Ratings and competition
Chess Ratings, Titles and Time Controls
A rating is an estimate made inside one pool of players. A title is an award governed by a published set of regulations. A time-control label depends on the organiser applying it. Keeping those three facts separate clears up most of the confusion around chess numbers.
On this page
Choose the question you actually have
- Is my rating good?
Read a rating in the context of its site, time control and percentile. - Why does my rating move differently on each site?
Compare FIDE Elo with Glicko and Glicko-2 without pretending the scales convert cleanly. - What do GM, IM, FM and CM require?
The usual rating-and-norm route, plus direct titles and important exceptions. - Is this bullet, blitz, rapid or standard chess?
FIDE definitions and everyday online labels are not identical. - Estimate a FIDE rating change
Use the current FIDE score-probability table, rating-gap rule and K-factor.
Three comparisons to avoid
- One website against another. A 1500 in one pool is not automatically the same playing strength as 1500 elsewhere.
- One time control against another. Rapid, blitz and puzzle ratings measure performance in different tasks, even on the same account.
- A live estimate against a published FIDE rating. FIDE calculates a rating period and publishes a monthly list; a game-by-game number shown elsewhere is provisional.
Sources and scope
- FIDE Rating Regulations, applied from 1 March 2024 and carrying the later amendments shown in the text.
- FIDE Title Regulations and the current table for direct titles.
- Lichess: Chess rating systems for Lichess's own account of its Glicko-2 implementation and cross-pool comparisons.
Regulations and platform implementations can change. These notes were checked on 16 July 2026; follow the linked first-party source for the current wording.