If you buy the game, you have the opportunity to play different boards, Different Szenarios with 3 or 4 Player.
For the complete board game you need the base game + seafarer + c&k expansions
The ability to match based more on ELO than other criteria favors protecting high ELO players from the higher risk of being randomly matched with low ELO players....and losing. This benefit has to come with a price.
Any person who puts ELO as the primary criteria should have to maintain the highest total wait times across a period of time than most other players. That means being ready to partake in a game against other players with similar ELOs for more hours per month than other groups of players with significantly lower ELOs. Hopefully this would also translate to playing more games, and that would of course risk their high ELO against other very good players.
Now you have a balance where ELO is being protected AND also still being risked.
@Administrator I have just joined the wounderful world of catan. I hate this game because all I want to do is play the tutorials so that I can learn about the world and I get kicked from the game every 7-8 min. Can you please fix this? I have not spent money but would if the game was at all reliable.
@Yeloow82 EXACTLY!!! I have yet to see an Admin even acknowledge that there is a problem with the AI program...let alone offer to fix it.
Why do some issues get immediate and lavish attention while this one, that so many have complained about, gets brushed aside without so much as a shoulder shrug.
@evie15 It is not the connection to the internet, but to the Catan server. Happens to me sometimes, too. At other times, I gained a lot of Elo because others were kicked. I just stopped taking Elo serious and focus on the pleasure of the game rather than the statistics.
I played once against Adriana. I think she frequently changes her nick (at that time her nick was "Adriana4") and I think this is the reason why she "apparently" has very few games. But at least in my game she played fair, even I was able to won that game. I can see that my last comment had a good reception and Csander is not on Leaderboard now. Thanks to Scheaf for this post and thanks to the administrator for attend my request.
Keep making those unorthodox gaming gains! 
and Csander is not on Leaderboard now. Thanks to Scheaf for this post and thanks to the administrator for attend my request.