Subject: rec.games.chess.misc FAQ [1/4] Date: 27 Mar 1998 13:29:07 GMT From: pribut@clark.net Organization: none Newsgroups: rec.games.chess.misc,rec.answers,news.answers Followup-To: poster Last-Modified: 1997/2/17 Archive-Name: games/chess/part1 Chess FAQ rec.games.chess.misc FAQ part 1/4 Revised 2/17/97 Chess Info from rec.games.chess.misc by Stephen Pribut("mailto:pribut@clark.net") WELCOME: Welcome to "The rgcm FAQ", a compilation of information about chess and the internet. This FAQ is posted in 4 parts, bimonthly, to the newgroup rec.games.chess. Part 1 is about Organizations, Ratings & Titles, Tournaments, Self-Improvement, and Supplies. Part 2 is about Mailing Lists, freely available Services and Material, Chess-playing Hardware, Software, and Utilities, and a Miscellaneous section. Part 3 is about how to improve and chess related supplies including computers, software, etc. Part 4 contains miscellaneous material. In the www version this is currently presented in one file, but may soon change. The primary FAQ is maintained in an html format. This FAQ is a translation from html to text. The rec.games.chess USENET group is now a hierarchy of 5 groups: rec.games.chess.misc rec.games.chess.play-by-e-mail rec.games.chess.computer rec.games.chess.politics rec.games.chess.analysis This FAQ contains an overview of all areas of chess. FAQ's specific to each of the above areas will be posted. The rec.games.chess.computer FAQ will also contain information on tht history of computers in chess and sketches of some of the individuals currently active in this field. If you are new to the newsgroup rec.games.chess, you might want to read this FAQ before posting questions to the newsgroup. This twice-monthly posting is intended to address some of the frequently asked questions (FAQ's) on the rec.games.chess news group. Because the answers may not be complete, please feel free to ask questions. This is only intended to address first-level concerns, and not to stifle discussions (discussions are never stifled on rec.games.chess). How to get the FAQ: This document is posted twice monthly to the Usenet newgroups rec.games.chess, rec.answers, and news.answers. Other ways to obtain the faq are WWW (world wide web) or via several choices of format at my website: "http://www.clark.net/pub/pribut/chess.html" Steve Pribut's Chess Page Anonymous ftp ftp to rtfm.mit.edu (18.181.0.24) and get the files "ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/news.answers/games/chess/part1" "ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/news.answers/games/chess/part2" "ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/news.answers/games/chess/part3" "ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/news.answers/games/chess/part4" E-mail(for those without ftp access) send email to: ("mailto:mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu") the body of the message should read: send usenet/news.answers/games/chess/part1 Parts 2,3 and 4 can be obtained the same way as part 1. What's New: A section on "I'm really good, how do I get better" is evolving. An upcoming section will soon be added for what to do for new arrivals. Right now, go check out a free Chess Program, Rebel Decade, by Ed Schroder, programmer of Rebel 8, current top rated PC Chess Software program. He has made this available to celebrate 10 years of chess programming. His location is listed under websites. "Maurice Ashley teaches chess" has been added under the section on how to improve. Chess Mentor, an excellent educational package, has been added to the section on how to improve. Table of Contents Organizations: International, National, Local, and Mail/E-Mail "#A1.1"[1] Federation Internationale des Echecs (FIDE) "#A1.2"[2] The United States Chess Federation (USCF) "#A1.3"[3] Chess Federation of Canada (CFC) "#A1.4"[4] American Chess Foundation (ACF) "#A1.5"[5] State and Local Organizations (USA) "#A1.6"[6] Correspondence Organizations "#A1.7"[7] Bulletin Board Systems (BBS's) and Web Sites (WWW) Ratings and Titles "#A1.8"[8] Ratings (with FIDE list) "#A1.9"[9] How USCF Ratings are Calculated(USCF) "#A1.10"[10] How USCF Lifetime Titles are Earned(CFC) Tournaments "#A1.11"[11] Tournaments "#A1.12"[12] The Swiss Tournament Pairing System Self-Improvement "#A1.13"[13] I'm a Novice/Intermediate. How Do I Improve? "#A1.14"[14] Recommended Openings (and Books) for Novice to Intermediate