How to Get a FIDE Rating: A Guide for Surat Players
What a FIDE rating is, what it is not, how a player in Surat earns one, and how long it realistically takes. Written by the coaches at Surat Chess Club, where the Queen and King plans exist to get students to exactly this point. Rules quoted here are FIDE's general framework — always check the current regulations at ratings.fide.com before an event.
What a FIDE rating is
A FIDE rating is a number, published by the world chess federation, that estimates a player's strength from their results against other rated players. It goes up when you score better than expected against your opponents and down when you score worse. Grandmasters are typically above 2500; a strong club player is around 1800–2000; most juniors earn their first rating somewhere between 1400 and 1600.
Three things it is not: it is not the same as an app rating (online numbers run higher and are not comparable), it is not a certificate you apply for, and it is not permanent — it moves with every rated game you play.
FIDE keeps separate ratings for the three time controls: standard (long games), rapid and blitz. When a coach or a tournament says "rated", they usually mean the standard rating unless they say otherwise. Our own FM Jeet Jain holds a standard rating of 2312.
- Published by FIDE and searchable by anyone at ratings.fide.com
- Separate standard, rapid and blitz ratings
- Updated on FIDE's monthly rating list after events are submitted
- Requires a FIDE ID, issued through the national federation
The path to a first rating, step by step
The mechanics are simpler than most parents expect. The hard part is the chess.
Be able to play classical chess
Standard-rated games are long — often 90 minutes per player or more — and require every move to be recorded. A player needs the stamina, the notation habit and the discipline before the first event. This is what our classes build, and the Queen Plan adds a tournament plan for the season.
Register with the federation
In India, players register with the All India Chess Federation (AICF), with membership through the state association — for us, Gujarat. That registration is how a FIDE ID is issued and is required to enter rated events; fees and renewal rules are set by the federation. We help students through it the first time.
Play FIDE-rated events
A first rating is earned by playing games against already-rated opponents in FIDE-rated tournaments. FIDE sets a minimum number of such games and a minimum performance level before a rating is published; the games can be spread across more than one event within the period FIDE allows.
Wait for the list
Organisers submit results to FIDE after the event; the rating appears on FIDE's next monthly list once the requirements are met. Search the player's name at ratings.fide.com to see it.
Keep playing
An initial rating is provisional in spirit even if not in name: it moves quickly over the first few dozen games as FIDE learns the player's real strength. Regular rated play is the only way to make it accurate — and to raise it.
Choose events well
Not every tournament suits every player. We tell students which events in Surat and Gujarat fit their level, and King Plan players get round-by-round preparation support from FM Jeet Jain during major events.
How long it realistically takes
Two to three years of structured training and regular tournament play is a fair expectation for a child, and we will not promise faster. Adults who practise seriously can be quicker because they absorb the ideas faster.
If you already play full classical games, record moves and can hold your own against rated players, a first rating can arrive within a season of rated events.
Playing rated events regularly rather than once a year; analysing your own games afterwards; and training with a coach who is themselves rated and active — which is the reason FM Jeet Jain coaches the King Plan.
Chasing a rating before the chess is ready. Entering a rated event as a beginner produces losses, not a rating, and can put a child off the game. Play friendly junior events first — we run them in Surat.
Rated events for players in Surat
Gujarat has a regular calendar of FIDE-rated tournaments across the state, and Surat hosts its share. Each event announcement says whether it is FIDE-rated and in which time control. None of our own 2026 events was FIDE-rated — they were rapid tournaments built as a friendly first step, and our students go on to rated events from there.
- Check the announcement for "FIDE rated" and the time control (standard, rapid or blitz). A rapid-rated event gives a rapid rating, not a standard one.
- Check the player's registration is current with the federation before entering — organisers will ask for the FIDE ID or registration number.
- Check the schedule. Standard-rated events run over several days with one or two long rounds a day; plan school and work around them.
- Ask the coach. We tell Queen and King students which events to enter and which to skip. A first rated event should be one the player can score in, not one that flattens them.
FIDE ratings — questions we get in Surat
What is a good first FIDE rating for a child?
Is my child's chess.com or Lichess rating a FIDE rating?
Do you run FIDE-rated tournaments in Surat?
Can adults get a FIDE rating?
Which of your plans prepares a player for rated chess?
Where can I check a rating?
Keep reading
Want a rating? Start with the chess
Tell us the player's age and current level and we will say honestly which plan gets them to rated play — and how long it is likely to take.