Usually, when black can't make the first move for a variety of reasons, the game is simply cancelled and players don't get penalized with rating points.
That's in lobby, this is a tournament. You probably went analyzing the previous game or stayed in the previous game tab, did not withdraw from the arena and did not realize you got paired.
I lost 50 rating points for a game I didn't even know was on. Is that normal?
Currently yes, it is. The high rating loss is because your rating is not established yet --> the system is uncertain about your true strength.
In my opinion, if a player can't make the first move, the game should just be cancelled without any impact on either player's rating.
On this I agree, although probably for a reason different than yours. My reason is that rating is not a trophy to show around, rather a metric to pair you with a similar strength opponent the next game.
Edit: about my last response, I was referring only to the rating part. Obviously, as #2 pointed out, a game must have a result in a tournament.
> Usually, when black can't make the first move for a variety of reasons, the game is simply cancelled and players don't get penalized with rating points.
That's in lobby, this is a tournament. You probably went analyzing the previous game or stayed in the previous game tab, did not withdraw from the arena and did not realize you got paired.
> I lost 50 rating points for a game I didn't even know was on. Is that normal?
Currently yes, it is. The high rating loss is because your rating is not established yet --> the system is uncertain about your true strength.
> In my opinion, if a player can't make the first move, the game should just be cancelled without any impact on either player's rating.
On this I agree, although probably for a reason different than yours. My reason is that rating is not a trophy to show around, rather a metric to pair you with a similar strength opponent the next game.
Edit: about my last response, I was referring *only* to the rating part. Obviously, as #2 pointed out, a game must have a result in a tournament.