Supplies "#A1.15"[15] Publications "#A1.16"[16] Where to Get Books and Equipment Publicly available playing, e-mail lists, or material "#A1.17"[17] E-Mail Games, ICS, Mailing Lists, Gopher, Usenet Reader "#A1.18"[18] Material Available via Anonymous FTP Commercially available playing or material "#A1.19"[19] Chess-Playing Computers "#A1.20"[20] Chess-Playing Software "#A1.21"[21] Database Software "#A1.22"[22] Utility Software Miscellaneous "#A1.23"[23] Using Graphic Chess Symbols in Printed Text "#A1.24"[24] Trivia "#A1.25"[25] Common Acronyms "#A1.26"[26] Rules "#A1.27"[27] Variants "#A1.28"[28] Disclaimer and Copyright Notice Subject: [1] Federation Internationale des Echecs (FIDE) FIDE (pronounced "fee-day") is an international chess organization that organizes tournaments (e.g. Olympiad), grants titles, and controls the World Championship cycle of FIDE. A long delayed playoff between Kamsky-Karpov has recently been completed. An agreement of some sort is hoped for with the PCA for a championship reunification match. The final details have not been resolved. Federation Internationale des Echecs Avenue de Beaumont 9 CH - 1012 Lausanne Switzerland phone +41(21)329 19 21 fax +41(21)329 19 22 FIDE grants three over-the-board titles: FIDE Master (FM), International Master (IM), and Grandmaster (GM). FM can be obtained by keeping your FIDE rating over 2300 for 25 games. IM and GM titles require performances at certain levels for 25-30 games (2450 for IM and 2600 for GM). This is usually achieved by obtaining several "norms." A norm is obtained when a player makes at least a given score in a FIDE tournament. The required score is a function of the number of rounds and the strength of the opposition. There are also minimum rating requirements. There are about 35 GM's, 60 IM's, and 100 FM's living in the U.S., not all of whom are active players. FIDE also grants titles for which only women are eligible: FIDE Woman Master, Woman International Master (WIM") and Woman Grandmaster (WGM). Women are also eligible for the other titles. FIDE also grants titles for Chess Composition, Composition Judging, Tournament Direction (as "Arbiter"), and Correspondence Chess. And lastly another title available is "International Organiser". Subject: [2] The United States Chess Federation (USCF) The ("http://www.noli.com/uschess/ ") USCF is the national chess organization of the United States. It does several things: (1) computes ratings for players who play in USCF-rated tournaments, (2) publishes a monthly magazine called _Chess Life_, (3) sponsors national over-the-board tournaments such as the National Open and the U.S. Open, and a variety of correspondence (postal) tournaments, and (4) officially represents the interests of chess in the U.S. to international chess organizations. Most over-the-board tournaments held in the U.S. are USCF-rated. This means that to play in them, you must join the USCF (this can normally be done at the tournament site if you prefer). _Chess Life_ includes a listing, sorted by state, of USCF-rated tournaments to be held in the following few months. It periodically publishes the addresses of all state chess organizations (see [5]). It also has chess news, games from the U.S. and around the world, instructional and enjoyment articles, and embedded catalogs from which you can purchase books and equipment. Regular membership is $40/year, including a _Chess Life_ subscription. Youth memberships (same benefits) for age 19 & under are $15/year. Scholastic memberships for age 19 and under (provides a bimonthly publication called _School Mates_ instead of _Chess Life_) are $10/year. Senior memberships (age 65 and over) are $30/year. Life memberships are $850 or can be had by paying double the regular membership rate for 10 years running. _Chess Life_ subscription (without membership): $??. Write to: United States Chess Federation, 186 Route 9W, New Windsor, NY 12553-7698. Phone 800-388-5464 or 914-562-8350. Those with access to Internet e-mail have active members of the USCF staff available. For non-_Chess Life_ matters, Assistant Director Larry King is available at uscf@delphi.com. Subject: [3] Chess Federation of Canada (CFC) The CFC maintains ratings of all players in good standing, runs tournaments, attempts to promote chess in Canada, and sells equipment to both members and non-members. Members get a subscription to _En Passant_, a bimonthly