The rating system is a modification of the system used in chess. It is adapted from a system used by Dave \"Hammer\" Hamric on the original Empire Deluxe Ladder, which in turn was inspired by Mikael Bergman. The system is designed to encourage play against higher ranked players since that is the quickest way to gain lots of points. The idea behind is to show the actual strength of a player. This means that all rated games are calculated against the individual strengths/ratings of the two opponents and rated accordingly.
"; content += "The average amount of points at stake is 32, if players of equal rating play, the loser loses half of the maximum, the winner gains the same amount. If players of unequal rating play, the higher-rated player gains fewer points for a win, but loses more points for a loss. (The lower-rated player does the opposite, of course.) For players rated 700 or so points apart, the maximum rating change is used for an upset, and the minimum gain/loss is 1 point if the much higher-rated player wins.
"; content += "If the result is a draw, the game rating is one third of a normal rating, and also depends on the two players overall rating.
"; content += "A new player starts at 1000 points. To avoid new players having a higher rating than players that have played a few games but lost, all players get a 20 point bonus until 1100 points is reached and a 10 point bonus until 1200 is reached. That way a player cannot drop below 1000 points (i e even if you lose you actually gain points).
"; content += "If you want to check the precise calculation, you can use the ladder rating calculator