I want to ask "If you have a rating with a “P’” because you have not played enough games, when you register for a tournament are you consider “Unrated”? Please help me with this question.
no, you are not unrated.
Players with a provisional rating, get thier ratings adjusted with a different formula. It allows much larger rating swings from rated games. But after 20 games (if I recall), they change it to the standard rating formula… so it will change much slower.
There is a way to speed up your rating points (after the provsional games): if you study and practice really hard, and do very well in a major tournament, you’ll get a new rating… with a rating floor. It hinges on how much won at the tournament. I don’t know the specifics offhand though.
No, you are not unrated. The number after P is your official rating.
There is one thing to be mindful of: big money tournaments can have limits on the prize amounts that provisionally rated players can win in the Class sections.
A more complete answer is ‘it depends’.
Where is this provisional rating shown?
If it is not yet an official published rating, then many tournaments may still consider you as unrated, because TDs are SUPPOSED to use the official published ratings in effect at the start of an event unless they have announced some other policy.
For example, someone whose first published rating (even if an established rating) is in the December 2011 rating list, which was created two weeks ago, does not have an official published rating until December 1st. Until then, that player is officially unrated.
And as noted, there are tournaments that will limit what sections a provisionally rated player may enter, or which prizes that player is eligible for, or set a maximum on the amount of money that player can win.
It also depends upon how many games were played. If the provisional rating is based upon less than 4, then the player’s rating is not published and he remains officially unrated.
Thanks everyone for your replies.