Guide: how does rating work in Derby Duel?
Derby Duel · September 29, 2026
Rating in Derby Duel works much like the Elo system in chess: a single number estimates how strong you are, and that estimate is updated after every ranked match. This guide explains what changes your rating and what does not.
The basic rule is expectation. Beat an opponent stronger than you and you gain a lot, because the result was unexpected. Beat a weaker opponent and you gain a little. Losing works the other way round: losing to a stronger player costs little, losing to a weaker one costs a lot. So your rating does not only count how many matches you win, it also counts who you beat.
The system also keeps track of how sure it is about you. On a new account, or after a long break, that confidence is low and your rating moves quickly; the tilde (~) in front of your rating shows this. As you play, confidence grows, the mark disappears and the steps get smaller.
Steps are bigger at the bottom of the ladder. So that a new player can reach their real level quickly, the points won and lost in low-rated matches are multiplied, and they return to normal size as ratings rise. The multiplier is read from the match's rating band and applied to both players, so two players in the same match never score under different rules.
Games also carry slightly different weight. On boards where you type a footballer's name (such as XOX or How Many) luck plays a small part, and these matches are worth a little more. On fast two-option boards luck plays a bigger part, and the steps are a little smaller. The difference is not large, but winning on a hard board is always worth more.
Not every match counts. Matches played through a friend invite, room matches and tournament matches do not change your rating; they are friendly and tournament lanes with their own records. The only exception is the rematch: a rematch requested after a ranked match is ranked too.
Leaving after a match has started counts as a loss. If you want to settle for a draw, you can offer one from inside the match; if your opponent accepts, the match closes without a winner.
Your rating shapes the questions as well as the rankings. As it rises, questions move to less famous footballers and closer values. At the start you play with names everybody knows; at the top, the names are the ones only people who really follow football will recognise.