magazine. The rating system used by the CFC is the Elo system, also used by the USCF and FIDE. Local variations make CFC ratings from 25-200 points lower than USCF ratings for players of similar ability. Dues range from $25-$45 (Canadian), depending on province of residence. Junior memberships range from $15-$25 (Canadian). Life memberships are also available, depending on age. Write to: Chess Federation of Canada, 2212 Gladwin Crescent, E-1(b), Ottawa, Ontario, K1B 5N1, Canada. Phone 613-733-2844; fax 613-733-5209. Check out their web site at: "http://www.chesscanada.org/"-Web Site of Chess Federation of Canada Subject: [4] American Chess Foundation (ACF) The American Chess Foundation promotes chess in the U.S. It sponsors some promising young players and contributes money toward large tournaments (e.g., the U.S. Championship). Write to: American Chess Foundation (President Fan Adams, Executive Director Allan Kaufman), 353 West 46th St., New York, NY 10036. Subject: [5] State and Local Organizations (USA) Every state has its own chess organization affiliated with USCF, and most also have a bimonthly or quarterly publication. The state organizations are listed in the annual _Chess Life_ yearbook issue (April). From these state organizations, information can be obtained on local chess clubs. Another good way to find a local club is to look at the tournament listings in the back of every _Chess Life_. Subject: [6] Correspondence Organizations American Postal Chess Tournaments, c/o Helen Warren, P.O. Box 305, Western Springs, IL 60558. Also runs electronic "postal" chess on the USA Today Information Center (see [7]). Correspondence Chess League of America (CCLA), PO Box 59625, Schaumburg, Illinois 60159 International Correspondence Chess Federation (ICCF), c/o Max Zavanelli, ICCF-US Secretary, 1642 N. Volusia Ave #201, Orange City, FL 32763. Non-US residents may contact ICCF directly to obtain information about their respective affiliated national correspondence chess federation, by writing to the ICCF Tournament Director, address: ICCF Tournament Director, c/o Ragnar Wikman, Box 36, 20111 Abo, Finland. Internet e-mail: ("mailto: rwikman@finabo.abo.fi"rwikman@finabo.abo.fi ) Transcendental Chess, c/o Maxwell Lawrence, 1655A Flatbush Ave., No. 1502, Brooklyn, NY 11210. Postal chess (PRE-chess!--first 8 moves set up the pieces behind the pawns) organization. Subject:[7] Bulletin Board Systems (BBS's) and Web Sites (WWW) Bulletin Board Systems CANADA Alberta: Chess Hackers. 403-456-5808. USA CompuServe: 800-848-8990. HoloNet: 800-NET-HOLO (800-638-4656). Prodigy: 800-284-5933. ImagiNation Network: 800-IMAGIN-1. CA: Charles Rostedt's chess BBS: 310-634-8549 (data), 634-8477 (voice). CA: Chess Hotline BBS: 310-634-8549. CA: Strategies and Tactics: 714-458-0818. Berkeley, CA: Berkeley BBS: 510-486-0795. Modesto, CA: Flightline of Dbase: 209-551-2227. Waterbury, CT: Chess Horizons BBS: 203-596-1443. 755-9749 (voice). Rob Roy, 54 Calumet, Waterbury, CT 06710-1201. Free software catalog. Plant City, FL: The ChessBoard: 813-754-6043 Chicago, IL: ChessBoard: 312-784-3019 IL: Free! Board: 312-275-0848 Louisville, KY: The Chess Board: 502-271-5233 Metairie, LA: High Tech BBS: 504-837-7941 New Orleans, LA: Woodpusher BBS: 504-271-5233 Chevy Chase, MD: The Mystery Board BBS: 301-588-9465, 588-8142 Fort Meade, MD: Interstate Express: 301-674-6835 Durham, NC: The Isolated Pawn: 919-471-1440 Brooklyn, NY: The Round Table BBS: 718-951-6652 Columbus, OH: The Endgame BBS: 614-476-3351 Mansfield, OH: DK Jet-Works: 419-524-3959 Mansfield, OH: Procyon: 419-524-7825 Portland, OR: PDX Chess BBS: 503-232-2282. Erie, PA: The Basement 814-838-7344 & 8237 Austin, TX: Austin Chess Studio: 512-448-4861. Web Sites (WWW) For the most current web sites, please go to the web and check one of the main chess sites. "http://www.netvision.net.il/~ChessTreasure">Chess Treasure-GM Danny Mozes Excellent analysis of Current & Past Tournament Games "http://www.brad.ac.uk/~mdcrowth/chess.html"> Chess Week in Review - Mark Crowther's Web Page "http://www.easynet.co.uk/pages/worldchess/home.htm" >The Chess Connection Pages "http://www.traveller.com/chess/">WWW Chess Archives "http://www.grandmaster.bc.ca/chess/chess.html">Inside Chess Magazine "http://www.redweb.com/chess/">Chess Space "http://www.cais.com/sunburst/chess/">Jerry Lawson's Chess Pages(USA, DC, World, US Chess Center