Division Play

Understand Checkmate's division play and rating system. Learn how players progress through divisions and how ratings affect matchmaking.

Let's be frank: not everyone can practice chess for 8 hours daily, and some people will be better than you. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be a player, rank up, compete, and earn some loot.

Our skill-ranking AI algorithm analyses your stats to place you into a division with similar skill-level players.

When registering, based on their current known rating* or select unranked if unknown.

Skill Level	Elo	Division	Description
Unrated	Unknown	Rookie	New players start here and remain until they have completed 30 games
Beginner	<1200	Rookie	For players who are new to chess or have limited experience.
Intermediate	1200 - 1599	Contender	For players with a moderate understanding of chess principles and some playing experience.
Advanced	1600 - 1999	Pro	For seasoned players aiming to reach the expert level.
Pro	2000 - 2199	Pro	For highly skilled players
Master	2200 - 2399	Master	For top-tier players who have surpassed the pro level.
Elite	2400+	Elite	For the highest level of competitive play, encompassing International Masters, Grandmasters, and above.

After you have played 30 games of each mode, you are allocated to a grade from the open ladder and can start competing in tournaments. The more games played, the better our AI will get at assigning community ranking.

Before participating in any game type within a tournament—be it Blitz, Bullet, or Rapid—it is mandatory for players to complete 30 placement games in that specific game type. If a tournament encompasses multiple game types and you haven't completed your placement games for each type, you will be ineligible to participate.

Rookie Division

Division	Elo
Platinum	1000-1199
Gold	800-999
Jade	600-799
Emerald	400-599
Sapphire	<399

Contender Division

Division	Elo
Diamond	1400-1599
Ruby	1200-1399

Pro

Division	Elo
Pro	1800-1999
Advanced	1600-1799

Master

Division	Elo
Pro	2000 -2399

Elite

Division	Elo
Pro	2400+

Open and Female Divisions

Divisions are based on FIDE regulations:

• Open Division: The Open Division is open to all players, regardless of gender

• Female Division: The Female Division is exclusively for female players, offering a competitive environment specifically designed to encourage women's participation in chess.

Checkmate Zones

Checkmate has the following main zones:

1. Global

2. AO: Asia and Oceania

3. EAS: Europe and Southern Africa

4. MENAT: Middle East, North Africa + Turkey

5. AM: Americas

When you register, ensure you use the country where you hold a driver's licence or passport. You can play anywhere, anytime; players from all countries are welcome.

FIDE Zones

FIDE Zones will be used in the competitive mode for all official Asian Chess Federation and partner events.

National and Regional Zones

Our real-time tournament system allows new zones to be set up as required.

Fair play: Sandbagging

Please note that sandbagging is an offence on Checkmate, Suspect cases will be automatically tagged and accounts monitored. Players found intentionally lowering their rating risk immediate disqualification from tournaments and a ban. We urge all participants to play to the best of their ability when competing against other players in ladders and tournaments. In addition to real-time monitoring historic integrity sweeps will be undertaken regularly by our Fairplay team and anti-cheat.