Got my first grading today

Finally the ECF have got around to updating their annual ECF grades.

Mine is 123 which is not bad for a first year, equating to around 1600 as explained below, actually 1584 under elo conversion and 1634 Fide so 1600 is a solid middle figure.


CONVERSION BETWEEN FIDE ELO, OTHER NATIONAL ELO RATINGS AND ECF GRADINGS

ECF x 8 + 650 = FIDE
(FIDE - 650) / 8 = ECF

ECF x 8 + 600 = National Elo
(National Elo - 600) / 8 = ECF


This means that in some minor level tournaments I will just miss the cut with them being open to U120 players, whilst some are U125 which I can still play for a year at least.

This is a bit disappointing as I think I'm a poor tournament player still and not ready to jump up to the intermediate level just yet, although the U125 events I can still play in. In tournaments where I cannot enter the U120 I will need to enter the next level up which is U150 so a bit of a leap. Still its a chance to play stronger players and hopefully improve further I guess.

But in all, for my first year I think a grade of 123 is pretty good. Right now, bearing in mind my atrocious tournament results its probably around 100 though so I will have to work a bit between now and next May to get it to my next target of over 140!

123 isn't bad, congratulations!

Why are you so afraid to play against higher rated players in the U150? You have nothing to lose only to gain, if not ratingpoints it will be experience and knowlegde (if you take care of after analyse with your opponents and analyse the games at home).

Cheers chesstiger. It's not that I'm afraid, its just that I really want to experience the satisfaction of winning a tournament and this coming season is I was eligable to play in the minor competitions I would probably have a great chance.

But at 150 I will likely just be in the middle of the pack which is not so much fun!

I'm still able to play in U125 events though.

I came second in the Torbay Congress U100 last year and won a little trophy for best Torbay player, so it would have been nice to defend that in November, and try and win the event but now I'll have to go into the U150 and miss out.

But never mind, The Paignton event is U125 and a full 7 rounds with full classical time controls, 40 moves in 2 hours, 1 hour for next 20 moves and 30 mins to finish so a chance for some really quality chess next month!