Rating levels on play computer • page 1/1 • General Chess Discussion • lichess.org

What is the correspondence for the various levels on play the computer?

Are you asking about using the play option, "Play against the computer" ? The playing levels 1 through 8 ---- You want to know what rating strength each level corresponds to ?

They don't correlate very well to human play. I usually play it on 180 + 180 time control (while logged off) so I can be walking around the house doing stuff. It's EXTREMELY hard to give them real ratings. For instance, Level 6 180+180 plays every kind of opening I ever see from humans here, from odd sidelines to deep Grunfeld or Najdorf sicilian book lines 10 or 11 moves deep. But regardless of opening, once you get to the middlegame it's extremely erratic. It can play 10 flawless moves in a row, but then play a horrific 4 ply deep blunder. Same with endings : In Rook and pawn ending it might play fine for a short while, then it will play a known book blunder. So I guess in a way it's good practice for playing against people.....you learn to always stay alert

-----> if you lose concentration when it's given you a better position, all of a sudden it will pop up with a complex tactic that turns the tables. And if you keep playing hard when things look lost, sometimes it'll blunder you the advantage right back.

It's been years since I played several games against the other levels at a serious time control. Level 8 , tactically, was like playing against a GM. I was invariably lost in less than 20 moves.

Level 5, I beat at a very high percentage, but the games looked like "real games" where my opponent blundered either tactically or strategically.

Anything below 5 I only played years ago as blitz practice. From what I recall, they don't seem like real games : The lower you go, the stranger the computer's play and mistakes become. It's like somebody is giving it more and more intravenous shots of vodka every 2 levels down

Are you asking about using the play option, "Play against the computer" ? The playing levels 1 through 8 ---- You want to know what rating strength each level corresponds to ? They don't correlate very well to human play. I usually play it on 180 + 180 time control (while logged off) so I can be walking around the house doing stuff. It's EXTREMELY hard to give them real ratings. For instance, Level 6 180+180 plays every kind of opening I ever see from humans here, from odd sidelines to deep Grunfeld or Najdorf sicilian book lines 10 or 11 moves deep. But regardless of opening, once you get to the middlegame it's extremely erratic. It can play 10 flawless moves in a row, but then play a horrific 4 ply deep blunder. Same with endings : In Rook and pawn ending it might play fine for a short while, then it will play a known book blunder. So I guess in a way it's good practice for playing against people.....you learn to always stay alert -----> if you lose concentration when it's given you a better position, all of a sudden it will pop up with a complex tactic that turns the tables. And if you keep playing hard when things look lost, sometimes it'll blunder you the advantage right back. It's been years since I played several games against the other levels at a serious time control. Level 8 , tactically, was like playing against a GM. I was invariably lost in less than 20 moves. Level 5, I beat at a very high percentage, but the games looked like "real games" where my opponent blundered either tactically or strategically. Anything below 5 I only played years ago as blitz practice. From what I recall, they don't seem like real games : The lower you go, the stranger the computer's play and mistakes become. It's like somebody is giving it more and more intravenous shots of vodka every 2 levels down

Dukedog

Yes, that's my question. I just wondered what the correlation is. Thanks.

LloydThompson edited

Back around 2018 / 2019, the officially listed level rankings on Lichess were as follows :

1 - 1350
2 - 1420
3 - 1500
4 - 1600
5 - 1700
6 - 1900
7 - 2200
8 - 2500

They were later revised upwards. I recall the revised ratings were initially too high / inflated. But the algorith used to create the lower levels might now be different

Back around 2018 / 2019, the officially listed level rankings on Lichess were as follows : 1 - 1350 2 - 1420 3 - 1500 4 - 1600 5 - 1700 6 - 1900 7 - 2200 8 - 2500 They were later revised upwards. I recall the revised ratings were initially too high / inflated. But the algorith used to create the lower levels might now be different