National ELO rating system

This article contains information about the national ELO rating system.

What is the national ELO rating system

The national ELO rating system is a ranking system for all chess players registered with the Royal Belgian Chess Federation. It is updated every 3 months (Jan 1^st, Apr 1^st, Jul 1^st and Oct 1^st), based on the official games reported by tournament organizers. The national ELO rating system only processes chess games with a standard time control. (no rapid or blitz).

The current national ELO ranking list is available here.

Changes to the national ELO processing (from 01.01.2025 onwards)

The General Assembly approved important changes in the way national ELO reporting needs to be carried out:

1. Tournament announcements: In order to be eligible for national ELO processing, tournaments need to be announced at least 14 days before tournament start. For tournaments where norms can be scored an announcement needs to be made latest 21 days before tournament start (Tournament rules, article 12 b.).
2. Results submission: Results need to be reported at latest 3 days after the end of the tournament. For tournaments lasting more than 30 days, intermediate results per round need to be reported. (Tournament rules article 12 c.)
3. Processing deadlines: Reports submitted more than 2 months after the tournament end, will no longer be processed. (Tournament rules article 12 d.)

Why These Changes?

These adjustments aim to create a better-structured national ELO system that is fair, transparent, and protects against misuse, such as late submissions. By standardizing timelines, we ensure correct processing for all players.

Additionally, these changes are a step towards greater alignment with FIDE ELO processing requirements.

Processing requirements

In order for games to be eligible for national ELO calculation:

• the tournament is announced for national ELO processing
• the game is played using a standard time control
• the game is played between two registered players. At least one of them needs to be registered through the RBCF. If the other player is registered abroad, we will use his/her FIDE ELO for rating calculations
• the tournament / round report is submitted in time, latest 3 days after the tournament / round ends.

Article 10 of the competition rules describes how players are ranked and how the ELO is calculated.

How to announce your tournament for national ELO processing

For tournaments using the tournament pairing software SWAR, announce your tournament by means of uploading the tournament information to the RBCF SWAR results server. You can do so by entering all required tournament information in SWAR, and hitting the publish tournament button inside SWAR. Do this at least 14 days before the tournament start, and at least 21 days before the tournament start for tournaments in which norms can be scored.

Note: SWAR needs at least one participant registered in the tournament before publication can be processed.

Minimum information to be shared in the tournament announcement:

• Tournament name
• Organiser
• Name(s) of the chief arbiter(s)
• Tournament system (Swiss / round robin / …)
• Start and end date of the tournament
• Number of rounds

Alternatively, you can also register your tournament by simply using the RBCF Tournament Manager to manage tournament subscriptions.

For tournaments not using SWAR or the RBCF Tournament Manager, send an e-mail to ratings@frbe-kbsb-ksb.be, with your tournament information.

How to submit games for national ELO processing

The preferred way to submit games for national ELO processing is using the tournament pairing software SWAR.

Use the ‘EloN’ menu button or via the ‘Lists’ > ‘ELO calculation -> KBSB’ menu. SWAR generates the ELO file which you then send manually or via SWAR to ratings@frbe-kbsb-ksb.be.

The submission deadline for games to be taken into account in the current ranking period is 3 days before the publication of the next ranking.

Confirmation: for each submission that reaches BCF, a processing stage and a confirmation of submission follow. After submission, it is still your responsibility to check the processing and report any errors no later than 3 days before publication of the new ranking. The processing stage is carried out manually and generally takes no more than 3 days.

Reporting long tournaments per round

For tournaments lasting more than 30 days, intermediate results per round need to be reported. (Tournament rules article 12 c.). The tournament pairing software SWAR allows for easy intermediate reporting. A result report can be generated for a round, as soon as all games of that round are played. Proceed as normal to submit this report to KBSB.

List of games to be processed

Each ranking is preceded by the entry of tournaments and games. It is always possible to request and search the current list of games submitted via the ELO checklist.

In case you notice incorrect results or missing games, please get in touch before the next ranking update.

Contact

If you have any questions about the national ELO rating system, please contact us via ratings@frbe-kbsb-ksb.be.