gains a stone in strength, in a short time (less
that a year).
Q: What can I do to reset my seed and start my rating over again?
A: You cannot. Try creating a new account instead.
Q: What are the parts of the rating system?
A: There are three things which describe the ratings: rating, seed, sigma.
The seed is the anchor of your ratings. You are close to your seed, in
rating. Your seed was an old rating from which your rating is computed.
The sigma is a measure of how accurate you rating is. If the sigma is high,
then the 'believability' or your current seed is low.
For greater details on the rating system, see: TOC
If this message is too long for your terminal, use: mail me FAQ
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