How to Look Up a USCF Rating

Where the lookup lives

The US Chess Federation publishes ratings for every member who has played in a rated event, and the lookup is open to the public. The usual steps are the same on every version of the site.

1. Go to the US Chess website and open the player or ratings search.
2. Type the player's name, or the member ID if you know it. A name search can return several players with the same name, so check the state and the rating.
3. Open the player's page. It lists the current ratings and the history of events.

The member ID is useful because it is unique. If a tournament director asks for your ID, it is the number on your membership record. Keep it in your phone.

How to read the member page

A member page shows several numbers, and it helps to know what each one means.

• Regular rating. The rating from games at a slow time control. This is the main rating, and the one most people mean when they say "my USCF rating".
• Quick rating. The rating from games at a faster time control. It is separate from the regular rating.
• Blitz rating. The rating from the fastest games. It is also separate.
• Online ratings. US Chess keeps separate ratings for online rated play, so a player may have a different number online and over the board.
• Games played. The number of games behind the rating. A rating based on few games is called provisional, and it moves a lot after each result.
• Event history. Each event, the score and the change in rating. This tells you whether a player is climbing or falling.

A player's best rating, the peak, is shown too, and it is useful context. A player whose current rating is far below the peak may have taken a break, and one whose current rating is close to the peak is in form.

Rating classes

US Chess names the rating ranges by class. The table gives the classes from E upward, which cover most tournament players.

Tournaments use these classes for prizes, so a player in Class C may win a class prize even in an event with stronger players. The page on chess ratings explained covers how rating systems work in general.

Why a US Chess rating is not a FIDE rating

The US Chess rating and the FIDE rating are two separate systems, each with its own pool of players and its own rules. The scale looks similar, but the numbers do not match, and there is no exact conversion. The FIDE rating is international and counts games in FIDE-rated events. The US Chess rating counts games in US Chess-rated events. A player may have a higher number in one and a lower in the other, and the gap differs from player to player.

Because of this, do not convert one into the other by adding or subtracting a fixed number. If you need to know where you stand in the FIDE system, play in a FIDE-rated event. The page on how to get a FIDE rating explains the steps.

How a rating changes after an event

A rating moves after every rated event, and you can work out roughly how far before the results are posted. The US Chess rating estimator on this site shows how a rating changes after an event, with the published formula, the effective number of games, the K factor and the bonus shown, so you can see why the number moves by the amount it does. Enter your rating, your opponents' ratings and your results, and compare the result with the posted change.

If you have never played a rated game, you have no rating to look up. An online rating is a different pool and does not convert to a US Chess rating, and the first over-the-board games tell you more than any guess. Expect a first rating based on few games to be provisional and to move a lot.

Reading a rating history

The event history on a member page is more useful than the single number. Read it from the bottom up, oldest event first. Look at three things. First, the direction: a steady climb means the player is improving, a flat line means a plateau and a fall after a high point may mean a break from play or a change in the player's circumstances. Second, the size of the swings: a player whose rating moves by thirty or forty points at each event is either young and improving fast or has a rating based on few games. Third, the events themselves: a rating built mostly from events with weaker fields is less informative than one built from strong sections.

If you are checking a future opponent, the history tells you more about their form than the current rating does. If you are checking your own, it shows you which events went well and which went badly, and gives you a starting point for review. Pick the two events with the biggest drops and replay your games from them before you register for the next one.

Using your rating

A rating is a measurement and not a verdict. Use it for three things. First, to choose events with the right level of competition. Second, to track progress over months, not days. Third, to decide what to study next. The page on rating percentiles shows how your rating compares with other players, and the improvement plans list what each rating band usually needs.

Common questions at the tournament desk

Players often ask the same few questions before an event. Do I need a membership to play? Most US Chess-rated tournaments require one, and the director can sign you up at the desk. What is my section? The director places you by rating, and a player with no rating plays in the lower sections or an unrated section. How soon is my rating updated? After the event is reported, usually within days, and the lookup shows it when the director has submitted results.

Lessons

A rating tells you where you are and not how to move. A coach reads your games and builds a plan to take you to the next class. See the packages below.