According to an article on ChessBase (by Bartlomiej Macieja – Wed Dec 17th, at the FIDE Congress there were discussions and new rules in several areas. What is your opinion of these:

1. The establishment of an "Elite Grandmaster" (EGM). Note that as a percentage of rated players and as a percentage of players rated over 2200, there are fewer Grandmasters today than there were in 1972.

2. The rating floor has been decreased from 1400 to 1200.

3. "According to the new rules it becomes possible to have mobile phones (or other electronic means of communication) in the playing venue, if they are completely switched off."

4. "The Rules and Tournament Regulations Committee proposed to add the following article to the FIDE Laws of Chess: "Any player who arrives at the chessboard after the start of the session shall lose the game, unless the arbiter decides otherwise. Thus the default time is 0 minutes. The rules of a competition may specify a different default time.". The proposal was accepted by the Executive Board and recommended for the General Assembly to be approved. The final decision was however postponed till the Presidential Board Meeting." 

(Doesn't this proposal allow unilateral and arbitrary decisions by the arbiter?)

5. The Rules and Tournament Regulations Committee decided to propose to add the following point to the FIDE Laws of Chess: "The rules of a competition may specify that players cannot agree to a draw in less than a specified number of moves or at all, without the consent of the arbiter."

So, what are your thoughts and comments?

No one?