Info) "http://www.clark.net/pub/pribut/chess.html">Steve Pribut's Chess Page "http://www.crystaldata.com/scripts/chess_problems"> Chess problems "http://caissa.onenet.net/chess/"> Internet Chess Library "http://caissa.onenet.net/chess/HTML/offsite.html"> Chess sites "http://www.chemeng.ed.ac.uk/people/steve/"> British Chess Links Page "http://www.ub.uit.no/chess/"> CHESS: Rudof Steinkellner, Jr. "http://dab.psi.net/uscfbrowser/">USCF Selections Page "http://www.chesscanada.org"> Chess Federation of Canada "http://www.hooked.net/users/chesswks/cwu.html"> ChessWorks Unlimited "http://nyx10.cs.du.edu:8001/~garth/cochess.html"> Colorado Chess "http://alfred.niehs.nih.gov:80/Demo/WWWChess/">WWWChess 1.0 - Interactive Web Demo Slow but Interesting Chess in your browser "http://www.hydra.com/icc/">Internet Chess Club "http://www1.usa1.com/~chess/">Informant Home Page "http://knoll.kih.no:8001/stud/mads2/chess.htm">Mads Computer Chess Home Page "http://www.ub.uit.no/chess/ICCF/English.html">IECG English Language Website "http://www.xs4all.nl/~rebchess/"> Schroder BV Software - Home of Rebel "http://www.mds.mdh.se/nojen/schack/"> Schack (Chess) From Sweden "http://www.cybercity.hko.net/newyork/mhousho/index.html">Macintosh Chess FAQ Homepage "http://www.qnet.fi/mathiasen/matyson.html-ssi">World Chess Champions Palle Mathiasen - Pages & Online Chess Bookstore Web Sites - description: Chess Treasure - http://www.netvision.net.il/~ChessTreasure Excellent analysis of Current & Past Tournament Games, by GM Dany Mozes. Frequently live and near live coverage. Chess Week in Review - Mark Crowther's Web Page - "http://www.brad.ac.uk/~mdcrowth/chess.html" Mark is the editor and originator of the Chess Week in Review, the most significant internet, electronic chess publication. Each week interesting articles, interviews, chess problems and the all of the games of significant tournaments are published and posted to rec.games.chess. This is also mailed directly to members of the chess list. The Chess Connection pages - "http://www.easynet.co.uk/pages/worldchess/home.htm" First internet version May 1995. Great! Plans to provide comprehensive service for chess enthusiasts world-wide. The Chess Connection WWW pages is essentially an electronic chess magazine which will attempt to include all the latest news, features, regular columns and reports of chess events world-wide. It is amazing to see so many different columns here in one place! Currently includes several chess columns that are published weekly and monthly. Diagrams, commentary on games, news, etc. Ordering on line via their Shopping Mall is also planned. Chess problems - "http://www.crystaldata.com/scripts/chess_problems" Choose from a variety of problems. Chessworks Unlimited:"http://www.chessworks.com" Information regarding their software and publications. Demos are available through their ftp site, but visit here first. Eric Schiller's homepage is linked here also. Products include Deja Vu Database (providing over 350,000 games, soon to be closer to 500,000). Useable in ChessBase, Chess Assistant, Unix and through Foxpro & Visual Basic. Other products and demos include electronic books and products designed to work with BookUp. Inside Chess Magazine"http://www.grandmaster.bc.ca/chess/chess.html" Has started putting up recent news column from Inside Chess Magazine. Lists selected recent games, with commentary. Product descriptions of Chess Assistant, and a variety of their books and othe publications. Chess Federation of Canada: http://www.globalx.net/cfc/index.html Others: WWW Chess Archives - "http://www.traveller.com/chess/" British Chess links: http://www.chemeng.ed.ac.uk/people/steve/ CHESS: Rudof Steinkellner, Jr. http://www.ub.uit.no/chess/ USCF Selections Page: http://dab.psi.net/uscfbrowser/ I.C.E. The Web Page of I.C.E. is available at: "http://pegasus.grandmaster.bc.ca" Subject: [8] Ratings (with FIDE list) Different countries have different rating systems. The most common system in use is called the Elo system, named after its inventor. An excellent book on the subject is _The Rating of Chessplayers, Past & Present_ by Arpad E. Elo (copyright 1978; ISBN 0-668-04721-6). FIDE and the USCF use the Elo system, although in the USCF there have been some adjustments and additions in the past which have distorted USCF ratings vis-a-vis systems which have been "pure Elo" forever. FIDE Rating list for January 1996 Open. Top 