Newly created accounts have what is called "newcomer status." A newcomer account cannot challenge titled players or premium players unless they are friends.
How do I get rid of my Newcomer status?
To remove newcomer status, your account must meet these two requirements:
Requirement | Details |
Account Age | Your account must be open for 48 hours. |
Number of Games Played | You must have played 8 games of any type.
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You must meet both of these requirements. If you create a new account and play 8 games right away, you’ll still have to wait until your account is at least 48 hours old.
Why can’t I challenge GM Hikaru Nakamura even though I’m not a newcomer?
There is one more requirement to meet before you can challenge titled and premium players: you must have a low enough rating deviation or RD.
If you haven’t played any games in a while, or if you've never played any games of a certain type, your RD may be too high to challenge a titled player right away. This means Chess.com is not sure of what your rating really is because you haven't played that game type in so long, or at all.
You’ll need to play a few games of that type first so we can be sure of your rating.
You can tell your rating is stabilized when wins and losses only change your rating by 8 to 15 points, rather than 50 or 100 or more.
Check out this article to learn more about rating deviation: How do ratings work on Chess.com?