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    Explaining level changes

    Division 2: Redland Doubles B v Whitchurch Imperial A (Wed 06 Aug 2014)

    Match played between Nick Hawkesby/Peter Sulzmann (home) and Martin Dunphy/Bill Hope (away).
    Match won by Martin Dunphy/Bill Hope. Result: 11-15,5-15,15-6,15-10,12-15.

    Starting level for Nick Hawkesby/Peter Sulzmann: 744, level confidence: 10%.
    Starting level for Martin Dunphy/Bill Hope: 799, level confidence: 10%.
    Martin Dunphy/Bill Hope to win as he is currently playing 7% better than Nick Hawkesby/Peter Sulzmann.

    Martin Dunphy/Bill Hope won 60% of the games and 51% of the points.
    This games result would be expected if he was better by around 10%.
    This points result would be expected if he was better by around 5% (PAR scoring).
    These are weighted and combined to calculate that Martin Dunphy/Bill Hope played 9% better than Nick Hawkesby/Peter Sulzmann in this match.

    Assuming that any level changes are shared between both players, for this result it looks like Martin Dunphy/Bill Hope actually played at a level of 804 and Nick Hawkesby/Peter Sulzmann at a level of 739. Without any damping, both players would need to be adjusted by 0.6% to match this result.


    Factoring in the relative levels of confidence which allows players with low confidence in their levels to change more quickly, the adjustment for Martin Dunphy/Bill Hope changes to +0.6% and Nick Hawkesby/Peter Sulzmann changes to -0.6%.

    After applying standard match damping, the adjustment for Martin Dunphy/Bill Hope becomes +0.6% and for Nick Hawkesby/Peter Sulzmann becomes -0.6%.

    Apply match/event weighting of 75% for 'Mixed Doubles 2014' so the adjustment for Martin Dunphy/Bill Hope is +0.5% and for Nick Hawkesby/Peter Sulzmann is -0.5%.

    Increase level confidence due to one more match played. Martin Dunphy/Bill Hope: 32%, Nick Hawkesby/Peter Sulzmann: 32%. Reduce level confidence based on how unexpected the result is. Martin Dunphy/Bill Hope: 31%, Nick Hawkesby/Peter Sulzmann: 31%.

    Final level for Nick Hawkesby/Peter Sulzmann: 741, level confidence: 31%.
    Final level for Martin Dunphy/Bill Hope: 803, level confidence: 31%.

    Notes

    • This calculation is done in two main parts; first work out the adjustment needed to match the results and then apply damping. This means that levels should always be 'about right' but the time taken to get there or the volatility is dependent on the damping.
    • A level also has 'level confidence' which drops if players haven't played for a long time or have had enexpected results. As low confidence levels adjust more quickly than high confidence levels, it allows these players to find their level more quickly without impacting their opponent's level too much.
    • Point scores are used as well as game scores for accuracy - particularly important for 3-0 results - though we can work with game scores only too, albeit with more damping.
    • Mismatched players are allowed for - you don't have to hammer your opponent. See explanation above if this applies to this match.
    • The section on damping is where we still have some options. We have recently made a change to damp league matches more than tournament matches and box matches even more than that. This gives added weight to the more important matches.
    • There are occasional, very small adjustments made to all players to keep the averages constant which are not covered here.
    • You don't get a bonus just for winning - if you want to go up you have to play better than expected against your opponent.
    • We have spent more than 5 years fine tuning the level calculations based on tens of thousands of match results and a great deal of feedback from players, team captains and coaches. It's the most usable and accurate ranking system there is in any sport, let alone squash.
    • For a more complete explanation of how levels are calculated (on which this system is based) see the help file here.
    • If you have thoughts/opinions on the above or any feedback on the way levels are calculated or updated, please contact us. We welcome all feedback, although we are keen squash players ourselves and would pefer to be on-court than in front of a screen so please be patient and please do try to see if your question has already been answered on the help page. We are unable to answer questions about hard anyone played in their match - we only get to see the results - and if your level didn't increase as expected please make sure you've looked at the above explanation before contacting us. If you want to go up the levels, train harder, listen to your coach and win more points. Or just be incredibly talented!