Championship Freecell
Freecell Ratings
Championship Freecell includes a numerical rating system similar to that used in other competition
games like chess. The site automatically calculates and displays your numerical rating, and gives
you a named rank (e.g. Beginner, Intermediate, etc.) based on your rating. If you'd like to see your current rating, go to your player page via the Lookup Player page. If you want the full story on how the rating is calculated and rank is determined, read on.
Point System
Your rating is based on your history of play, and on how well you measure up against other
players in group and sector competition. To improve your rating, you gather points by taking
games, with more points given for using fewer free cells, as shown below. Your point total
increases with each game taken, even if someone later takes that game from you with a better post.
You do not gain points for taking a game from yourself unless you use a fewer number of free cells (not just fewer moves.).
| # of FCs |
8 |
7 |
6 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1* |
| # of Pts |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
8 |
32 |
128 |
512 |
* Only Freecell Gold players can post games using only 1 free cell. (But, don't worry, there's still plenty of challenge in 2 & 3 free cell games.)
Rating Levels*
Your numerical rating is the total of points gained thus far. As your numerical rating increases,
you advance to new ranks, from Beginner to Grandmaster. To advance a rank, you must have the
necessary number of points and also meet the additional requirements below. If you don't meet the
requirements, your points still accumulate, but they don't show up in your rating until you've met
the requirements listed. For instance, if you have 120 or more points, but have not won 6 games
with 4 freecells yet, then your rating stays at 119 and you remain a Beginner until you have
fulfilled the additional requirements.
Besides giving you an idea of how well you play, ratings also determine which sectors you can play
in. Beginners are permitted to play in all general sectors, but more advanced players may be
blocked from the sectors intended for beginners. Once you reach this point, you'll probably find it
more interesting to compete in the advanced sectors with others of similar ability
anyway.
1. Beginner Rank -- 0 to 119 points
You automatically start with a rating of 0 when you register. If you are an experienced player, you
can move to an Intermediate rating of 120 quickly by simply posting three 4-cell games and three
3-cell games.
2. Intermediate Rank -- 120 - 599 points
To hold an Intermediate rating, you must have at least 120 points and have won at least 6 games
with 4 or fewer cells.
3. Advanced Rank – 600 - 2999 points
To hold an Advanced rating, you must have at least 600 points and have won at least 6 games with
3 or fewer cells, one game with 2 or fewer cells, and you must hold a group lieutenancy or
lead.
4. Expert Rank – 3,000 - 14,999 points
To hold an Expert rating, you must have at least 3000 points and have won at least 6 games with 2
or fewer cells, one game with 1 cell, and you must hold a group lead.
5. Master Rank – 15,000 - 44,999 points
To hold a Master rating, you must have at least 15,000 points and have won at least 10 games with
1 cell, and you must hold a sector lieutenancy or lead.
6. Grandmaster Rank – 45,000 or more points
To hold a Grandmaster rating you must have at least 45,000 points and have won at least 30
games with 1 cell and hold 1 sector lead.
Most ratings depend on sector or group leadership. If you gain a rating based on a lead position,
you must retain at least that good of a position in order to keep your rating. (e.g., if you are rated as
a Master, but you lose your sector lead, you drop back to Expert until you regain a sector lead.) It
may seem as though this requires constant maintenance of your position, but in fact groups and
sectors tend to "freeze" as the games in them reach the best possible solutions, and the idea is to
hold the lead position until the group or sector has frozen. At that point your lead is quite secure.
* Please note: These ratings are subject to change as the site grows.
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