I got a bit tired of the stressful Elo grind on Chess.com, so I built ChessRanks.net to make leaderboards actually fun again.
The main twist is that it completely levels the playing field. I wanted a system where a 500-rated beginner could genuinely compete on the same leaderboard as a 2000+ veteran.
Instead of just tracking raw rating, the site scores your Chess.com games based on style and achievements. You earn points for pulling off special checkmates (like a smothered mate, Boden's mate, or a classic back-rank mate) or successfully navigating specific complex positions. It turns chess into an achievement hunt rather than a sweat-fest for rating points.
What you can do right now:
- The Leaderboard: Compete against the community using points earned from beautiful wins rather than raw Elo. - Opening Analysis: Figure out where your games are going off the rails and learn how to position yourself for those high-scoring checkmates. - Zero Friction: There is no registration or password required. It just pulls public data directly from the Chess.com API, so you can look up any username instantly.
It’s still early days, so I'd love to hear what the community thinks. What kind of crazy checkmates, sacrifices, or specific positions should I add point values to next? I'll be around to answer any questions!
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[ 2.9 ms ] story [ 17.6 ms ] threadI got a bit tired of the stressful Elo grind on Chess.com, so I built ChessRanks.net to make leaderboards actually fun again.
The main twist is that it completely levels the playing field. I wanted a system where a 500-rated beginner could genuinely compete on the same leaderboard as a 2000+ veteran.
Instead of just tracking raw rating, the site scores your Chess.com games based on style and achievements. You earn points for pulling off special checkmates (like a smothered mate, Boden's mate, or a classic back-rank mate) or successfully navigating specific complex positions. It turns chess into an achievement hunt rather than a sweat-fest for rating points.
What you can do right now: - The Leaderboard: Compete against the community using points earned from beautiful wins rather than raw Elo. - Opening Analysis: Figure out where your games are going off the rails and learn how to position yourself for those high-scoring checkmates. - Zero Friction: There is no registration or password required. It just pulls public data directly from the Chess.com API, so you can look up any username instantly.
It’s still early days, so I'd love to hear what the community thinks. What kind of crazy checkmates, sacrifices, or specific positions should I add point values to next? I'll be around to answer any questions!