Lichess Rating to Chess.com: How to Convert It (and Why They Differ)

Updated November 2026 · 7 min read · Every position checked with Stockfish

You play on both sites, or you are thinking of switching, and the numbers do not match. That is normal. A rating is not a fixed measure of skill like a height. It is your position within one pool of players, under one set of rules. This guide shows you how to get a sensible estimate for your time control. It also explains why the two numbers drift apart, and which number is worth caring about if you want to improve.

1. Compare the same time control first

Most bad conversions compare a Lichess blitz rating with a Chess.com rapid rating. The two sites also put the time-control boundaries in different places:

• Chess.com puts games into bullet, blitz and rapid by the starting clock. Games of 10 minutes or more count as rapid.
• Lichess uses an estimated game length: base time plus 40 times the increment. Bullet, blitz, rapid and classical are set by that estimate. Games of 25 minutes or more estimated count as classical, a category Chess.com does not have for live play.

So a 30-minute game is rapid on Chess.com but classical on Lichess. Before you compare anything, find the category on each site that matches the clock you actually play. If you play 10+0 on both sites, compare rapid with rapid. If you play 3+2, compare blitz with blitz.

2. Use the rough rule as a starting point

Once the time controls match, the general pattern is consistent. Lichess numbers sit higher, and the gap is widest at lower ratings. Players who compare their own accounts often find a difference of a few hundred points at beginner and improver level. The difference gets smaller through club level and becomes much narrower near the top.

Treat this as a direction, not a formula. Any conversion chart you find online comes from a particular sample of players at a particular time. Both rating pools change as new players join. Use the rule to set expectations: if you are 1500 on Lichess, do not expect 1500 on Chess.com. Then use the next step to get a figure that fits you.

3. Convert by percentile, not by number

The most honest conversion asks one question: how many players in each pool do you beat?

• On Lichess, open your rating stats for the time control. Lichess shows what percentage of active players in that category you are rated above. You can also view its rating distribution chart.
• On Chess.com, your stats page for the time control shows a percentile.
• Find the Chess.com rating that sits at roughly the same percentile as your Lichess rating, or do the reverse.

This still is not perfect, because the two player populations differ. Lichess tends to attract players who are already keen, and Chess.com has a larger share of brand-new players. Even so, a percentile match is much closer to reality than a fixed number of points added or subtracted.

4. Make sure both ratings are actually settled

A new account's rating moves a lot. Both sites use systems from the Glicko family, which track how uncertain your rating is as well as the rating itself. Early on, the uncertainty is high, so each win or loss moves you a long way.

• On Lichess, a question mark next to your rating means it is still provisional.
• On Chess.com, new accounts are also provisional for their first games, and your starting point depends on the skill level you chose when you signed up.

If one of your two accounts has only a handful of games, any comparison is mostly noise. Play a decent number of rated games in the same time control on both sites before deciding what your 'real' equivalent is. A comparison between two settled ratings tells you far more than one between a settled rating and a provisional one.

5. Understand why the numbers differ (and why neither is inflated)

There are four main reasons the same player gets two different numbers:

• Different starting points. Every new Lichess player starts at 1500. On Chess.com, new players choose a starting level, and beginners start much lower. Where a pool starts shapes where everyone in it ends up.
• Different pools. You only gain or lose rating against people on the same site. Two separate populations settle at two different averages.
• Different rating systems. Lichess uses Glicko-2. Chess.com uses a Glicko-based system. The underlying maths is similar, but the settings differ.
• Different time-control boundaries, as covered in step 1.

So 'is Lichess inflated?' is the wrong question. A Lichess 1800 and a Chess.com 1800 are simply measured on different rulers. Inside each site, the rating does its job: it predicts results against other players on that site. If your number on one site is falling and you do not know why, find the real cause of a rating drop before you blame the platform.

6. Track the thing that moves both numbers

Converting ratings is useful for setting expectations, entering a tournament or comparing yourself with a friend. It does not make you stronger. What raises both numbers is the same thing: fewer decisive mistakes in your own games.

The lines below lose just as quickly on either site. Early queen raids and careless pawn moves around your king cost games at every rating.

If you play on both sites, look at your games from both together rather than treating them as two separate careers. How Chessy helps: you can connect a Chess.com or a Lichess account by username, with no password needed. Chessy imports and analyses your games with Stockfish, then shows your accuracy over time, your blunder rate and your win rate by opening. Those numbers mean the same thing whichever site the games came from.

For a full plan, see how to improve your chess rating fast. If you mainly play on Lichess, there is also a guide to getting personal coaching from your Lichess games.

Common mistakes

• Comparing different time controls. A Lichess blitz rating and a Chess.com rapid rating are not the same measurement. Match the clock you actually play before comparing, and remember that the two sites set their category boundaries in different places.
• Trusting one fixed conversion chart. Charts are snapshots of one sample of players. The gap changes with rating level and over time. Use a chart as a rough guide, then check it against percentiles.
• Comparing a provisional rating with a settled one. If one account has only a few games, its rating is still swinging. Wait until both ratings have settled before drawing conclusions.
• Switching sites to chase a bigger number. A higher number on another site does not mean you have improved. Your results against equal opponents stay the same. Spend that energy on the mistakes that cost you games.
• Assuming the lower number means you are weaker. A lower Chess.com figure usually reflects where that pool starts and who plays in it. It is not a judgement on your skill. Compare your percentile, not your pride.

FAQ

Use the conversion to set expectations, then stop thinking about it. Whether you are 1400 on one site and 1700 on the other, your next rating gain comes from the same place: the handful of recurring mistakes in your own games. Find those, fix them, and both numbers will rise together.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Glicko rating system — How Glicko and Glicko-2 track rating uncertainty, and why new ratings move a lot
• Wikipedia: Elo rating system — Why ratings are relative to a player pool rather than an absolute measure
• Chess.com rapid leaderboard — Checking Chess.com rapid ratings at the top of the pool
• Chessy: How to break a chess rating plateau — What to work on once you know where your rating stands