Although this topic has been explored before, I want to make sure that I am correct before I proceed:
If I am organizing and directing a rated scholastic tournament, am I allowed to use the most current web ratings instead of the most current published ratings if I announce that fact in all the pre-tournament publicity?
I prefer the web ratings because they are more current and I have fewer complaints from parents whose child has done really well since the last supplement.
I have organzied and directed many events in the past, but with the wonderful new MSA site and the ease of finding ratings online, I want to be certain that I am handling them properly.
You may use the Web rating if announced in all advance publicity, and if the web rating is higher than that last published. See 28C Ratings of players, and the TD Tip that follows. See also 28E1 Rating level.
However, keep in mind that within the next week or two the new ratings software will be running and someone’s ‘current’ rating could change several times in under a day.
What if someone has a rating of 1192 on Friday night but by 8AM Saturday morning the rating is 1215?
Will you let that person play in your ‘Under 1200’ section or be eligible for an ‘Under 1200’ prize? Will other participants (or their parents) complain about it if you do?
Would you treat a local player differently than one who drove 200 miles to play in your tournament?
The advantage of using published ratings is that they are known far enough in advance for TDs and players to both be able to plan around them.
The disadvantage, of course, is that they remain fixed for the interval of the supplement
Mike, et al, I personally would use the unofficial web ratings only if they were higher than what was previously published in the latest supplement. It seems clear to me (unless there’s USCF amended policy elsewhere that I haven’t seen) that the rulebook states this in the two rules I mentioned: use it only if the web rating is higher.
This is how I was trained before the rule ever existed in print. If a player could show a CL label, or a crosstable, for example, with a more current rating that was higher than that last published, I would allow it to be used. I would never allow a player to use a lower rating.
It is certainly true that TDs can choose to use higher unofficial ratings instead of a published rating, the trick is in being consistent about it, especially with regards to section and prize eligibility.
Ensuring consistency will get more challenging when the unofficial ratings may no longer change on a weekly basis but on a daily or possibly even hourly basis.
So I’d say use unofficial ratings at your discretion, with proper notice to players or potential players and with an understanding of the risks.
As long as there aren’t eligibility issues involved, the more up-to-date ratings shouldn’t cause any problems and probably make for slightly more accurate pairings.
Are there occasions when a lower unofficial rating could or should be used instead of a higher official rating?
Yes, but they’re somewhat rare.
We recently received an e-mail from someone trying to put together his Amateur Team where an event that was (apparently) submitted over two months ago has still not been rated, and that event would almost certainly lower one person’s rating enough to affect team composition.
I don’t know if the event in question has been located yet, or what the TD will do if it gets rated, but there are likely to be other events and other players that could make similar requests once the precedent is set.
Personally, if I was the TD, I would probably say no to this request, because I don’t know how I can be equally fair to everyone else.