Detailed / Advanced IGS rating question

[icehorse]

I often start new accounts on IGS - typically when I try a new joseki or fuseki.

Sometimes, if I get off to a good start (4-1 or 7-3) IGS will automatically "promote" me. So I might go from 3d? to 4d?

My question is this - if my provisional rating (e.g. 3d?) gets promoted what's the effect to my eventual Xd* rating if I choose to override IGS and reset back to where I started. For example let's say I start at 3d? - I play 10 games and win 7 3 lose 3. At that point IGS automatically says "4d?". At this point I have a choice (I think):

1 - Stay at 4d? - probably lose a bunch of games - and maybe when I hit 20 rated games get a 2d* (I've seen this double-demotion happen)

or

2 - Manually reset back to 3d and maybe win about 50% - I know that you have to win 12 of 20 to get the * you started with.

Any ideas about how the IGS algorithm works in these cases?

Thanks

[daal]

I often start new accounts on IGS - typically when I try a new joseki or fuseki.

Sometimes, if I get off to a good start (4-1 or 7-3) IGS will automatically "promote" me. So I might go from 3d? to 4d?

My question is this - if my provisional rating (e.g. 3d?) gets promoted what's the effect to my eventual Xd* rating if I choose to override IGS and reset back to where I started. For example let's say I start at 3d? - I play 10 games and win 7 3 lose 3. At that point IGS automatically says "4d?". At this point I have a choice (I think):

1 - Stay at 4d? - probably lose a bunch of games - and maybe when I hit 20 rated games get a 2d* (I've seen this double-demotion happen)

or

2 - Manually reset back to 3d and maybe win about 50% - I know that you have to win 12 of 20 to get the * you started with.

Any ideas about how the IGS algorithm works in these cases?

Thanks

No idea how the algorithm works, but since you regularly create new accounts, I see no reason not to go the first route. It gives you more opportunities to play games with stronger players, and when your rank collapses, you know it's time to try a new fuseki.

I also like having a few accounts, and among them is a control account in which I try to play slow, concentrated games without weird experiments. When the ranks are different, it's usually not for long.

[EdLee]

Pandanet IGS Ranking system