--- title: "Rapid rating in chess" url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/rapid-rating.md" canonical_url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/rapid-rating" last_updated: "2026-11-07" type: "reference" summary: "A rapid rating is a rating earned in rapid games, kept apart from the standard rating, so the same player can hold different numbers for slow." related: ["https://georgelichess.com/glossary/blitz-rating.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/time-control.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/rapid-chess.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fide-rating.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/k-factor.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/tournaments-ratings-titles.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md"] --- # Rapid rating in chess > **For AI agents:** the complete index of GeorgeLiChess pages is [llms.txt](https://georgelichess.com/llms.txt). Every page is also served as markdown at its URL plus .md. A rapid rating is a rating earned in rapid games, kept apart from the standard rating, so the same player can hold different numbers for slow. A rapid rating is a rating earned in rapid games, kept apart from the standard rating, so the same player can hold different numbers for slow, rapid and blitz chess. [Rapid chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/rapid-chess.md) sits between standard and blitz, and FIDE rates it on its own list. The Rapid and [Blitz Rating](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/blitz-rating.md) Regulations call a game rapid when each player's base time, plus sixty [increments](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/increment.md), lands above ten minutes and below sixty. A typical 15 minute game with a 10 second increment scores 25 minutes on that measure, so it is rapid. The same set of regulations lists [K-factors](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/k-factor.md) that follow the same pattern as the standard list, with 40 for the first 30 games, 20 below 2400 and 10 once a player has reached 2400. A player with no rapid rating but a standard rating can use it as a starting point under the rules for first ratings. Because the format rewards faster decisions and punishes slow [calculation](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/calculation.md), a player's rapid rating can sit above or below the standard one by a fair margin. Read the entries on blitz rating, [time control](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/time-control.md) and rapid chess to see how formats compare. A neighboring idea is [Online rating](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/online-rating.md). An online rating is the number a website or app computes from games played on that platform; it belongs to that site's player pool and is separate from FIDE and national over-the-board ratings. Rating and title terms like "Rapid rating" matter once you know your next step, and the [improvement plans by rating band](https://georgelichess.com/improve.md) set out a weekly routine for each rating range. ## Related terms - [Blitz rating](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/blitz-rating.md) - [Time control](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/time-control.md) - [Rapid chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/rapid-chess.md) - [FIDE rating](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fide-rating.md) - [K-factor](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/k-factor.md) ## Guides that go further - [Chess ratings explained](https://georgelichess.com/chess-ratings-explained.md): What a rating measures, how FIDE, Lichess, US Chess and chess.com compute theirs, and why the numbers differ. - [Average chess rating and a good chess rating](https://georgelichess.com/chess-rating-percentiles.md): What share of active Lichess players are rated above 800, 1200, 1500, 1800 or 2000, by time control. - [Chess rating calculator](https://georgelichess.com/tools/rating-calculator.md): Work out how a FIDE rating changes after a run of games. ## Sources - FIDE Handbook B.02 FIDE Rapid and Blitz Rating Regulations, effective 1 March 2024 (Clause 1.1.1), read 2026-10-21: https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/B02RBRegulations2024 - FIDE Handbook B.02 FIDE Rapid and Blitz Rating Regulations, effective 1 March 2024 (Clause 7.3.3), read 2026-10-21: https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/B02RBRegulations2024 [Book your first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book.md) and George Li reviews your games and builds a study plan around them. Questions about lessons: write to hello@georgelichess.com. ## Related - [Blitz rating in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/blitz-rating.md) - [Time control in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/time-control.md) - [Rapid chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/rapid-chess.md) - [FIDE rating in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fide-rating.md) - [K-factor in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/k-factor.md) - [Chess terms: Tournaments, ratings and titles](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/tournaments-ratings-titles.md) - [Chess terms glossary: plain definitions](https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md)