109 players are listed. Games = games played in 1995. R = rating. NAME NAT Jan 1996 July 1995 1: Kasparov, Gary RUS 2775 2730 2: Kramnik, Vladimir RUS 2775 2795 3: Karpov, Anatoly RUS 2770 2775 4: Ivanchuk, Vassily UKR 2735 2740 5: Kamsky, Gata USA 2735 2735 6: Anand, Viswanathan IND 2725 2725 7: Gelfand, Boris BLR 2700 2640 8: Topalov, Veselin BUL 2700 2685 9: Shirov, Alexei ESP 2690 2695 10: Polgar, Judit (GM) HUN 2675 2635 11: Dreev, Alexey RUS 2670 2670 12: Salov, Valery RUS 2670 2685 13: Short, Nigel D. ENG 2665 2645 14: Sokolov, Ivan BIH 2665 2630 15: Adams, Michael ENG 2660 2630 16: Azmaiparshvili, Zurab BIH 2660 2660 17: Ehlvest, Jaan EST 2660 2620 18: Jussupow, Artur GER 2655 2680 19: Almasi, Zoltan HUN 2650 2655 20: Hracek, Zbynek CZE 2650 2635 21: Khalifman, Alexander RUS 2650 2630 22: Bareev, Evgeny RUS 2645 2635 23: Epishin, Vladimir RUS 2645 2640 24: Korchnoi, Viktor SUI 2645 2650 25: Nikolic, Predrag BIH 2645 2645 26: Oll, Lembit EST 2640 2630 27: Glek, Igor V. RUS 2635 2600 28: Huebner, Robert Dr. GER 2635 2580 29: Illescas Cordoba,M. ESP 2635 2620 30: Miles, Anthony J ENG 2635 2630 31: Yudasin, Leonid ISR 2635 2630 32: Andersson, Ulf SWE 2630 2635 33: Lautier, Joel FRA 2630 2635 34: Seirawan, Yasser USA 2630 2630 35: Svidler, Peter RUS 2630 2625 36: Leko, Peter HUN 2625 2655 37: Morozevich, Alexander RUS 2625 2605 38: Speelman, Jonathan S ENG 2625 2630 39: Tiviakov, Sergei RUS 2625 2620 40: Akopian, Vladimir ARM 2620 2590 41: Timman, Jan H NED 2620 2625 42: Beliavsky, Alexander GSLO 2615 2590 43: Dautov, Rustem GER 2615 2650 44: Georgiev, Kiril BUL 2615 2630 45: Gulko, Boris F USA 2615 2605 46: Hansen, Curt DEN 2615 2620 47: Hodgson, Julian M. ENG 2615 2645 48: Smirin, Ilia ISR 2615 2620 49: Vaganian, Rafael A ARM 2615 2620 50: Adianto, Utut INA 2610 2595 51: Dolmatov, Sergey RUS 2610 2610 52: Kotronias, Vasilios GRE 2610 2590 53: Krasenkow, Michal POL 2610 2590 54: Psakhis, Lev ISR 2610 2590 55: Rublevsky, Sergei RUS 2610 2605 56: Vyzmanavin, Alexey RUS 2610 2615 57: Gavrikov, Viktor SUI 2605 2605 58: Kaidanov, Grigory S USA 2605 2615 59: Nunn, John D M ENG 2605 2585 60: Rozentalis, Eduardas LTU 2605 2610 61: Goldin, Alexander RUS 2600 2585 62: Granda Zuniga, Julio EPER 2600 2565 63: Ljubojevic, Ljubomir YUG 2600 2605 64: Sadler, Matthew ENG 2600 2605 65: Tkachiev, Vladislav KAZ 2600 2600 66: Chernin, Alexander HUN 2595 2585 67: DeFirmian, Nick E USA 2595 2605 68: Lerner, Konstantin Z UKR 2595 2600 69: Nenashev, Alexander UZB 2595 2600 70: Portisch, Lajos HUN 2595 2605 71: Tukmakov, Vladimir B UKR 2595 2615 72: Bologan, Viktor MDA 2590 2605 73: Giorgadze, Giorgi GEO 2590 2530 74: Gurevich, Mikhail BEL 2590 2580 75: Korneev, Oleg RUS 2590 2545 76: Lobron, Eric GER 2590 2605 77: Novikov, Igor A UKR 2590 2595 78: Ribli, Zoltan HUN 2590 2580 79: Romanishin, Oleg M UKR 2590 2585 80: Smagin, Sergey RUS 2590 2590 81: Agdestein, Simen NOR 2585 2580 82: Alterman, Boris ISR 2585 2580 83: Dvoirys, Semen I. RUS 2585 2570 84: Ftacnik, Lubomir SVK 2585 2565 85: Hellers, Ferdinand SWE 2585 2590 86: Malaniuk, Vladimir P UKR 2585 2580 87: Milov, Vadim ISR 2585 2600 88: Petursson, Margeir ISL 2585 2595 89: Polugaevsky, Lev RUS 2585 2585 90: Savchenko, Stanislav UKR 2585 2585 91: Vladimirov, Evgeny KAZ 2585 2585 92: Zvjaginsev, Vadim RUS 2585 2585 93: Christiansen, Larry M USA 2580 2460 94: Dokhoian, Yury RUS 2580 2470 95: Dorfman, Josif D FRA 2580 2600 96: Eingorn, Vereslav S UKR 2580 2570 97: Hickl, Joerg GER 2580 2575 98: Kosashvili, Yona ISR 2580 2585 99: Kozul, Zdenko CRO 2580 2580 100: Kruppa, Yuri UKR 2580 2585 101: Lputian, Smbat G ARM 2580 2570 102: Minasian, Artashes ARM 2580 2585 103: Movsesian, Sergei ARM 2580 2565 104: Onischuk, Alexander UKR 2580 2600 105: Pigusov, Evgeny RUS 2580 2590 106: Razuvaev, Yuri S RUS 2580 2580 107: Rogers, Ian AUS 2580 2580 108: Sokolov, Andrei RUS 2580 2580 109: Zontakh, Andrey UKR 2580 2580 FIDE Rating list, Restricted to women, 1 January 1996 RANK NAME NAT Jan96 Jul95 1. Polgar, Judit (GM) HUN 2675 2635 2. Polgar, Zsuzsa (GM) HUN 2550 2565 3. Xie, Jun (GM) CHN 2530 2540 4. Cramling, Pia (GM) SWE 2525 2510 5. Chiburdanidze, Maia (GM) GEO 2515 2500 6. Polgar, Sofia (IM) HUN 2495 2485 7. Ioseliani, Nana (IM) GEO 2485 2475 8. Arakhamia, Ketevan (IM) GEO 2480 2420 9. Galliamova-Ivanchuk, Alisa (IM) UKR 2480 2475 10. Matveeva, Svetlana RUS 2445 2440 11. Maric, Alisa (IM) YUG 2435 2445 12. Levitina, Irina S