--- title: "Does Your Online Rating Count at Official Federation Events? ยท Xiangqi Master" description: "No, online ratings and federation ratings are separate systems, and an online platform's number carries no formal weight at a federation-run tournament." url: https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/does-my-online-rating-count-for-official-federation-events updated: 2026-09-23 source: Xiangqi Master (https://xiangqimaster.com) license: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) --- # Does my online xiangqi rating count for anything at official federation events? These answers restate the rules implemented by our open-source engine, which follows the WXF laws and is regression-tested against the official 110-diagram repetition casebook. Where an answer refers to a specific position, that position lives on the linked reference page, where the build verifies it against the engine before publishing. > Direct answer > > **No, generally not.** Online rating pools and a national or international federation's official rating are entirely separate systems, calculated from different, non-overlapping pools of games. A strong online rating says real things about your strength, but it is not a credential a federation tournament will recognise or use for seeding. ## Why the two systems stay separate A rating only means something relative to the specific pool of games it was calculated from. Online ratings reflect performance against other users of that platform; federation ratings reflect performance in that federation's own rated, arbitrated events. Mixing the two would compare apples to a different kind of apple, which is exactly the trap described at [how xiangqi ratings work](https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/how-do-xiangqi-ratings-work). ## What actually happens at your first federation event Most federations either place new entrants provisionally, sometimes based on self-declared strength or a short qualifying process, or simply let a first federation rating establish itself over your first several rated games there, much like joining any new rating pool for the first time regardless of your history elsewhere. ## Related questions Is a strong online rating still useful evidence of skill? Informally, yes, it is a reasonable signal of genuine strength even if it carries no formal recognition at a federation event. Do any federations ever look at online results at all? Occasionally informally, for scouting or seeding at smaller events, but this is organiser discretion rather than a standard, guaranteed practice. ## Related xiangqi resources Play xiangqi Free, in the browser, nothing to install Xiangqi questions answered Every question on this site, in one index Frequently asked questions The short answers, in one place ## Try it on a real board Reading an answer is one thing; playing it is another. Free, instant, and nothing to install.