How does the rating system work? Do you have to win to increase your rating or does playing a higher rating with an eventual loss help with your rating?

FAQ gives the detailed explanation.

A rule of thumb is if you win, you gain points (a lot of points if you beat someone much higher rated than you, but not so many if you beat someone much lower in rating from you.) The reverse applies if you lose (losing to someone 500 points above you won't cost you that much.) For most of us mortals, the max change is 32 points per game, IIRC. Be aware until you complete 20 games your rating can do some strange ups and downs because a different formula is used in that calculation.

May I suggest you read through the entire faq, it has a lot of information.

Help : faq

Originally posted by MontyMoose
FAQ gives the detailed explanation.

A rule of thumb is if you win, you gain points (a lot of points if you beat someone much higher rated than you, but not so many if you beat someone much lower in rating from you.) The reverse applies if you lose (losing to someone 500 points above you won't cost you that much.) For most of us morta ...[text shortened]... May I suggest you read through the entire faq, it has a lot of information.

Help : faq

One other question about new rating calculation after every game:

I read how calculations are done. But ... which ratings are taken into account, those you and your opponent have the moment you challenge (or are challenged) or those the moment the game ends?

I mean: if I challenge someone 20 points above me, I´m looking for a good reward if I win. But it can happen that he/ she is 10 or 20 points under me, because of everyone of us results in the meantime, when the game ends.

Will you please tell me which are the ratings used for calculations?

Thanks in advance.

Best regards.

MArio

As far as I know, the ratings at the moment the game finishes are used to calculate the new ratings.

Originally posted by mariopp
One other question about new rating calculation after every game:

I read how calculations are done. But ... which ratings are taken into account, those you and your opponent have the moment you challenge (or are challenged) or those the moment the game ends?

I mean: if I challenge someone 20 points above me, I´m looking for a good reward if I win. But ...[text shortened]... me which are the ratings used for calculations?

Thanks in advance.

Best regards.

MArio

Originally posted by tvochess
As far as I know, the ratings at the moment the game finishes are used to calculate the new ratings.

Ok. Thanks. Yes, I was talking about RHP, and non-tournament games. Regards.