the secret chess weapon: the over inflated rating.
i’ve been blitzing like the united states government has been spending money they don’t have. my current blitz rating is somewhere between 970 and 1100, depending on the account (ICC or FICS) and day and time. i will lose to a 1050 in 5 minutes, then beat a 1300 in the same time.
but one thing i’ve noticed, which is strange. at least twice i accidentally clicked on a standard game, 15 minutes or whatever. i played against 1500+ players and i won both games. the fucked up thing is, my current standard rating is 1608 or something, thanks to winning my last game against a 1500+ player. the last two games, i thought i was playing against someone waaaaay higher than me, with a 1500+ rating, but it turned out, i was the higher rated guy. my last game, i beat a 1580 immediately after losing to a 1200. that makes about as much sense as the current US political regime’s plans and ideas.
i don’t think i play any different. i don’t take more time. honestly, these guys didn’t play that well. the ONLY reason i can see for this is they look at my rating, it’s higher than theirs, and they think “this guy is higher rated, i’m gonna lose” and they fuck up and i win. they are somehow intimidated by the number after my name, as if it actually means something.
i mean, they play some shitty moves. i can’t believe that the 1100 and 1200 players are better than a 1500, are they?
how can i be a 1600 during 15 minute games and a 1000 during 5 minute games? and how can people think the government is going to fix shit like heathcare when the government is the reason most shit is broke to begin with? none of it makes any sense.
in both cases, i’m just gonna keep on drinking and stop trying to make sense of it all.
chessed said,
October 21, 2009 at 6:09 pm
I think you’re right, drinking will help make sense of it all.
Strange, I always thought that the insurance companies are the ones that broke healthcare in the first place. I’m not sure that the government can fix anything, broke or not, but it’s at the point where they can’t hurt it any.
It’s not surprising that you would have a higher rating at a slower time control. One isn’t compelled to move quite as fast, and thus can see more.
CMoB said,
October 21, 2009 at 10:01 pm
“in both cases, i’m just gonna keep on drinking and stop trying to make sense of it all.”
Be carefull not to end up like this guy. He probably tried the same thing
tommyg said,
October 21, 2009 at 10:05 pm
Online ratings are nonsensical at best. I am MUCH higher rated at Chess.com than I am at OTB.
I agree with chessed. The insurance companies are the ones who jacked up the health care system! For example:
A friend of mine’s father had always paid his premiums, and had never really been sick. Then he became afflicted with a serious form of blood cancer. His insurance company DROPPED him in an instant because the recommended procedure was “experimental.” So, just to stay alive he had to go on the state health care and guess what?: that experimental procedure kept him alive and he is still with us today!! To recap: the insurance company took all of his money for all those years then dropped him!! Therefore taxpayer money was spent to keep him alive. ( he had no other choice because of the insurance company’s heinous actions).
So yeah, based on that and many other stories I have heard, I would say we need to start with fixing the insurance companies. IN FACT (and I am off on a tangent now!) this debate shouldn’t be about the “health care system”! The doctors, and nurses in this country are generally great! They work hard..VERY hard and they should be rewarded accordingly! (I should know..I had 10 operations before I was 16!)
This debate should be about health care coverage!! The health care system is not the problem. The system of health insurance coverage and the people who control such things are where we need to focus our attention.
Sorry for the rant! I have had some amazing experiences with doctors and nurses throughout my life and I will always stick up for them. Insurance companies NOT SO MUCH!
Now I must play chess!!
HardDaysKnight said,
November 4, 2009 at 11:15 am
The entire health care industry, insurance companies, providers, pharmaceutical companies are all subsidized by the federal government. This is what inflates costs.
If health care operated in a free market prices would much, much, cheaper.
You can blame the insurance companies, but they are only a branch on the tree. The root of the problem is the federal government warping the free market.
Yes, I’m a libertarian.
rollingpawns said,
October 22, 2009 at 8:59 am
1600 on FICS is a pretty good standard rating and the corresponding blitz rating should be 1250-1300. If your blitz rating is lower and still you can beat 1300 it means you play too much or you are inconsistent ( time management, openings – some are good and some not, etc.).
Wahrheit said,
October 22, 2009 at 4:02 pm
I’m with rollingpawns, the funny thing about FICS is that the two rating systems are not consistent. I would go a little higher than him, my experience is that blitz+400=standard is pretty close on FICS.
I haven’t played on ICC in several years, I wonder if someone can comment on whether it’s the same over there?
Liquid Egg Product said,
November 1, 2009 at 9:04 am
If you’re better at long time controls, it usually means you’re old (ie, 26+)
Jim Krooskos said,
November 4, 2009 at 2:25 pm
I’ve noticed the same thing:
My USCF rating is 1546. My 15 min standard rating on ICC is in the 1600’s…my blitz rating is between 1000 and 1200…
Howard Goldowsky said,
November 9, 2009 at 1:59 pm
On ICC, Heisman gives the breakdown that ICC Standard = USCF + 150. To me, it seems as though ICC Blitz ~= USCF – 150. Any other opinions? The bottom line, CL, is that it is possible for the rating pools of different time controls and servers to be vastly different. Each pool has its own mean and variance, and each pool is completely independent and calculated differently than every other pool.
Referring to your last post: I too have blitz addiction problems. It’s simply an ego and pride problem. My believe is that part of the mental training of becoming a better player is getting rid of the ego. So practicing abstinence is good for your game. The whole idea of losing the ego originates in the martial arts, and, to me at least, is a fascinating subject. When you get a chance, get a hold of any interview with Hikaru Nakamura. He is constantly talking about ‘no fear’. Well, here is an example of a man who has lost his ego. Ego is fear, fear of what others will think of you, how you will think of yourself, etc. Naka just goes out and plays, win, lose, draw….he doesn’t give a shit what happens, he doesn’t care about his rating, etc. He’s a great role model for anyone trying to improve their mental game. Naka is my role model in this respect, at least.
-Howard
Anonymous said,
November 14, 2009 at 10:55 am
Check out Liquid Egg Product’s November 8 blog entry. You’ll find it interesting.
Walter High said,
November 20, 2009 at 10:57 am
On ICC I have a 15 minute rating of close to 1500 and a blitz rating of around 1000. In blitz I play 7 minutes with 11 second increment, which turns out to be almost the same amount of time for a game as a 15 minute, no increment game if you make around 40-45 moves. So both time controls are essentially the same, but my rating is 500 points different. Go figure!