Ratings and Rankings- 1800 gets you in the top 250

[Jim Wallace]

The number of ranked BG players on FIBS has finally hit 5000. As the pool
of ranked players grows, (like a growing pile of sand) the ratings at the
extremes extend outwards. The height of the pile, which measures the number
of average players in the distribution, grows.

This has been enlarging the ratings bell curve in the last two years.

In early 1995, a rating of 1900 ranked you as number 7; (just reaching 1900
was a milestone for experts) 1800 put you in the top 80 which would have
been in the top 5% of players.

Today 1900 doesn't even get you in the top 40 and 1800 leaves you ranked
245.

Seems to me the better way to measure your skills and progress learning the
game is not by way of your actual numerical rating but rather your relative
level in the overall pool of players. Do you fit in the top 1%, 3% or 10%
or wherever. If your rating climbs and you fall into a lower percentile
category, I'd say your skills are not keeping pace. A rising rating may not
mean you are improving if you don't move into a higher percentile.

For the statistically inclined....
If the FIBS ranked player pool doubled to 10,000, what would be the likely
rating range of the top 1% of players ?
What would be your rank if you hit 1800 and 1900?

Jim Wallace
Calgary, Alberta Canada

[Patti Beadles]

In article <349c3f7e...@news.mindspring.com>,
<jlw...@mindspring.com> wrote:
>Does FIBS delete inactive accounts?

Yes it does. Accounts with 0 experience are deleted fairly quickly,
and those who have actually completed matches hang around somewhat
longer. It used to be 100 days, but marvin increased it a while ago.

-Patti
--
Patti Beadles |
pat...@netcom.com/pat...@gammon.com |
http://www.gammon.com/ | "I trust you. It's just
or just yell, "Hey, Patti!" | that I'm scared of you."

[Mst3kjcl]

from what i heard, fibs only deletes accounts when they are inactive for more
than 6 months?...any truth to this?