DWZ and FIDE Elo compared

How are the German rating (DWZ) and FIDE Elo related? We evaluate this after every DSB sync using the public reference data — aggregates only, never names or individual values.

Method and sample

The data basis is the public DSB reference list (as of 2026-10-14). We only count players with an established DWZ (DWZ index ≥ 10 — excludes initial-DWZ noise) and a FIDE Elo above the FIDE floor of 1400 (players exactly at 1400 are often floor-censored and would distort the lower bins; their share is reported separately). Outliers (|residual| > 3 · standard deviation of the first fit) are excluded from correlation and regression, but still appear in the bin tables.

Players in the list	97342
With both DWZ and Elo > 0	28,9 %
After filters (index ≥ 10, Elo > 1400)	26559
Share at Elo = 1400 (FIDE floor, within index filter)	0,0 %
Outliers excluded from the fits	204
Bin cells with n < 30 (uncertain)	4

Relationship

Pearson r	0,929
Spearman ρ (rank correlation)	0,917
R² (linear model)	0,864

Regression

Linear: Elo = 31,0 + 0,978 · DWZ (residual SD 78,9, RMSE 78,9)

Quadratic: Elo = 842,0 + 0,133 · DWZ + 2.18e-4 · DWZ² (residual SD 77,5)

Reverse direction: DWZ = 231,8 + 0,883 · Elo

The two directions are deliberately not inverse to each other (different error assumption per axis) — that's why we don't offer a converter. A single DWZ gives a likely Elo range, not an exact number.

Difference Elo − DWZ

Mean	-10,7
Median	-12,0
P10 / P90	-110,0 / 93,0
P25 / P75	-61,0 / 37,0

DWZ band	n	Median difference
1000–1200	5	281,0
1200–1400	133	144,0
1400–1600	1503	40,0
1600–1800	6199	-12,0
1800–2000	10853	-29,0
2000–2200	6018	-6,0
2200–2400	1350	7,0
2400–2600	421	-2,0
2600–2800	75	-18,0
2800–3000	2	-29,5

Scatter density

Each cell is a 50×50 window of DWZ and Elo; the stronger the colour, the more players fall into this combination. Empty cells are left blank.

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Bin tables

DWZ → Elo (steps of 50)

DWZ band	n	Median Elo	P25	P75
1100–1150	2 (uncertain)	1505	1476	1535
1150–1200	3 (uncertain)	1423	1416	1442
1200–1250	5 (uncertain)	1479	1439	1566
1250–1300	17 (uncertain)	1447	1430	1487
1300–1350	40	1477	1448	1546
1350–1400	71	1487	1432	1541
1400–1450	159	1515	1464	1567
1450–1500	246	1541	1502	1597
1500–1550	449	1561	1505	1635
1550–1600	649	1593	1543	1664
1600–1650	940	1633	1572	1695
1650–1700	1321	1675	1614	1740
1700–1750	1782	1710	1648	1773
1750–1800	2156	1755	1700	1813
1800–1850	2484	1792	1740	1849
1850–1900	2775	1847	1791	1899
1900–1950	2912	1897	1848	1947
1950–2000	2682	1947	1902	1992
2000–2050	2463	2004	1964	2056
2050–2100	1887	2070	2029	2113
2100–2150	999	2127	2091	2161
2150–2200	669	2184	2154	2215
2200–2250	487	2230	2206	2258
2250–2300	366	2283	2261	2310
2300–2350	263	2327	2304	2352
2350–2400	239	2381	2353	2405

Elo → DWZ (steps of 50)

Elo band	n	Median DWZ	P25	P75
1400–1450	182	1482	1394	1556
1450–1500	319	1528	1450	1610
1500–1550	620	1582	1511	1655
1550–1600	938	1634	1568	1704
1600–1650	1216	1682	1620	1740
1650–1700	1576	1724	1660	1780
1700–1750	2020	1769	1708	1822
1750–1800	2361	1812	1753	1861
1800–1850	2445	1852	1794	1902
1850–1900	2573	1898	1849	1941
1900–1950	2535	1941	1895	1980
1950–2000	2335	1982	1936	2016
2000–2050	1687	2029	1985	2058
2050–2100	1483	2057	2015	2089
2100–2150	1196	2089	2048	2122
2150–2200	877	2137	2082	2174
2200–2250	642	2191	2149	2223
2250–2300	454	2251	2211	2278
2300–2350	328	2306	2274	2336
2350–2400	222	2357	2337	2378
2400–2450	204	2410	2391	2439
2450–2500	111	2478	2455	2502

Breakdown

By age group

Group	n	Median difference (Elo − DWZ)	Slope b
U12	394	-60	0,62
U14	527	-77	0,81
U16	709	-82	0,92
U18	970	-76	0,95
U20	1045	-76	1,00
Erwachsene	17166	-15	1,00
Senioren	5748	32	0,92

By DWZ index class

Group	n	Median difference (Elo − DWZ)	Slope b
10–19	2782	-36	0,90
20–49	7203	-38	0,95
≥ 50	16574	-1	0,96

By ZPS prefix (federal state association — key not yet verified)

Group	n	Median difference (Elo − DWZ)	Slope b
1	2245	-17	1,01
2	4220	-12	0,98
3	1353	-13	0,99
4	1045	-7	0,96
5	2093	-3	0,98
6	4982	-11	0,98
7	1660	-23	0,93
8	1461	-15	0,99
9	244	-10	1,00
A	894	-9	0,93
B	385	-1	1,00
C	2315	-14	0,98
D	593	-6	0,93
E	428	3	0,97
F	1297	-8	1,00
G	745	-13	0,96
H	571	0	0,96
L	20	56	0,94
M	8	110	1,19

Correlation ≠ conversion. This page shows the statistical relationship across the whole list, not a converter for your own number. Two players with the same DWZ can have very different Elo values — the bin tables above show the spread (P25/P75), not just the median. That's why we deliberately don't offer an input field for converting.

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