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FIDE & World Chess · Open for discussion

Your first official rating, earned online.

For the first time in chess history, online play can lead to an official FIDE Rapid or Blitz rating. The rules are being shaped now. This is where that happens.

\n Join the discussion\n How it works\n

\n An initiative by\n ♔ World Chess\n and\n ♔ FIDE\n

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The proposal

What we are building.

A controlled, two-year experiment. A player qualifies through rated online play and earns their first official FIDE Rapid or Blitz rating. Nothing like this has existed before.

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Rapid & blitz only

Classical chess is not part of this experiment. Only rapid and blitz ratings are in scope.

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A first rating only

No titles, no norms. Once you have a rating, further progress is earned over the board as always.

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Ceiling: 1,800

A player cannot rise above 1,800 through this route. The top of the game is untouched.

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FIDE supervised

FIDE sets the conditions, supervises throughout, and can pause or end the experiment at any time.

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Two years

A fixed, bounded experiment with an independent review at the close. Extension only if it makes sense.

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Open for review

Draft rules are public. Nothing goes live until the chess community has had a real chance to push back.

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Why this matters

500,000 rated players.
Hundreds of millions play.

The gap is not about strength. It is about geography. A player who grows up without a club, a rated tournament, or an active federation nearby has no way in \u2014 not because they cannot play, but because the door was never there.

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For the player in a country with no rated events

Online chess is where they compete. Their skill is real. Their rating never was \u2014 until now. This offers a first official step into the game.

For coaches, federations, and selectors

An official rating is the thing they recognise. Without it, a talented player is invisible. With it, doors open: tournaments, programmes, recognition.

For the integrity of the rating system

The cap, the coefficient, the FIDE supervision \u2014 these exist to protect the system, not just to satisfy critics. The experiment is designed to fail safely if it has to.

For chess as a sport

A rating system that only reaches a small fraction of players is a missed opportunity. This is about making the official game reflect how chess is actually played today.

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“A FIDE rating opens doors to a professional chess career for those who want it. Most players who want one have never had a way to get one. This is designed to change that.”

Ilya Merenzon — CEO, World Chess

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The guardrails

On fair play.
The hardest problem.

Cheating is the question the chess community will ask first. It should be. Here is exactly what is in place.

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Layered detection

Every qualifying game is screened. Results in doubt are held before any rating is issued.

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Identity verified

Every player completes KYC before they can qualify. No anonymous submissions.

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Expert coefficient

The calibration method is set by independent specialists and recalculated every six months. Published in full.

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Independently certified

The system has been reviewed by external experts and will undergo further certification before and during the experiment.

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Formal appeals

Any player whose result is rejected has the right to appeal. A written statement of reasons is issued every time.

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Rated tournaments required

Qualifying takes more than casual games. Players must build a real body of online rated play, including rated tournaments.

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—

discussion not open yet

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sections to review

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deadline to be announced

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Open consultation

The draft rules.
Your turn.

The consultation is not yet open. When it launches, you will be able to comment on each section of the draft rules here.

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The draft rules will appear here when the consultation opens.

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Read the full announcement.

The complete joint statement from FIDE and World Chess.

\n Read announcement ›\n

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Rapid & blitz only

A first rating only

Ceiling: 1,800

FIDE supervised

Two years

Open for review

For the player in a country with no rated events

For coaches, federations, and selectors

For the integrity of the rating system

For chess as a sport

Layered detection

Identity verified

Expert coefficient

Independently certified

Formal appeals

Rated tournaments required

The draft rules.Your turn.

Read the full announcement.

The draft rules.
Your turn.