How ranks work
Every ranked duel should be a fair fight: close to 50/50. And your rank should say how well you really know the material. Here's how it works.
Leagues
Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond have three divisions each: III, II and I. Above them is Master, and the season's best active Masters are Legends.
- Bronze III
- Bronze II
- Bronze I
- Silver III
- Silver II
- Silver I
- Gold III
- Gold II
- Gold I
- Platinum III
- Platinum II
- Platinum I
- Diamond III
- Diamond II
- Diamond I
- Master
- Legend
A hidden skill estimate
Behind your rank is a hidden number: an estimate of your skill (MMR) and how sure the system is about it. We don't hide that it exists: your rank comes from it. Only Masters and Legends see the number itself.
Calibration
Your first duels are calibration, usually 4–6 of them. Until it's done you have no rank, and you only meet other calibrating players, recorded matches and the bot. That way a strong student on a new account can't bully beginners, and a beginner doesn't land among veterans. At the end your rank is revealed.
Where you start
Before your first duel we ask how far you are with your studies, and look at the lessons you finished on the site. That only sets your starting point: your results decide the rest.
Points
Inside a division you collect points from 0 to 99, usually ±20–30 per duel. A dominant win gives more than a narrow one. A win never costs points, and a loss never gives any.
Promotion and protection
You're promoted as soon as you have the points. After that, three duels of protection: you can't drop. Even then a demotion needs a margin, so your rank doesn't flicker at the border.
Breaks
If you don't play for a long time, the system grows less sure of your level. After a long break there's a short recalibration of 1–3 duels. You keep your rank.
Rivals and questions
We pick rivals so the odds are close to 50/50; the longer you wait, the wider the search. Questions match the duel's level too: every question has its own measured rating, from how players actually answer it.
The bot
The bot plays at 15 levels, and the system learned each level's strength from games against people. If you're stronger than the top level, a bot duel becomes practice: it doesn't change your rank, so the bot can't be farmed.
Fair play
At most three duels a day against the same rival count. To stay on the leaderboard, a Master needs at least 5 ranked duels in 14 days.