Elo Rating System
The Elo system was invented by Arpad Elo and is the most common system. It is used by FIDE and other organizations.
FIDE classifies tournaments into categories according to the average rating of the players. Each category is 25 rating points wide. Category 1 is for an average rating of 2251 to 2275, category 2 is 2276 to 2300, etc. For women's tournaments, the categories are 200 rating points lower, so a Category 1 is an average rating of 2051 to 2075, etc.
| Rating range | Category |
|---|---|
| 2600+ | World Championship contenders |
| 2400–2600 | most Grandmasters (GM) and International Masters (IM) |
| 2300–2400 | FIDE Masters (FM) |
| 2200–2300 | FIDE Candidate Masters (CM), most national masters |
| 2000–2200 | candidate masters, experts (USA) |
| 1800–2000 | Class A, category 1 |
| 1600–1800 | Class B, category 2 |
| 1400–1600 | Class C, category 3 |
| 1200–1400 | Class D, category 4 |
| below 1200 | novices |
The USCF uses a modification of the Elo system, where the K factor varies and there are bonus points for superior performance in a tournament. The USCF classifies players according to their rating (Just & Burg 2003:259–73). USCF ratings are generally 50 to 100 points higher than the FIDE equivalents (Just & Burg 2003:112).
| Category | Rating range |
|---|---|
| Senior master | 2400 and up |
| National master | 2200–2399 |
| Expert | 2000–2199 |
| Class A | 1800–1999 |
| Class B | 1600–1799 |
| Class C | 1400–1599 |
| Class D | 1200–1399 |
| Class E | 1000–1199 |
| Class F | 800–999 |
| Class G | 600–799 |
| Class H | 400–599 |
| Class I | 200–399 |
| Class J | 100–199 |
Read more about this topic: Chess Rating Systems
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