Trophies, arenas, and fair matchmaking

Ranked Dice Chess is the heart of the game, so it deserves a proper explainer. Here's exactly how the ladder works — no hidden math, no hand-waving.

Trophies: your visible rating

Every ranked match moves your trophy count:

Result	Trophies	Gold
Victory	+27 to +31	a solid purse
Defeat	−25 to −29	a consolation
Draw	0	a token

Two details we care about deeply: rewards are rolled and applied on the server the moment the match ends, and a small floor protects you from dropping out of an arena you just fought into by one unlucky evening.

Arenas: 24 stops from Wood to Champion

Trophies place you into an arena — 24 of them, in 500-trophy bands, climbing from humble Wood all the way to Champion at the summit. Your arena is your identity on the ladder: it frames your matches, and at the top it becomes a badge very few will wear.

Arenas also set the stage for what's coming: seasons with end-of-season rewards for the best arena you reached, and tournaments that group players by arena. That layer is being built on top of the live ladder right now.

Matchmaking: fair fights, fast

Under the visible trophies lives a hidden matchmaking rating that tracks your actual strength. When you queue:

1. The matchmaker looks for an opponent whose rating is close to yours.
2. The acceptable gap widens gradually the longer you wait — a fair match quickly beats a perfect match slowly.
3. The pairing is made on the server, colors are assigned, and the board drops you both in at once.

Because the hidden rating — not your trophy count — drives pairing, climbing feels earned but never impossible, and smurfing is a waste of time.

One promise

Nothing on the ladder is for sale. Gold buys board themes, piece skins, and dice designs — never trophies, never matchmaking favors. The only way up is through.

Want the full rules first? Start with what Dice Chess actually is, or head straight to How to Play.

— The Dice & Chess Team