How does my rating change after playing a rated game?
There are two classes of rated players: provisional and non-provisional. You are a provisional player for your first 20 rated games, after which you are a non-provisional player. During your provisional period, the USCF provisional formula is used. It is assumed that if you consistently defeat another player, you are rated 400 points above that player. If you consistently lose to another player, you are 400 points below that player. You get a score for each game played: the opponent rating plus 400 if you win, the opponent rating minus 400 if you lose, and the opponent rating exactly if you draw. Your rating is the average of these scores. During your non-provisional period, the USCF non-provisional formula is used. For each win, you will gain between 0 and 32 points depending on your opponent’s rating. If you are evenly matched, you will gain 16 points. If the opponent is much stronger than you (say 400 points above, you will gain close to 32 points). You will gain almost no points fo
