Chess Ratings Explained: NSWJCL, ACF and FIDE
Last updated: October 2026
A chess rating is a number that estimates a player's strength from their results in rated games. Junior players in New South Wales can meet three over-the-board systems: NSWJCL ratings for junior events, ACF ratings for Australian tournaments, and FIDE ratings for international-standard events. Each is calculated separately, so the numbers are not directly comparable.
What is a chess rating?
A rating is a running estimate of playing strength. It goes up after good results and down after poor ones, and the change depends on the strength of the opponents played.
Ratings are useful for seeding tournaments, placing players in sections and tracking progress over time. They are not a grade or a judgement of a child. A young player's rating often moves a lot in their first events, which is normal.
What are the three rating systems in Australia?
The NSW Junior Chess League's ratings page sets out the three systems a junior player in NSW may come across, and which games each one is based on.
Rating | Maintained by | Based on games from | Where to look it up |
NSWJCL | NSW Junior Chess League | NSW junior tournaments and some Australian junior tournaments | |
ACF | Australian Chess Federation | Adult tournaments held throughout Australia, as well as some junior tournaments | |
FIDE | FIDE (the International Chess Federation) | International tournaments, including some high-level Australian tournaments |
A child can hold ratings in more than one system at the same time. Each system only counts games from events rated in that system.
What is an NSWJCL rating?
An NSWJCL rating is the junior rating most children in NSW get first. It comes from results in NSW junior tournaments and some Australian junior tournaments, and the ratings are published at chessratings.com.au.
The NSW Junior Chess League says its membership is available to juniors under 18. The League also asks players to make sure their name is recorded accurately, with the correct spelling and date of birth, whenever they play in a rated tournament. This matters because misspellings or duplicate names can cause a player to be misidentified and given an inaccurate rating.
For a Trainstein-specific explanation of junior ratings and our tournament sections, see our NSWJCL ratings page.
What is an ACF rating?
An ACF rating is Australia's national rating, maintained by the Australian Chess Federation. According to the NSWJCL, it is based on adult tournaments held throughout Australia as well as some junior tournaments.
The ACF rating lists page shows two ACF rating systems, Classic and Quick, with separate lists for each. The page also explains the symbols shown after a rating:
!! means a very reliable rating.
! means a reliable rating.
A blank means the rating is unreliable.
? means very unreliable, and ?? means extremely unreliable.
A number followed by g shows how many more games the player needs before they get a rating.
So a new player's ACF rating usually carries a question mark or two at first. That is simply a sign that the system has not seen many of their games yet.
What is a FIDE rating?
A FIDE rating is the international rating, run by FIDE, the International Chess Federation. According to the NSWJCL, it is based on international tournaments, including some high-level Australian tournaments.
FIDE's rating site shows three rating categories: Standard, Rapid and Blitz. Under the FIDE Rating Regulations effective from 1 March 2024, FIDE prepares a new rating list on the first day of each month, and a player's initial rating must be at least 1400. For most children, a FIDE rating comes later, once they are playing longer events that are FIDE-rated.
Why are my child's ratings different in each system?
The numbers differ because each system uses its own pool of players, its own events and its own calculations. A rating only has meaning compared with other players in the same system.
The same applies to online ratings. A Chess.com or ChessKid rating is a separate system again, based on online games, and it will not match an over-the-board rating. As a rough internal guide only, our coaches place Intermediate students at about Chess.com 300–800 or NSWJCL 200–400, and Advanced students at about Chess.com 800+ or NSWJCL 400+. These are approximate starting points for choosing a class level, not official conversions.
How does my child get a first rating?
Your child gets a first rating by playing in rated tournaments. For most children in Sydney, that means an NSWJCL-rated junior event.
A simple path:
Learn all the rules, including castling, promotion and touch-move.
Enter an NSWJCL-rated junior tournament in a suitable section.
Make sure the organiser has your child's full name spelt correctly and their date of birth.
After the event, look up the result on chessratings.com.au.
Keep playing. Early ratings move a lot as the system learns more about a player.
Trainstein runs NSWJCL-rated tournaments in Chatswood on most Sundays in term, from 2:30 to 5:30 pm. Sections are U8, U10, U12, U400, U600 and Team, and entry is $50 per section. Enrolled students receive one free NSWJCL-rated tournament entry per term.
Frequently asked questions
What are the three chess rating systems for juniors in NSW? NSWJCL ratings for NSW junior tournaments, ACF ratings for Australian tournaments, and FIDE ratings for international tournaments, including some high-level Australian tournaments.
Where can I look up my child's NSWJCL rating? NSWJCL ratings are published at chessratings.com.au.
What do the question marks after an ACF rating mean? They show how reliable the rating is. The ACF uses !! for very reliable, ! for reliable, a blank for unreliable, ? for very unreliable and ?? for extremely unreliable.
Why is my child's Chess.com rating different from their NSWJCL rating? They are separate systems with different players and different games, so the numbers are not directly comparable.
How does my child get an NSWJCL rating? By playing in NSWJCL-rated tournaments. Make sure their name and date of birth are recorded correctly at each event.
Next step
If you would like help choosing a first rated tournament or a class level, call 0415 228 088, email trainsteinchess@gmail.com or visit our contact page. You can also read more on our NSWJCL ratings page.
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