Doerdich: That's only in the first 25 games and it's a false impression given by the calculation of interim provisional ratings.

The established rating after the 25th game is effectively the sum of the 25 opponent's ratings plus 8 for each win and -8 for each loss. These 8s are the result of averaging the +/- 400 over 25 games.

Rather than wait until the 25th match has finished, the calculation keeps up a moving average. This can produce big swings from game to game but the gains and losses aren't "real" because the rating, within the first 25 matches, is not real either.

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