USA 2420 2420 13. Peng, Zhaoqin CHN 2410 2355 14. Donaldson-Akhmilovskaya, Elena USA 2410 2420 15. Peptan, Corina ROM 2400 2340 16. Bojkovic, Natasa YUG 2400 2425 17. Gaponenko, Inna UKR 2390 2365 18. Skripchenko, Almira MDA 2390 2400 19. Kachiani-Gersinska, Ketino GER 2390 2360 20. Prudnikova, Svetlana RUS 2385 2405 21. Stepovaia-Dianchenko, Tatiana RUS 2385 2310 22. Zhu, Chen CHN 2380 2390 23. Gaprindashvili, Nona (GM) GEO 2380 2390 24. Qin, Kanying CHN 2380 2370 25. Repkova, Eva SVK 2375 2320 26. Madl, Ildiko (IM) HUN 2375 2370 27. Misanovic, Vesna BIH 2375 ---- 28. Foisor, Christina Adela ROM 2370 2345 29. Stefanova, Antoaneta BUL 2370 2415 30. Eidelson, Rakhil BLR 2370 2360 31. Khurtsidze, Nino GEO 2365 2295 32. Amura, Claudia N. ARG 2360 2330 33. Hoang Th., Trang VIE 2360 2405 34. Gurieli, Nino GEO 2360 2360 35. Lelchuk, Zoja UKR 2360 2335 36. Borulia, Ekaterina GER 2360 2370 37. Zhukova, Natalia UKR 2355 2360 38. Demina, Julia RUS 2355 2345 39. Litinskaya, Marta I. UKR 2355 2350 40. Wang, Pin CHN 2355 2355 41. Shumiakina, Tatjana RUS 2350 2345 42. Velikhanli, Firuza AZE 2350 2355 43. Aleksieva, Silvia BUL 2345 2290 44. Voiska, Margarita BUL 2340 2370 45. Sofieva, Ainur AZE 2340 2350 46. Kovalevskaya, Ekaterina RUS 2335 2350 47. Hunt, Harriet ENG 2335 2385 48. Strutinskaya, Galina N RUS 2335 2330 49. Holoubkova, Martina CZE 2335 2330 50. Danielian, Elina ARM 2330 2320 USCF has rating classes as follows (with number in class as of 1 Nov 1994): title range number (Percentile) Senior Master 2400 and up 252 100 Master 2200 - 2399 855 99 Expert 2000 - 2199 2,263 95 Class A 1800 - 1999 3,579 88 Class B 1600 - 1799 4,714 78 Class C 1400 - 1599 5,183 66 Class D 1200 - 1399 5,226 54 Class E below 1200 19,872 the rest of the pack There are more USCF members than the total 41,944 listed here. These are just those who have been active in tournaments recently. The average rating on this list is 1271. Your rating is determined by your results and the ratings of the players you play against. There is no hard and fast relationship between the various rating scales. One question which often arises is: Do Elo historical ratings of famous players of the past enable us to predict how well they would do against present day players? Some discussion of this issue occurred in (the now discontinued) _Chess Notes_ in 1988. Edward Winter wrote, "Elo's retrospective rankings look less and less convincing the more one studies them. For example, George Walker is attributed 2360, the same as George Botterill in January 1988 (who has thus had the benefit of insight into a century and a half of chess development since Walker's time)." Ken Whyld responded this "shows a misunderstanding of ELO. The ratings do not reflect how a player from a past age would fare against a present-day player. . . . Elo's figures measure competitive ability, NOT the quality of play. . . . In chess we can only know the standing of players within the pool of which they are a part. It is idle speculation to make comparisons between discrete periods." Arpad Elo himself then got into the discussion, saying, "The historical ratings have generated controversy partly because people misunderstand what they represent . . . Mr. Ken Whyld . . . correctly points out how ratings should be viewed, i.e., as a measure of competitive ability, and that proper comparisons can be made only between players of the same milieu. . . . There is also a fundamental point that should not be overlooked: the rating scale itself is an arbitrary scale, open ended, . . . with no reproducible fixed points." Subject: [9] How USCF Ratings are Calculated The following is a simplified version of how the USCF rating system works; for a full version, write to the USCF (see [2]). *** For the first 20 games (provisional rating): *** Take the rating of the opponent +400 if the player wins. Take the rating of the opponent -400 if the player loses. Take the rating of the opponent if the game is a draw. Average these numbers. (If unrated players play other unrated players, this requires several iterations of the above.) *** After 20 games (established rating): *** The maximum amount a player can win or lose per game (called the "K" factor) varies according to rating. Players rated under 2100 have a 32-point maximum; players rated 2100-2399 have a 24-point maximum, and players rated 2400 and up have a 16-point maximum. (In a "1/2 K" tournament, divide