| About NWSRS |
About the NWSRS
Contact information and some background.
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| Player Ratings |
What's My Rating?
View ratings online or download rating file in CSV format (readable by Excel and similar programs). You can also view the school codes (allcodes) list here.
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Oregon All-Stars
See the top players in the state -- and learn about an exciting new opportunity for those who earn All-Star honors!
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The NWSRS "Top-Ten" List for Washington Players
This is a grade-by-grade listing of the highest rated players in Washington.
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| Rating News and Info |
WSRS Expansion to NWSRS
Directed toward players, coaches and TDs already familiar with the WRSR system, this article explains the expansion and changes to accommodate the new NWSRS
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Spring 2005 OSCF Announcement of the NWSRS
This co-operative expansion of the Washington Scholastic Rating System will provide an opportunity for virtually every scholastic player in Oregon to earn and build a rating!
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History and Data of the NWSRS
The WSRS system was created by Ollie Lafreniere, taken on and updated by Kirk Winges, and then expanded to become the new NWSRS.
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Why do we need the NWSRS?
What is the value of having another rating system? Are we trying to replace the USCF? is competition in Oregon and Washington impacted with two rating systems in place?
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| TD Resources |
Download Tools and Rating Files
These are the software tools and files required to run an NWSRS rated tournament. Tournament Directors must download the latest rating files and school code list prior to every tournament.
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NWSRS Rated Event Requirements
NWSRS isn't just for "big" tournaments! But there are some baseline requirements to ensure quality and accuracy. Find out how to get quads, two-school meets, league matches and post-camp events rated.
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Instructions and Tips for Tournament Directors
New and veteran TDs can benefit from these step-by-step instructions that take you from registration to rating, with tips for smoother-running tournaments and cleaner data.
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| Frequently Asked Questions: Player Ratings |
Question: What is a "rating" and why do I need one?
Answer: A chess rating is a numerical grading that indicates the history of a player's performance - and a statistical prediction of his/her near-future performance among other players in the same rating community
A rating helps players to measure individual progress and seek out appropriate competition.
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Question: What are the rating systems available to scholastic players in the Northwest?
Answer: The most common and widespread chess rating system in the United States is managed by the US Chess Federation (USCF). You you might also be familiar with the Washington Scholastic Rating System (WSRS), which has now become the Northwest Scholastic Rating System. You might also have seen ratings assigned by various online chess clubs and chess programs.
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Question: What's a "good" rating for a scholastic player?
Answer: Ratings in the USCF and NWSRS from 100 to 2800. Chess Masters are 2200 and above; experts are 2000 and above. The vast majority of active scholastic chess players in America have ratings under 1200. If players have ratings in both the NWSRS and the USCF, they are often fairly close. Online club ratings tend to be a bit "inflated" over NWSRS and USCF ratings, and ratings assigned by programs like ChessMaster tend to be greatly inflated, so don't be disappointed if your first rating is significantly lower than what the computer tells you it is.
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Question: How do I earn a rating?
Answer: To earn a rating in the USCF, you must join the USCF for an annual fee and play in a USCF rated tournament. To earn a rating in the NWSRS, you do not have to join an organization baseline rating.
The NWSRS is an expansion of the WSRS, so if you have previously earned a rating the the WSRS (Washington Scholastic Rating System), that will be your baseline rating in the NWSRS.
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Question: Will the tournament I just played in be rated on NWSRS in time for my next event? How do I know which section to play in?
Answer: Events are rated by the NWSRS in chronological order. TDs typically download the latest rating list a day or two before an event. This is the file they use to make section placement and pairing decisions. Depending on how close together the events are, when the previous event was submitted for rating, and the publishing schedule on NWSRS, it is possible that your "old" rating will be the most current one available to the tournament director. The NWSRS rating coordinators rate and publish as quickly as possible, but there are sometimes delays or a need to get more information from a tournament director.
Usually, the tournament director will place you in the most appropriate section based on the "official" published rating. This may or may not include the event you just played a few days before. You are usually allowed to play up in a higher section but not play down in a lower one. If you are not sure which section you belong in, discuss it with the tournament director or your coach.
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Question: In viewing the results from a tournament, I noticed that some players seemed to be in the wrong section, based on their rating at the beginning of the tournament. Why is that?
Answer: Suppose you look at a U1000 section and notice that a player rated 1050 was allowed to play in that section. There are several reasons why this could happen:
a) Events are rated by the NWSRS in chronological order. TDs typically download the latest rating list a day or two before an event. This is the file they use to make section placement and pairing decisions. If, in the meantime, a very recent event is submitted for rating, the results of that event will be rated first -- and those ratings will be used to rate subsequent events. For example, suppose John Smith has a rating of 980 and plays in an in-house tournament on Thursday. The results of that event are submitted for rating on Friday. They are rated and published on Saturday. Any TDs running Saturday tournaments would most likely be using the rating files current as of Thursday or Friday. Suppose, as a result of the in-house tournament, John's rating went to 1050. That is the rating that will show up on the rating report as the "starting rating" for the Saturday tournament. Rest assured that a player's rating is always accurate as long as we endeavor to rate in chronological order. Players who win or lose to John are rated based on the most up-to-date information. Every effort is made by the rating team to promptly publish new rating files. And most TDs try to wait as late as possible before downloading the latest rating files. Despite these best efforts, occasionally, such timing issues can impact a player's section placement or seeding in an event.
