MWA Certification

Certified strength and current Elo

Your certified rank records an achievement verified through an MWA certificate. Your Elo rating reflects your recorded tournament performance. These are separate records: a player certified at 1D continues to display 1D even if their Elo later falls into the 1K or 5K rating band.

How a certificate is recorded

An administrator checks the original certificate, its holder, certified rank and issue date before adding it to the player's record. A registration category or a rank printed on a tournament participant list does not count as verified certification.

When a verified certificate is recorded, the system applies the configured rating value for that rank on the certificate's issue date, then recalculates subsequent rated games. Certification does not set a permanent minimum Elo.

From the certificate date, the player's rating status is at least Establish (K=20). The status becomes Stable (K=10) at 50 eligible games. Certification does not add games to the player's record.

Players without a recorded certificate

All new players start at 1000 Elo (30K), whether they enter a beginner group or a Dan promotion event. “Not certified” means no verified MWA certificate is currently recorded on this website; it is not an assessment of the player's ability.

Checking or correcting your record

Your player profile includes a Certification history tab showing recorded ranks and issue dates. Certificate reference numbers are kept out of public profiles. If a record is missing or incorrect, contact the administrators to arrange verification.