Grade please?

[Gareth Harley-Yeo]

I remember in the mid 1980s having 100 points added on to my FIDE rating. For being female.

Might be cheaper for me to get a sex change than hire a coach to gain 100 points

[Sarah de Lisle]

Yes but think of all the money you'd lose on clothes, hair and make-up.

[Matt Mackenzie]

I remember in the mid 1980s having 100 points added on to my FIDE rating. For being female. What on earth was all that about?

I then played in the British Ladies that year and just about lost them all in one go.....

Apparently, FIDE had done statistical analysis of ratings that showed female players had been under-rated compared to men on a long-term basis. The 100 points addition was an admittedly somewhat arbritary attempt to deal with this. So far, so good (possibly)..........

You may or may not recall the controversy that ensued when it was announced that the Polgar sisters (Susan and Sofia, anyway, not sure if Judit had *quite* started playing at this point) were - alone of all female players - not to recieve this one-off ratings boost. Obstensibly this was because they played in "men's" events only; but it didn't take conspiracy theorists long to suggest other, darker, motives

[Roger de Coverly]

I remember in the mid 1980s having 100 points added on to my FIDE rating. For being female. What on earth was all that about?

That was essentially a political move to take 100 points off Susan Polgar to stop her being the highest rated female. There were some mostly spurious statistical arguments advanced in favour that males and females had formed separate rating pools.

Whilst nearly all the internationally rated British female players at the time had gained most of their points through mixed events such as the Lloyds Bank, the BCF had sufficient clout that all British players got the revaluation.

One effect was that the lowest female rating was increased from 1900 to 2000. When in the early nineties the lowest male rating also became 2000 (from 2200), there were still some female players with flattering ratings. This in turn lead to the situation that whilst the theory was that 175 = 2000, in practice male 175 players could get ratings approaching 2100.

[Sarah de Lisle]

Thank you, Roger and Matt....

I can't quite envisage it happening today.....

[IM Jack Rudd]

All sorts of strange things can happen these days, mind you. Search for "Laos" on these forums to find out more.

[Gavin Strachan]

It's often the "Don't you know who I am" thing which Jonathan Rogers was, I think, striving for earlier in this thread or "If you're that interested, it's on the bloody wall chart" (for Congress use only!)

Yes i have heard it asked in congresses and think that's a bit of dopey thing to ask when it is on the pairing board. Though i did have in one congress an opponent who I thought was graded 88. He was a late entrant whom I was paired with in round one. The pencil for the 1 was very faint, so halfway through thinking this guy is quite good i went back over to the board to notice that he was in fact 188. I lost then ended up playing Colin Crouch in round 2. Something about when it rains comes to mind...

[Michael Jones]

We used to have a guy at our club who used to ask "what's your grade?" on being offered a draw. If the other chap was higher rated than him he would almost always agree. If lower, he would mostly refuse.

I had someone do that to me in a junior game once - when I told him (96 at the time, to his 120 or so) he duly declined the offer... and went on to lose.

[Sean Hewitt]

We used to have a guy at our club who used to ask "what's your grade?" on being offered a draw. If the other chap was higher rated than him he would almost always agree. If lower, he would mostly refuse.

I had someone do that to me in a junior game once - when I told him (96 at the time, to his 120 or so) he duly declined the offer... and went on to lose.

Would it be unsporting to add 50 points onto your grade in such circumstances?

[Malcolm Clarke]

Personally speaking I would almost give my grade to an opponent asked after the game, but if my opponent did not know my grade before the game, I would prefer them to judge my playing ability from the game itself. However in the Southampton Chess League which I am results secretary of captains are required to provide grades on the match cards, so this does not really apply.

One experience I had about 25 years ago was when we played London Deaf. I asked my opponent for a draw which I did in writing (for reasons you will probably understand). My opponent said they would accept if I told them what grade. I told him, but he then went to check the grading book. I was in the grading book, but I think there was a problem identifying my entry, and my offer was rehected on the grounds that there was insufficient proof.

This game is a long time in the past and I expect things have moved on since then, so I am not asking people to pass moral judgement. However I do not know whether anyone else has been asked their grade in similar circumstances.

[LozCooper]

I once made the mistake in a lightning tournament as a junior after the game of saying "My provisional grade is 92, what's yours" The 170 I'd just mated on the back rank was not amused

[MSoszynski]

Years ago I beat a much stronger player who was particularly upset over the result when I revealed my grade. In order to soften the blow I added, "If it's any consolation you're the strongest player I've ever beaten." What I meant was that I must have been lucky, but for some reason what I'd said upset him even more. Priceless!

[Jonathan Bryant]

Regarding the importance of grades.

From our club graded rapidplay tournament last week:

In the first round I played an 88 grader and lost. About an hour later, in the third round, I played a 190 grader and won.

[Alex Holowczak]

When I played a 4NCL game a few years ago, my opponent asked me my grade after the game (which was drawn but I won through his error) commented under his breath that his season had been ruined when he lost to me.

[James Toon]

Some years ago I found myself on top board in a Middlesex League match against a Russian GM who is well known on the London chess scene. I managed to keep going for about 35 moves before I decided I'd had enough and resigned. It wasn't one of my better games. I may have felt intimidated by the difference of about 60 points in our ECF grades.

After the game he asked what my grade was. "About 180", I replied. He shook his head sorrowfully and replied, "Tonight you did not play to your grade!" Could this be the ultimate put-down?