4NCL - The Four Nations League - www.4ncl.co.uk/pre2010

FIDE Ratings

Each season a number of players obtain either partial or full ratings by their performance in the 4NCL. A partial rating requires the candidate to play a minimum of four FIDE-rated opponents, whilst at least nine are required for a full rating. The results in these games must equate to a performance of at least 2000. Clearly a player who scores 50% or better must achieve this. Tarifa Alket (Slough) scored 4˝/9 against opponents averaging 2253 so should now have a FIDE rating of 2253. Scores of less than 50% might still be good enough provided the average rating of the opponents is sufficiently high.

With FIDE’s introduction of quarterly rating lists, the 4NCL season now spreads over four rating periods and FIDE is unlikely to pick-up the performances of unrated players who have partial or full ratings spread over a full season. Even in earlier seasons when there were biannual lists and the 4NCL results were submitted in two blocks, George Smith (then BCF International Rating Officer) had to combine the results himself and alert FIDE to the partial or full ratings that had been gained. You will be aware that earlier in the year George had to resign from his post due to ill-health and that he died shortly afterwards. This means that a number of partial and even full ratings may not have been recognised.

If you think you might have gained a partial rating in the last 4NCL season you are advised to study the table which follows. You need to know how many FIDE-rated players you played (minimum 4), your score in those games and the average FIDE rating of those opponents. Remember to use the rating applicable at the time the game was played. In the table, the columns headed 4 to 11 denote the number of rated opponents. Find your score. e.g. 1˝ out of 5. Look along the row and in the right-hand column you will find the average rating of opponents - in this case 2149 - required to achieve a 2000 performance and hence a partial rating. Taking a further example, if you played 9 rated opponents averaging 2225, you would need a score of 2 for the appropriate performance.

If having done this you believe you have a partial or even a full rating from the 2000-01 4NCL season, please contact me with the details of your claim. I will check it and if it is correct will authenticate your claim and pass on the relevant information to Paul Keevil who is now the BCF International Rating Officer.

My idea for the table which follows came from a study of the information on pages 107 and 132 of 'The Chess Organiser’s Handbook' (second edition) by Stewart Reuben, which contains further explanations of ratings and many other topics.

Richard A Furness
4NCL Chief Arbiter

Partial Rating					Full Rating			Average of Opps Ratings
4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Average of Opps Ratings
						4.5	5	2036
				3.5	4			2043
			3					2050
		2.5						2057
							4.5	2065
	2					4		2072
					3.5			2080
1.5				3				2087
			2.5				4	2102
						3.5		2110
		2			3			2125
							3.5	2133
				2.5				2141
	1.5					3		2149
			2					2158
					2.5			2166
							3	2175
1		1.5		2		2.5		2193
							2.5	2211
					2			2220
			1.5					2230
	1					2		2240
				1.5				2251
							2	2262
		1			1.5			2273
						1.5		2296
			1				1.5	2309
0.5				1				2322
					1			2351
	0.5					1		2366
		0.5						2401
			0.5					2422