Hey guys, I hope someone here can answer my question.  I've been trying to figure this out, asked a few people in game, and even looked on the Battle.net Forums.  How exactly does Ranking-up work in the StarCraft II Ladder?   No one seems to have a straight definitive answer.  
 
Currently, I'm sitting at Rank #1 in my Division in the Silver League (1v1), and it's just a pain having to keep defending my title.  I would much rather be climbing-up a ladder than just standing on the top rung :(  Can I Rank-up already please... Blizzard?  Hello? :p   

• Super Hi-Res Pic:   Zeralith - 1v1 - Silver - Void Ray ETA - Rank 1  
  
  
• Super Hi-Res Pic:   Zeralith - 1v1 - 9 Wins in a Row  

...your score isn't high enough of a difference from second, and third place.

" ...your score isn't high enough of a difference from second, and third place. "

" @KaosAngel said:

" ...your score isn't high enough of a difference from second, and third place. "

This.   You're clearly not THAT much better than everyone else in Silver so you're prolly where you should be for now. "

" @Luke: What do you mean "Defend" your self? are you being challenged or something?  
 
I wanna say your "score" isnt just based on wins so maybe lvl up your play a bit and see what happens? 
 
 
 
EDIT: Dang gumit you didn't look very hard for this did you? 
 
http://ezinearticles.com/?Starcraft-2-League-System---How-it-Works&id=4521789 
 
 
http://www.google.ca/#hl=en&source=hp&q=How+ranking+up+in+Stacraft+2+works&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&fp=5483fcec5a39f995 "

" Nobody knows how it works exactly - so unfortunately you are just going to have to go by your own experience over time.  Or perhaps blizzard will spill the beans although I find that unlikely.  I got placed in the silver division and after about 70 games a message appeared saying I was being put down to bronze.  It will be interesting to see since I'm near the top of bronze if I do well when I get put back up to silver.
"

I got put in silver, but I wanted to be put in the lower ranks. =(

" @empfeix said:

" Nobody knows how it works exactly - so unfortunately you are just going to have to go by your own experience over time.  Or perhaps blizzard will spill the beans although I find that unlikely.  I got placed in the silver division and after about 70 games a message appeared saying I was being put down to bronze.  It will be interesting to see since I'm near the top of bronze if I do well when I get put back up to silver.
"

Beat people who are a higher league than you. "

" I got put in silver, but I wanted to be put in the lower ranks. =( "

" @Luke: What do you mean "Defend" your self? are you being challenged or something?  
 
I wanna say your "score" isnt just based on wins so maybe lvl up your play a bit and see what happens? 
 
 
 
EDIT: Dang gumit you didn't look very hard for this did you? 
 
http://ezinearticles.com/?Starcraft-2-League-System---How-it-Works&id=4521789 
 
 
http://www.google.ca/#hl=en&source=hp&q=How+ranking+up+in+Stacraft+2+works&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&fp=5483fcec5a39f995 "

" Nobody knows how it works exactly - so unfortunately you are just going to have to go by your own experience over time.  Or perhaps blizzard will spill the beans although I find that unlikely.  I got placed in the silver division and after about 70 games a message appeared saying I was being put down to bronze.  It will be interesting to see since I'm near the top of bronze if I do well when I get put back up to silver.
"  

the system reviews your recent history every x number of games. blizzard specifically said that x is not to be revealed:
 
' 'Q. How does a player move from one league to another? (For Example: from Silver league to Gold.)

A. After you’ve finished your initial placement, the system continues to review your performance and determines what league you should be placed in based on those reviews. The time and frequency of these reviews is kept hidden."

I don't think how you play in a game has any bearing as I just had a match where the other play dropped immediately and still earned a decent point boost (16, normally I get 17-19). That being said, I definitely can see that you rank up by beating players in higher leagues as I've played numerous higher league players although I don't really get how the system is fair as I've played people from the diamond league (I'm in silver) after having a huge win streak and consequently lost. I don't really see why you don't play just 1 league up and 1 league down... seems like that would make more sense as I've played more platinum and diamond than I have gold. 
 
@Thrawn do you have a link to a page that shows that Blizzard said that? I'd hate to have to wait to move up a league as I'm currently 2nd in silver and have been winning consistently although 1st has a hefty lead.

I finally got around to doing my placement matches, one vs Platinum and four vs Diamond players.  I won the first two vs a Platinum and a Diamond, lost the next two vs Diamonds, then was about to roflstomp the last Diamond match after eating his Proxy rush for breakfast when my game crashed x_x which ended up tossing me into Gold league.
 
I got pissed off and ended up plowing through my next five games vs a Bronze, two more Platinum and two more Diamond players.  I got my 5 1v1 streak achievement and figured surely I'd get into Platinum where I belong but, sadly, that promotion did not come.  I guess I just have to keep beating people who are higher league than me?  Dammit I want my Platinum!

Being first in a division means nearly nothing.  The points that Battle.net shows you is a nice approximation of something that vaguely represents the number that battle.net uses to match you with other players.  What is important is difference between the players in the league, and weirdly how and who players lose against.
 
There are numerous reported instances of players getting stuck and unable to rank up until they lose a game.  Check some of the Teamliquid threads that talk about this.  There is lot of speculation as to why this is, but ultimately only Blizzard knows.  
 
So either man up and mass game and just win over your opponents, or take a break from multiplayer for a week, let them rank up, and then swoop in for an easier rank up later.  I recommend the single player and the Outmatched vs AI acheivments.

As far as i know you have to win against someone who is "Favoured" which means he is most likely a higher league... 
Ofcourse you also have to have a good enough score and rank

" As far as i know you have to win against someone who is "Favoured" which means he is most likely a higher league... Ofcourse you also have to have a good enough score and rank "

Has anyone else experienced an issue where the loading screen shows your opponent as favored then if you beat them it says +pts (you were favored) when it clearly said you weren't before?

" Has anyone else experienced an issue where the loading screen shows your opponent as favored then if you beat them it says +pts (you were favored) when it clearly said you weren't before? "

FINALLY after beating 2 Plats and 6 Diamonds I get freaking promoted to Plat, christ.

Im in 2v2 silver... I get whopped on a regular basis, put me in bronze ffs.... Im not good at this game....

Someone has to explain to me why people are so obsessed with getting to higher ranks. It seems to me that if you get good enough, don't worry, you'll make it. Otherwise why worry about getting into a higher league if it just means your going to lose more often?

" @Kjp93: @Kjp93 said:

" Has anyone else experienced an issue where the loading screen shows your opponent as favored then if you beat them it says +pts (you were favored) when it clearly said you weren't before? "

Yes, i have.  "

Ranking up has nothing to do with being first in the division, or having a lot more points than the others in your division. Keep winning your games against higher ranked players, and it doesn't matter if you're 40th in the gold leauge, you will be promoted.

" Someone has to explain to me why people are so obsessed with getting to higher ranks. It seems to me that if you get good enough, don't worry, you'll make it. Otherwise why worry about getting into a higher league if it just means your going to lose more often? "