Purpose: 1. To know what kind of player you're up against.
2. To choose a player of a similar level to play against.
3. To try and defeat a player who is higher ranked.
4. To increase the excitement and climb higher in the rankings.
5. It will be useful in official tournaments – to know the player (their strength), which will prevent possible underestimation and, as a result, a foolish loss.
1. - "What kind of player?" :D And what are the rewards under the avatar for?
Besides, players who have participated in at least 2 games already have a more or less good idea of what each other is capable of...
2. - It's not difficult to see the level of play from the games that have already been played, i.e., if a person wants to play with someone of equal skill, it's already known, and agreeing on games should be done via private message.
3. - What about participating in online tournaments? - Sooner or later, you will meet a stronger opponent ;)
4. - What is "excitement"? Maybe you're talking about intrigue?
5. - And here's how you put it: "players," online and offline, cannot be compared in any way – these are completely different things, IMHO.
Sincerely.