chess ratings

[Randall Bart <barticus@att.net>]

'Twas 00:00 -0500 on Saturday 3/9/2002 when pbmserv-users-owner@gamerz.net 
wrote:
>Subject: chess ratings
>
>I've just won two games of chess due to a forfeit,  after one game our 
>ratings are
>
>mart's rating is 1505 (provisional).
>robw's rating is 1618 (provisional).
>
>after the other they are
>
>robw's rating is 1685 (provisional).
>mart's rating is 1512 (provisional).
>
>which means either both our ratings went up or down after the same 
>game.  How is this possible?

Provisional ratings are not zero sum.  There's a factor that skews them 
toward 1720.
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