Indonesian and International Chess Rating Systems
FIDE, PERCASI, online platform ratings, and lichess explained
Four main rating systems for Indonesian players: (1) FIDE Elo rating (international standard, managed by FIDE), (2) PERCASI national rating (local, sanctioning regional and national championship level), (3) online rating (online, popular in Indonesia), (4) lichess rating (online, typically 100-200 points higher than mainstream platforms). General correlation: FIDE 1600 approximately equals a mainstream platform rating of 1600 and lichess 1750-1800.
FIDE Elo: International Standard
FIDE Elo rating is the international chess standard managed by FIDE (World Chess Federation) since the 1970s. The mathematical Elo formula (from Arpad Elo, Hungarian-American professor) calculates expected win probability between two players based on rating gap. Typical range: 1000 (beginner) to 2800 plus (world champion level).
How to get a FIDE rating: play in FIDE-rated tournaments sanctioned by PERCASI or other federations. Minimum 5-9 initial rated games will generate an initial rating. After initial rating, each rated game updates rating based on result vs expected. FIDE updates international ratings at the start of each month.
PERCASI National Rating
PERCASI national rating is a parallel rating system for local-national Indonesian tournaments not yet FIDE-rated. Useful for: (1) tracking amateur player progress before FIDE-rated play, (2) sanctioning city or provincial regional championships, (3) determining Kejurnas national championship seeding for non-FIDE players.
How to get PERCASI rating: register at your local PENGKAB or PENGKOT, play regency or city championships minimum 5-9 games. Initial rating is assigned based on performance. PERCASI rating is generally slightly lower than FIDE due to domestic player pool plus expected rating deflation in beginner rating bands.
Online Ratings: Mainstream Platforms and Lichess
Online platform ratings and lichess ratings run independently from FIDE. Mainstream platforms are the most widely used in Indonesia, with separate ratings per format: bullet (1 minute), blitz (3-5 minutes), rapid (10-30 minutes), and daily (correspondence). Blitz ratings typically sit 100-150 below online classical ratings.
Lichess is fully free (no premium subscription) and popular in the Indonesian competitive community for practice. Lichess ratings typically run 100-200 points higher than mainstream platforms at equivalent skill. Grandmaster coaches recommend lichess for puzzle practice and drills because its free features are more complete, and mainstream platforms for community and rated blitz.
Correlation Between Rating Systems
Approximate correlation (rough guide, individual results vary): FIDE 1200 is around a mainstream platform rating of 1200 and lichess 1400. FIDE 1600 is around 1600 and lichess 1750-1800. FIDE 2000 is around 2000 and lichess 2100-2200. FIDE 2400 (IM level) is around 2400 plus and lichess 2400-2500.
Individual variation can be large (100-300 points) depending on: most frequently played format (blitz vs classical), active time online vs offline, and playing style (tactical vs positional). For consistent progress tracking, pick 1-2 systems as primary reference (for example FIDE plus an online rapid rating) and monitor over 6-12 months.