Rating system · Glicko
Glicko-2.
The chess-style numeric rating that powers Smash's match-by-match adjustments.
Scale: ~1000 — 2500
What it is
Glicko-2 is the statistical rating system Smash uses internally. Every match adjusts your number based on opponent strength, score, and a confidence metric (rating deviation). Lower deviation = settled rating. Higher deviation = the system isn't sure of you yet.
How it's calculated
Match outcomes feed into a Bayesian update each rating period. Beating a higher-rated player gains more points than beating a peer. Confidence increases as you play more matches against varied opponents.
Where it's used
Inside Smash. Chess (where Glicko was invented). Some competitive ladder systems. Not visible to other players outside Smash.
Strengths
- ✓Mathematically rigorous and battle-tested (decades of chess use)
- ✓Tracks confidence as well as point estimate
- ✓Self-correcting — no manual recalibration needed
Limitations
- ⊘Cold-start problem (needs ~10 matches to settle)
- ⊘Numbers are abstract until you internalise the scale
- ⊘Not portable — only meaningful inside Smash's ecosystem
Cross-walk · what Glicko maps to
| Playtomic | FIP | Glicko | Tournament Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.5 — 7.0 | P1 | 2400 — 2600 | 2500 — 3000 |
| 5.5 — 6.5 | P2 | 2200 — 2400 | 2200 — 2500 |
| 4.5 — 5.5 | P3 | 2000 — 2200 | 1900 — 2200 |
| 3.5 — 4.5 | A1 | 1850 — 2000 | 1700 — 1900 |
| 2.5 — 3.5 | A2 | 1700 — 1850 | 1500 — 1700 |
| 1.5 — 2.5 | A3 | 1500 — 1700 | 1300 — 1500 |
| 0.5 — 1.5 | P+ | 1200 — 1500 | 1100 — 1300 |
| 0.0 — 0.5 | P+ | 1000 — 1200 | 1000 — 1100 |
Level by level
Other systems
FAQ
What is a Glicko level?▼
Glicko-2 is the statistical rating system Smash uses internally. Every match adjusts your number based on opponent strength, score, and a confidence metric (rating deviation). Lower deviation = settled rating. Higher deviation = the system isn't sure of you yet.
How is Glicko calculated?▼
Match outcomes feed into a Bayesian update each rating period. Beating a higher-rated player gains more points than beating a peer. Confidence increases as you play more matches against varied opponents.
Where is Glicko used?▼
Inside Smash. Chess (where Glicko was invented). Some competitive ladder systems. Not visible to other players outside Smash.
How does Glicko compare to other padel ratings?▼
Glicko is one of four common padel rating systems. The cross-walk lives at /padel-ratings — Playtomic and Smash share the 0-7 scale; FIP P-tier is tournament-categorical; tournament Elo is sanctioned-event-only.
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