Rating fraud

Rating fraud aims to create, change, or exploit a numerical rating dishonestly. A chess rating, often called an Elo rating, estimates competitive strength from recorded results. When those inputs do not represent genuine games between the named participants, the resulting number no longer serves its intended purpose.

Methods can include arranged results, invented games or tournaments, false identity, or altered official reports. No single method is required in every case, and several forms of misconduct can work together.

Rating fraud is a form of competition manipulation. Match-fixing can be one method, while a fictitious tournament or game can supply nonexistent results. The defining focus, however, is the misleading rating. A losing streak, rapid improvement, or an imperfect estimate is not fraud without deliberate distortion.