Unrated player

A rating is a number intended to estimate competitive strength. An unrated player is not necessarily a beginner or a weak player: the term means that no number is published for that person on the relevant list. Someone may have experience, previous results or a figure on another platform and still be shown as unrated on the official FIDE list used by the event.

Under the current FIDE standard rating regulations, a first rating is published when the calculation is based on at least five games against rated opponents. Those games may be pooled across consecutive rating periods totaling no more than twenty-six months, and the calculated initial rating must be at least 1400. If a published rating falls below 1400, the player is shown as unrated on the next list.

The status affects more than how the standings look. Results against unrated players follow special rules for establishing an initial rating, and rating-based tie-breaks must be removed when unrated players are present unless the event regulations explain their treatment in detail. The relevant list and date during the rating period therefore matter.