these maximums by two (?).) If players of equal rating play, the loser loses half of the maximum, the winner gains the same amount. No change for a draw. If players of unequal rating play, the higher-rated player gains fewer points for a win, but loses more points for a loss. (The lower-rated player does the opposite, of course.) A higher-rated player loses points for a draw; a lower-rated player gains points. For players rated 400 or so points apart, the maximum rating change is used for an upset, and the minimum gain/loss is 1 point if the much higher-rated player wins. The true formula for the number of points won/lost versus the ratings difference is a curve, but a straight-line approximation for players with a K factor of 32 points can be used, where every 25 points of ratings difference is one additional rating point gained/lost starting from a beginning of 16 points for a win/loss, and from zero for a draw. (I.e., for a 100-point difference, the higher-rated player gains 16 - 4 = 12 points for a win, but loses 16 + 4 = 20 points for a loss. If a draw, the higher-rated player loses 4 points, the lower-rated player gains 4.) The actual formula is as follows: K = K factor delta_R = (Opponent's rating) - (Player's rating) Expected_Wins = 1/(10^(delta_R / 400) + 1) New_Rating = (Current rating) + K * ((Actual wins) - (Expected_Wins)) Rounds Delta 4 .7 5 .6 6 .5 7 .4 8 .3 9+ .2 Also, norms may be earned if the delta is met as well as exceeded. An established player's rating cannot drop below (his rating - 100) truncated to the next lowest hundred (i.e., a 1571 player cannot drop below 1400). This is called the rating's "floor." Subject: [10] How USCF Lifetime Titles are Earned USCF's class title norm system is similar to the system FIDE uses to determine GM and IM titles (see [1]). There is no time limit for accumulating points towards USCF titles. There are two titles per class from E to Expert: "Certified" and "Advanced." Master-level titles have a different naming scheme: 2200 is "Life Master," followed by "1-Star Life Master" at 2300, "2-Star Life Master" at 2400, etc. Points are earned toward titles by exceeding the expected score of a player with the minimum rating of that level by a certain number of points. Rules: 1. A norm can be earned only in events of four rounds or greater. (Norms cannot be earned by playing a rated match.) 2. A minimum score of two game points in the event is required, not counting unplayed games. 3. Ten "norm points" are required for a title. 4. Making a norm earns two points toward the title for that level. 5. A player who does not have the title 100 points below the norm level also earns five points towards that title. 6. A player who does not have the title 200 points below the norm level automatically achieves that title. 7. A player who achieves an established rating, but not the title corresponding to 100 points below this rating, is awarded that title. 8. Only established rated players can earn titles. The Life Master title may still be earned by playing 300 games at the 2200 level. After 1996, this title may only be earned through the norm system. For a full description of the system, see _Chess Life_ May 1992. Subject: [11] Tournaments Chess tournaments can be large (1000 players) or small (10 players or even less); long (1 round per day for 2 weeks) or short (a few rounds in one day). There are tournaments only for Masters and tournaments only for beginners, although most tournaments are open to anyone. A typical _Chess Life_ will list about 350 tournaments coming up in the U.S. in the next couple of months, and there will be about the same number which are unlisted. If you want to participate in a tournament but are intimidated because you don't know the procedures, by all means go and ask the director and/or other players questions before things begin. They'll be glad to help. A typical tournament announcement will contain the following: (1) Date(s) and name of the tournament. (2) What kind of tournament it is, e.g., 4-SS or 3-RR. The number given denotes how many rounds will be played. "SS" stands for Swiss System, which is a method of pairing the contestants (see [12]). "RR" stands for round-robin, a format in which the players are divided into groups of similar ratings before the tournament begins, and then each member of a group plays every other member of that group. Thus, in a 3-RR, the