jfa: The reason I prefer the falling rating system over the removal system is that there are many players who, like me, like to concentrate on just one or two games at a time. So I might spend a year on chess and tablut and then another on another combination of games like tablut and backgammon (or more likely Go or Xiangqi if they ever appear). That's the way I play because that's how my mind works. I prefer obsession to diversity! :) I wouldn't want my ratings removed just because I'm having a sabbatical on one game to concentrate on another, but I'd be willing to take the hit from a falling rating.