Dear Chess.com,
I recently came across something called the FIDE Arena titles. These are official titles awarded by FIDE, which can be earned by subscribing to the FIDE Online Arena - yes, it is FIDE's official platform.
Interestingly, the titles achieved there are also displayed on our official FIDE profiles and are recognized as legitimate accomplishments within the platform.
I decided to give it a try and aim for the highest available title - Arena Grandmaster (AGM). I managed to achieve it.
Below, I’m including a screenshot from my FIDE profile showing the title.
It’s worth mentioning the ranking programs here and how these titles can be earned. Below, I present the name of the title and the ranking required to achieve it:
Arena Grandmaster (AGM) - To earn this title, we must maintain a 2000 Elo rating over 50 rapid games, or 100 blitz games, or 150 bullet games.
Arena International Master (AIM) - To earn this title, we must maintain a 1700 Elo rating over 50 rapid games, or 100 blitz games, or 150 bullet games.
Arena FIDE Master (AFM) - To earn this title, we must maintain a 1400 Elo rating over 50 rapid games, or 100 blitz games, or 150 bullet games.
Arena Candidate Master (ACM) - To earn this title, we must maintain a 1100 Elo rating over 50 rapid games, or 100 blitz games, or 150 bullet games.
What’s most funny, despite the simplicity, according to Wikipedia, only 4,650 people hold these titles.
Source - Wikipedia
My suggestion is this: would Chess.com be able to implement these titles on the site? I believe it would be great to include them on users’ profiles as an additional form of recognition.
Below, I present how it could look - I even created a graphic that could serve as a profile badge.
I think this could boost motivation and increase interest in playing on Chess.com.
I think the Arena title is not prestigious enough to be displayed next to a user’s nickname or to grant them a premium account, as is done with official FIDE titles.
However, while writing this post, I came up with the idea that special arenas could be organized for players holding Arena titles - similar to the Titled Tuesday tournaments, but without cash prizes.
This would be a great opportunity for competition and community building among players with these titles.
Below, I’m also sending a draft of my graphic:
Thank you for reading and considering my idea. Have a nice day!