Go Noob here, what's the bracketed data (for ranks/rating) explicitly measuring?

[captainwacky91]

Sorry if this isn’t in the correct category, but I am a tad confused on the ranking system.

I understand that the lower the rank, the better the player is. However, the variables that are displayed on one’s profile are vaguely named.

What exactly are “blitz”, “live” and “correspondence” measuring? Why are these variables (for the “rating” row) negative, while the same variables for the “rank” row in the positive?

[trohde]

Please see here: How i can read the stats in my profile?:

@Traveller

The circle represents your Overall rating. This includes all rated games.

The lightning bolt represents your Blitz rating. This includes only those rated games with Blitz time standards (faster than 12 seconds per move).

The clock represents your Live rating. This includes only those rated games with Live time standards (starting at 12 seconds per move and under about 4 hours per move).

The turtle represents your Correspondence rating, This includes those rated games with Correspondence time standards (over about 4 hours per move).