How ranking will work
Not built yet, but this is the plan. The ranking will measure skill, not how many games you have played. After each match your rating moves depending on who you beat: beating a stronger player moves you a lot, beating a much weaker one barely moves you, and losing to a weaker player costs more than losing to a stronger one. That is why wins against similar players count most.
New players start out with a rating the game is unsure about, so their first matches move them quickly to the right level, and early losses cost little. Computer opponents are for practice and do not count. Repeat matches against the same opponent count for less, so the ranking cannot be farmed.
Nobody is placed on the board by hand. Even the first player to join, who the creator regards as the best player of the game that inspired this one, will have to earn a place here. There will be a public page that explains the formula, and a history of why your rating changed.