Total Chess Introduces Unified Rating System for Players
The Total Chess World Championship Tour has announced a new rating system that merges players' classical, rapid, and blitz ratings into a single score. This initiative was revealed on 14 October and aims to assess overall playing strength across these formats. A pilot test is scheduled for November during the Total Chess event in Budapest.
Developed by Dr. Mehmet Mars Seven from King's College London and in collaboration with Norway Chess, the system is based on existing FIDE ratings and will produce a new figure on the Elo scale. It is designed to be independent of FIDE's official ratings and will not affect players' current ratings in any format.
The proposed system employs a mathematical formula to combine the three ratings rather than using a simple average. For instance, Magnus Carlsen's ratings as of 1 October were 2823 in classical, 2801 in rapid, and 2860 in blitz, resulting in a Total Chess Rating of 2830. The pilot event will feature 24 players, including top competitors, and feedback on the rating system is invited until 6 November.
