Isn't 1500 too high for new users? Doesn't that lead to rating inflation?

@giancz91 said in #1:
> Most of new users just began playing chess and are worth much less than 1500. System rapidly gives them the right rating, but in the meanwhile players who meet them get undeserved points. In other words, lots of points are injected into the system. Doesn't that lead to rating inflation (which many seem to notice)?

You are right. Take a look at chesskid.com and see how the ratings to begin are. You start with 800!

@Alientcp Good explanation!

1500 is to high for new users...

The median of German club players (who are pretty experienced compared to the new players here) is 1550 DWZ.

But the rating system is entirely self-contained. There is no figure that would be too hight or too low - if it were 1000 then everyone would have fewer points, if it were 2000 then everyone would have more. But everyone would be rated in the same position.

It feels a little high to some because as a rating system it has the effect of giving people numbers which are plausibly close to, but ultimately maybe 10-20% higher, than many other rankings. Cynically, it might benefit Lichess to have such a ratings system! But ultimately the rating system isn't transferable: saying you have 1500 points on Lichess is a different statement to saying you have 1500 points elsewhere.