A user should be able to limit the number of times he is paired with a new player. This is because the rating of a new player is actually unknown. This of course should hold for games offered by the user. So i ask to include a configuration option like 'allow pairing with new player each x games', and the user will choose x in a fixed range (e.g. 1 to 15).
As an alternative, in the form used to offer a game, the user should be able to exclude new players.
As an alternative and as another feature request, there should be more flexibility in choosing the rating when offering the game.
For instance i may want to offer a game in a range like 1510 to 1560 or 1480 to 1540 etc.
of course the feature should hold only for rated games, not for casual ones. And i had better named the request
'allow a user to limit the number of times he is paired with a new player'
Why? If he's a new player and an unknown GM strength, you won't lose many points despite you played and lost against a 1500.
Currently my rating is above 1580 but i've always lost to 1550+ players so i think i can be a little overrated. I think my rating could be about 1500, so when i offer a game i may want to offer it in the 1450-1550 range. I want to to play at a time control like 30 + 30 or 25 + 25, it is quite always slower than offered games, so i need to offer the game. Lately it has happened two times in a row that this type of offer has been accepted by a 1500 player (new player without games). The new player can be a GM or he can be weaker than a real 1500 player (it seems the second option is more frequent). So when playing many games with 1500 players one can get an incorrect variation in rating.
Anyone in particular that has beaten you and you've later found is GM rated?
Even if that were the case, you should consider it a blessing that you can analyze your games verse such a quality player. Statistically speaking, it wont happen enough to seriously hurt your rating, and you could even say that the insight you'd gain from analyzing your occasional games against these high level players would improve your game enough over time to negate the rating loss.
Eh? Eh?
I said that often a new player is weaker that a real 1500 player. So the problem is more incorrect rating gain than incorrect rating loss.
I think that if someone reads my messages he should understand the reasons of my request. It might be difficult to understand for people playing at different rating ranges or at different time controls.
I hope the site developers will consider my request, i will not respond to messages of people not reading my ones, doing some kind of trash talk etc.
Trash Talk? Where? Just hear me out for a second ---
You need to think in terms of 'long term averages', hundreds of games, not a dozen games. Your 1500 +/- 98 rating is just fine over ... 15 games ...
It's perfectly welcomed for you to beat up new players, you're just part of the cycle of putting them into their proper bracket. You'll still get whomped on by high-quality new players, so it all averages out.
Besides, everyone knows Lichess ratings are slightly inflated, it's merely an internal guide to help group people of similar skill. The first 10-20 games are all about placing the person properly, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. I definitely don't consider myself an 1800 player, but it seems to work with this site so far.
Oh, and regarding trash talk - How do you manage to not learn anything over 660 puzzles? You've actually lost rating from the baseline.
Based on my recent experience with lichess, i fear that my future experience might be (more or less) like that
1. i offer a game (30+30) to 1550-1600. Game accepted by 1580 player. I lose the game. 30 points lost new rating = 1558
2. I offer a game (30+30) to 1500-1600. Game accepted by 1500 player. I win the game. 22 points won, new rating = 1580.
3. i offer a game (30+30) to 1550-1600. Game accepted by 1570 player. I lose the game. 30 points lost new rating = 1550
4. I offer a game (30+30) to 1500-1600. Game accepted by 1500 player. I win the game. 20 points won, new rating = 1570.
5. I offer a game (30+30) to 1550-1600. Game accepted by 1590 player. I lose the game. 30 points lost new rating = 1540.
6. I offer a game (30+30) to 1450-1550. Game accepted by 1500 player. I win the game. 20 points won, new rating = 1560.
7. I offer a game (30+30) to 1550-1600. Game accepted by 1570 player. I lose the game. 30 points lost new rating = 1530.
8. I offer a game (30+30) to 1350-1450. Game accepted by 1420 player. I win the game. 20 points won, new rating = 1550.
It's like playing a game with move repetitions, when there are three move repetitions you end the game.
You might be right that i played too few games to say this, but actually what i see is
- i never won to 1550+ players
- i always won with 1450- players
- unless i accepted a proposed game (with the proposed time control), i could not play with 1450 to 1550 players (excluded the new 1500 players)
So i thought to propose this. If you think this is wrong you are free to think this, but i suppose you are speaking for yourself and not in name of lichess. You have expressed what you think, now let lichess examine my request and do what they think is correct.
in steps 2, 4 and 6 by 'Game accepted by 1500 player' i mean 'Game accepted by 1500 (new) player'
I know it's not exactly what you asked for, but ...
if the ratings make you feel as if the result is already "predetermined"
(it sounds like that in #8) you could use the Chrome add-on recommended here:
lichess.org/forum/lichess-feedback/option-to-hide-opponents-rating-2It adds a checkbox (top right of the screen) to temporarily hide ratings,
opponent information and spectator list
(ratings are still visible in the lobby, though).