group size will be four. The Swiss System is by far the most popular in the U.S. (3) The time controls, e.g., "30/60, SD/60" or "G/60" or "20/1, 30/1." The number on the left is the number of moves, and the number on the right is the time in minutes, or if that number is 1 or 2, in hours. "SD" stands for "sudden death," and "G" stands for game. Where more than one time control is listed, they are the controls which will take effect as the game progresses. So, the three examples given above can be explained as follows. In the first example, the players would each get 60 minutes on their clocks, and would have to have made their 30th moves before the 60 minutes expires (your clock only runs when it is your turn to move). Then, they each have another 60 minutes to finish the game completely. Time left over from the first time control carries over to subsequent time controls. In the second example, each player would begin with 60 minutes on his clock, and would have to finish the game within that time. In the third example, the players would each get 1 hour for the first 20 moves, 1 hour for the next 30 moves, and another hour for every subsequent group of 30 moves. (4) The location of the tournament. (5) The entry fee, sometimes by section (see item 7). (6) The total prize fund (if any), either "guaranteed" (G) or based on a certain number of entries (e.g., b/30). The difference is guaranteed prizes must be paid, and "based on" prizes need only be paid in full if the stated number of players enter. If the stated number of players do not enter, the prize fund is reduced proportionally, but only down to a minimum of 50%. (7) Sections, if any. If none are listed, the tournament is an "open." "Open" sections are always open to *any* player. Other sections may be restricted to players below a certain rating, and/or occasionally above a certain rating. Sometimes sections (or whole tournaments) are restricted to certain age groups, school grades, etc. "Class" tournaments separate players by USCF rating classes. Sometimes different sections carry different entry fees. (8) Prize fund breakdown (if any). If the tournament is in sections, each section shows its own prize fund. In an small open, a typical prize fund might look like this: $140-100-70, A 50, B 45, C 40, D/E/Unr. 35, Jrs. 20. This means first prize is $140, second is $100, and third is $70. The top Class A player gets $50, etc. The top player in the combined classes of D, E, and unrated players gets $35, and the top Junior (under age 21) gets $20. (9) The registration time and time the rounds will begin. (10) Where to send an advance entry fee, and/or who to contact for more information. Subject: [12] The Swiss Tournament Pairing System The best way to get the rules for a Swiss System is to buy a copy of the USCF rulebook, available for about $7.95. However, a VERY simplified summary of the USCF rules is: 1. Arrange players in order by rating, highest to lowest, unrated either at the bottom or by estimated rating. 2. For round 1, divide into two stacks. The top players in EACH stack play each other, then the second players in each stack play each other, etc. This results in the highest-rated player playing the middle-rated player. 3. After round one, divide up by score groups. Win=1, Draw=1/2, Loss=0. 4. Pair up each score group as in step 2. If an odd number, the bottom person in higher point group plays top person in next score group. If odd number in lowest score group, lowest rated player gets a full point bye. (Limit players to one bye each.) 5. Where possible, players should alternate color, or at least equalize. (By round 4, players ideally should have had two Whites, two Blacks.) 6. Players NEVER play the same opponent more than once. If necessary, pair players with someone in next lower score group. (Treat as if odd number.) 7. To improve on color allocation as per step 5, if two players in the bottom half of a score group are rated within 100 points, they can be interchanged. (If rated over 2100, 50 points is a better cutoff.) -------------------------------- The FAQ is compiled and posted by Stephen Pribut at pribut@clark.net. This FAQ has been created by the combined efforts of numerous readers of rec.games.chess.misc. "The rgcm FAQ" is copyrighted 1996. Before reprinting a FAQ article for monetary gain (or major portions of one), please obtain permission from the author of the article.