The ECF Grading System

This can only be a general description of the system. But an attempt has been made to answer the questions most frequently asked.

A grade is a numerical assessment of a player’s strength. It may be for Standardplay (players have more than one hour each) or Rapidplay (at least 15 minutes but not more than 60). Standard and Rapid grades are kept separate, and a player can have either or both.
Grades are calculated annually on the basis of reported results. The grading season runs from 1st June to 31st May. The ECF Grading List appears on the ECF website towards the end of July, followed by a definitive revised version in the second half of August. A printed List, obtainable from the ECF Office, goes on sale shortly afterwards. Typically the List contains about 12,500 names. This is only a small proportion of the names in the ECF records. It is the people who have played at least 9 games in the last three years, including at least one in the most recent year.

How do I get a grade?
By playing in officially registered competitions.

Do I have to be a member of the ECF?
No. Direct Membership of the ECF confers advantages, but it is not required for grading.

What competitions are officially registered?
Most English congresses, regional and county leagues and other team events. Occasionally, events played in other parts of the UK. Events register by paying a fee to the ECF. A list of events graded appears in the Grading List and on the ECF website. If uncertain about a particular event, check with the organisers. An English congress belonging to the ECF Grand Prix circuit will automatically be registered.
Junior (Under 18) events pay a reduced fee. Many are graded, some not. Again, check with the organisers.

Can Club Championship results be graded?
Yes. Any club event can be registered (for a much reduced fee). Currently only a minority of clubs register their internal events, but the number is growing. Any club unsure of the procedure should contact the Grading Database Manager (details at end).

How do I report my results?
You don’t. All results are reported to graders by the organisers of the event.
There is an exception. Direct Members of the ECF can report their results direct, but only from non-registered events played outside England. This is the only case in which games will be accepted from non-registered events, or direct from players.

How can I check that my results have been reported?
The website’s list of Events Graded is kept up to date and will show which events have been received by the ECF so far this season. Do not expect leagues to appear until the end of the season (probably May or June). Remember that events in the current-season Events Graded have not yet gone into a Grading List. The Grading List is based on the previous season ended 31st May. For a complete list of events that went into it, see that season’s Events Graded. It is also on the site.
It is possible, at the end of the season, to purchase an itemised list showing your exact game results as received by the ECF. Direct Members receive this free of charge or at a reduced rate, depending on the category of Membership.

How are grades calculated?
Points are scored for each game. For a win you score your opponent’s grade plus 50; for a draw, your opponent’s grade; and for a loss, your opponent’s grade minus 50. Note that, if your opponent’s grade differs from yours by more than 40 points, it is taken to be exactly 40 points above (or below) yours. At the end of the season an average of points-per-game is taken, and that is your new grade.
This is an over-simplification, if you have played fewer than 30 games in the season. The computer likes to have plenty of games to work with. If you have played 30 or more games, it will use all of them. If you have not, it will try to make the number up to (exactly) 30 by taking games from previous seasons. If it finds none, it will use what it has got. Otherwise it will take the required number of games from the previous season, scored at that season’s average. If the two seasons together do not make up 30 games, the season before that will be used in the same way. But there it stops. No grade is based on more than three seasons’ play.
There is a special rule for juniors. They receive a “junior bonus” (to allow for the natural improvement of juniors) which is added to their grade after the calculations are done. It is included in the published grade. This makes it especially important to ensure that juniors’ dates of birth are known to organisers. The exact bonus depends on age, and a junior of unknown age cannot receive a bonus.

What if I haven’t got a grade to start with?
New players are allocated a starting grade which is calculated on the basis of their results over the season.
You may, in fact, have a grading record without knowing it. Anyone who has ever had games graded will be in the records, even if he has never played enough games to get into the Grading List. In this case, any games played in the two previous seasons will be taken into account when allocating a starting grade.

What if my opponent hasn’t got a grade?
“I like to calculate my own grading performance as the season progresses. How can I do this where my opponent hasn’t got a grade?”
You can’t. He will be allocated a starting grade at the end of the season, but you can only estimate what it will be.

The system grades up to 200,000 games per year. It brings together the work of hundreds of match captains and organisers, approximately 100 local graders who process results before passing them on to the ECF, and a small grading team working with the central computer system. Mistakes are inevitable in an operation on this scale. Perhaps the most common error is misidentification of players. You can help to avoid this by ensuring that organisers know (and always record) your full name, and club if any. Date of birth also helps, especially if you have a common name. If you already have a grade you will have a Grading Code, printed by your name in the Grading List, and you can minimise error by quoting it. If your details are incorrect or incomplete in the Grading List please inform the Database Manager (details below).
Incorrect results will be amended if you point them out promptly, and lists of amendments may appear on the ECF website.

Grading Database Manager

(or contact through the ECF Office)