Rating Formula
CCLA players do not need a calculator or a college degree in mathematics to determine the rating point gain or loss for their chess result(s). Instead of solving a complex linear equation, all they need to do is consult the table to the right. This "easy-to-use" look-up chart is a graphical representation of the original Kenneth F. Williams (1940) and revised Hotchkiss - Wilcock (1947) linear equations for the rating of correspondence chess players.
This statistical sytem, the forerunner of all numeric rating systems, is still utilized by CCLA today and provides unprecedented stability and validity for correspondence ratings achieved in CCLA competition. CCLA does not use, and never has used, the "ELO" system; CCLA's system pre-dates "ELO" by 20 years! CCLA will not manipulate players' ratings for political purposes, nor does it statistically "manage" its rating pool.
The class names and 200-point class intervals used by FIDE were adopted by the CCLA Board of Directors in 1980.
Rating Classes
| 2200 & up | Master |
| 2000 - 2199 | Expert |
| 1800 - 1999 | Class A |
| 1600 - 1799 | Class B |
| 1400 - 1599 | Class C |
| 1200 - 1399 | Class D |
| below 1200 | Class E |
Titles
G = Grandmaster1
I = International Master1
GM and IM titles are conferred by ICCF
S = Senior Master 2350 & up2
M = Master 2275 & up2
E = Expert 2100 & up2
Rating List Honors
# ten years' membership
* twenty-five years' membership
** fifty years' membership
Easy Look-up Chart
| Column 1 Difference in Ratings |
Column 2 Higher Rated Wins |
Column 3 Lower Rated Wins |
Column 4 Draw |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-19 | 16 | 16 | 0 |
| 20-39 | 15 | 17 | 1 |
| 40-59 | 14 | 18 | 2 |
| 60-79 | 13 | 19 | 3 |
| 80-99 | 12 | 20 | 4 |
| 100-119 | 11 | 21 | 5 |
| 120-139 | 10 | 22 | 6 |
| 140-159 | 9 | 23 | 7 |
| 160-179 | 8 | 24 | 8 |
| 180-199 | 7 | 25 | 9 |
| 200-219 | 6 | 26 | 10 |
| 220-239 | 5 | 27 | 11 |
| 240-259 | 4 | 28 | 12 |
| 260-279 | 3 | 29 | 13 |
| 280 & up | 2 | 30 | 14 |
How Rating Points are Calculated
Rating difference is the difference in ratings at the time the game is concluded, not the players' ratings when the tournament started.
If the higher-rated player wins, he gains the number of points listed in Column 2 and his opponent loses the same.
If the lower-rated player wins, he gains the number of points listed in Column 3 and his opponent loses the same.
If the result is a draw, the lower-rated player gains the number of points listed in Column 4 and the higher-rated player loses the same.
Rating points gained by one player are lost by the other player, always.