Quick ladder question...

[Mike Abberton]

ELO, as implemented at the Blitz, also has the flaw of not taking into account the "balance" of the scenario. It's obviously less of a problem in chess where the only imbalance is who goes first.

For example, if you play an unbalanced scenario from the "losing" side against a newer player or one who is less skilled than you are (in an effort to "level" the playing field some), than you will take a hit in ELO if you lose the unwinnable scenario.

Now, I am in no way suggesting that we should, or even could, try to incorporate balance into the equation (way too subjective). Just another caution that ELO is not a perfect judge of relative skill levels. A useful tool, sure, but not definitive.