Rate a match

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1600 against 1400

Two weed racers meet: @fernling at 1600 and @mossy at 1400. K is 20.

@fernling is expected to score 0.76, and @mossy 0.24. There are three possible results.

Try it

Try each result

Tap a result to see how both ratings change. Find the one that moves them most.

Try it in the lesson

Quick check

Why did @fernling's win move the ratings so little?

  1. It was the expected result
  2. K was too small for anyone to move
  3. Wins never count
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It was the expected result

The change is K times (actual minus expected). A win was already 0.76 expected, so it adds only 0.24 of K.

Points move, never appear

With the same K for both, every point one player gains, the other loses. Over many races, ratings drift toward each player's real skill: a player who keeps beating expectations keeps climbing.

Spot the reason

Why do new players get a bigger K?

  1. Their rating reaches their real level in fewer games
  2. To reward them for joining
  3. So they always win
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Their rating reaches their real level in fewer games

A new rating is a guess. Big steps let it catch up with the player's skill quickly.

Searching wider

Remy's matchmaker first looks for an opponent within 100 points. The longer a player waits, the wider the range grows, so nobody waits forever.

Quick check

Nobody within 100 points has been found for two minutes. What does Remy's matchmaker do?

  1. The range widens until a match is found
  2. The player waits forever
  3. The player is sent home
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The range widens until a match is found

A slightly uneven race beats no race. The range widens with the wait.

On the studio board

The studio adds a decision to the board:

Weed races use Elo: K is 40 for a player's first 30 races and 20 after. The search starts within 100 points and widens while a player waits.

Bolt says: Next: lobbies and sessions.

Fact-checked 12 October 2026