How will Gukesh, Carlsen be affected after Nakamura’s tactics force FIDE to alter rules? Here’s what you need to know

American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura’s participation in lower-rated tournaments has not gone unnoticed by FIDE, with the global governing body for chess introducing a major change in its ratings system in response. The rule change came into effect on Wednesday, 1 October and directly impacts players with a rating of 2650 or higher, thus involving around 70 of the world’s top Grandmasters.

The rule that has been done away with is one in which no player is considered more than 400 rating points higher than their opponent. If the difference in rating points between two players is greater than 400, it will be taken into account and will reflect in the final result.

“8.3.1 For each game played against a rated player, determine the difference in rating between the player and their opponent, D,” reads FIDE’s amended rule.

“A difference in rating of more than 400 points shall be counted for rating purposes as though it were a difference of 400 points, for players rated below 2650. For players rated 2650 and above, the difference between ratings shall be used in all cases,” it adds.

How does FIDE’s rule change affect Gukesh, Carlsen? 

As per the new rule, top players such as reigning world champion D Gukesh and world No 1 Magnus Carlsen will not stand to gain much if they defeat players who are behind them by 400 ratings points or more. However, they could stand to lose a lot more in the other scenario – i.e. if they end up losing to said player.

The move is an attempt by the Lausanne-based governing body to prevent top-rated players such as Nakamura from taking the easier route to next year’s Candidates Tournament by competing against lower-rated players.

Nakamura had exploited a loophole in FIDE’s rules while attempting to qualify for next year’s Candidates via the solitary ratings spot – in which the player who finishes highest on the ratings list between August 2025 and January 2026 qualifies for the prestigious tournament if he/she hasn’t already through other avenues.

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The American GM, ranked second in the world, had competed in the Louisiana State Championship as well as Iowa Open, breezing through both events and winning all the matches with ease.

Besides keeping him ahead of rivals such as R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi on the ratings ladder, the tournaments are also helping Nakamura reach the cutoff for the minimum number of matches played in order to qualify via the ratings spot.