I also play chess at a competitive level (>2000, Expert in the US) and play Melee at a low competitive level (playing in local meetups, winning a few matches).

I also play chess at a competitive level (>2000, Expert in the US) and play Melee at a low competitive level (playing in local meetups, winning a few matches). I've had many arguments about ranking systems, ELO, etc with my fellow Smashers, and I reached similar conclusions. This is a great writeup. There are huge differences between the Swiss system used in chess (which works great for ELO, since seeding is done by rating and players are not eliminated) and the double elimination system used in Melee tournaments. I don't think it's possible to have an objective ranking system in Melee because of the intricacies of this issue (seeding influences final placement, low-seeded players will hit a wall where they lose to high-seeded players earlier, etc).