In article , Angelo DePalma says...
SNIP

This post will no doubt resurrect the recently-dormant rating experts, who
will tell me I'm full of crap and there is no such thing as rating
deflation. That it's mathematically impossible and that, after all, I have
been playing badly. I've seen those arguments and I think they're basically
the product of somebody either not thinking this idea through or covering
his ass.


1. Improving players do cause deflation. This is well known and documented.
2. The influx of kids did contribute to helping to deflate the pool, to the
extent that these kids tended to improve over time.
3. The current system was designed to correct the system back to the point where
deflation started to get worse, due to the then removal of floors. I think this
timing was around 1995.
4. I don't know if the RC has done measurements, but I believe Tom Doan had done
measurements a year into the process showing that the corrections were working.
5. Aging players do tend to get worse. It's entirely possible that you (and
others) are not the players they were yesterday.

Might players quit playing for this reason? Yes. But I also think this is
highlighted by the lack of chess clubs. If its harder to play for fun at a
local club, I think its more likely for someone to drop out.

Kevin L. Bachler