If you are familiar with USCF Rating Supplements, you are familiar with this situation. Many TDs will advertise that section placement and seeding will be based on a particular supplement. Because USCF Rating Supplements are published only every 2 months, a player's most current rating, which is reflected in the rating report for the event, will not always match the rating used for section placement and seeding.
b) Depending on what the TD publishes as policy, the player's NWSRS rating may have been provisional, which gives the TD some discretion in section placement. Another possibility is that the TD published a policy that suggested USCF rating or some other factor played more heavily in section placement.
c) If the TD published in their literature that they reserved the right to move players around to balance sections, this right may have been exercised by the TD.
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| Frequently Asked Questions: Rating News and Info |
Question: I've heard you "synch" my NWSRS rating with my USCF rating? How does this work and how often does it happen?
Answer: If we have your USCF ID on file, we can update your NWSRS rating with your USCF rating. We only do this if it meets the following criteria:
You've played at least one USCF-rated event since the last time we did the update
Your USCF rating is established (that is, you've played 26 or more USCF-rated games)
If you have played at least one NWSRS-rated game since the last synch, and your established USCF rating is higher than your NWSRS rating, we will update your NWSRS rating to reflect the higher rating.
If you have played only USCF-rated games (and no NWSRS rated games) since the last USCF synch, we track with the USCF rating, so your NWSRS rating will be adjusted up or down to match the USCF changes.
We try to run the sync with each USCF supplement (every month).
If you are a USCF member and do not think we have your USCF ID stored in the NWSRS database, please write us at nwsrs@nwsrs.org.
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Question: Why do you run another rating system (NWSRS)? Doesen't this draw players away from the USCF and confuse everyone?
Answer: We feel that a rating system that provides ratings for all players without requiring an annual membership fee helps everyone in the scholastic chess community and hurts no one. By ensuring that all scholastic players compete with a rating, the quality of the competition gets better, players have an objective, measurable standard to track their progress, and more kids "get hooked" on chess. Eventually, the entire competitive population will grow to the point where more players will want to be nationally rated. More players and more competitive opportunities ultimately means more USCF memberships -- not fewer.
Many scholastic players never consider investing in a membership in the USCF -- and earning a ranking at a national level -- because they don't consider themselves "serious" players. By offering dual-rated sections for more experienced players, scholastic players can naturally expand into the national pool. Once they feel more like full-fledged members of the chess community, players' parents won't think twice about laying out for a USCF membership.
And, no, we don't think players are confused. Kids who can learn to play chess can make sense of regional and national ratings systems, as the kids in Washington State -- and now, Oregon -- have done for years.
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Question: I read that some coaches think students spend too much time worrying about their rating and that it is not "good" for scholastic players. Why does the NWSRS think ratings are beneficial to scholastic players?
Answer: Ratings provide many benefits to both players and organizers:
As Chess Master Carl Haessler points out, "Ratings provide a forum where kids of all ages and playing strengths are able to measure themselves, not by comparing themselves to others, but by evaluating their individual progress."Ratings help players and organizers seek out appropriate competition.When appropriately used with computerized tournament pairing programs, ratings make for fairer -- and more exciting events. The winners are less likely to earn awards based on the "luck of the draw" in getting paired with less skilled players.
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| Frequently Asked Questions: TD Resources |
Question: What do I need to do to get my event rated by the NWSRS?
Answer: See the TD Resources section of this site for details, but you basically need only register players using their NWSRS IDs, run a quality scholastic event, and submit the results for rating.
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Question: Do I need to be a USCF certified tournament director in order to run a NWSRS-rated event?
Answer: No. But it's helpful if you are. If you choose not to become a USCF TD, we plan to offer online training and simple certification requirements for chess coaches and advisors who want to submit their club's events for rating. The specific requirements and procedures for rated events will be published later this year.
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Question: What does it cost to have my event rated?
Answer: The fee for rating a tournament is 12.5 cents per game, with a minimum fee of $5.00. All proceeds for events rated in Oregon are donated to the Oregon Scholastic Chess Federation; fees for events in Washington are donated to the Washington High School Chess Assocation. Both organizations are non-profit. The rating coordinator will invoice you after the event is rated.
To quickly figure out how much rating is going to cost: Take the total number of players in a section. If it is an odd number, subtract one. Multiply that number by the number of rounds and divide by two. That's the number of games played in that section. For example, you have a 21-player section with 5 rounds played: [(21-1)*5]/2 = 50 games.
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