Sandbaggers

Take a look at this rating graph:

http://www.littlegolem.net/jsp/info/player_chart.jsp?gtid=twixt&plid=15078

Shouldn’t there be a “ratings floor”?

For example once your rating gets to 1900 it should never go below 1700.

Thanks

Why? Such a rule could lead to rating abuse.

Sounds like a USCF member, and they DO use a ratings floor.  Probably a good thing there, since there is a lot of money at stake in some of the tournaments, and sandbagging was raging over there.  But there is no money over here.  I know that there are folks that HATE losing, and especially HATE losing rating points, but these things are really not that cataclysmic at this site.  Nothing is at stake.  The example you cited above is well known for going way UP and way DOWN in his rating for years.  I could mention a few more examples, but I shall refrain.

Personally, I could go either way.  Maybe something can be put in place, but you know - these are games; every now and then, players lose to players with lower ratings.  It doesn't mean that sandbagging occurred.  Someone played a good game, or someone played a bad game, or a combination of both.

I'll take a large pie, extra cheese, green pepper, mushroom, bacon.

and catnip.

(meow).

Looks to me like someone who can only play during their two-week vacations, enter a bunch of tournaments, play some of the matches until completion and have to forfeit the rest...

Becoming a busy person myself recently, I've learnt to appreciate that sometimes people disappear for a while and thus may need to forfeit several (or many) games, which might lead to this phenomenon. It happens.

Yeah well I for one do not like losing to a strong player that has an artificially low rating.

If they can't finish their games they shouldn't sign up for them in the first place.

The mere real world , often, unasked,  intrudes in an unwelcome way into the important realm of cardboard and counters :-(

That is a fact of life. Cry tears and move on :-)

Don't derate ratings

A simple rating floor solves this problem.

I could program that in 5 minutes...

Yes programming solutions to non existing problems in 5 minutes to make thing worst is real life too.

A simple ratings floor solves the sandbagging problem :)

Best solution is different speed tournaments (other sites do it) to the usual (240/36)

double (120/18) and triple (80/12) would all work for daily players

quadruple (60/9)and 6 times (30/6) could work for double daily players

8 times (30/4.5) and even 12 times (20/3) for frantic players, best if online at the same time

Rating floor....very simple and solves the problem...

What is the response to yper's question? What if a "real" score (==strength) is lower than the reached floor?

If you put the floor far enough below the maximum rating, it's hard to imagine how that could be true.

The USCF does it, so it's not a new concept.