Newcomer status
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 eight games of any type. |
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 titled players like GM Hikaru Nakamura if I’m not a newcomer?
In addition to not being a Newcomer, there’s one more requirement before you can challenge Titled and Premium players: having a low enough Rating Deviation (RD).
If you haven’t played in a while or have never played a certain game type, your RD may be too high to challenge a titled player right away. This happens because Chess.com isn’t certain about your true rating due to inactivity or lack of games in that category.
To stabilize your rating, you’ll need to play a few games of that type first. You’ll know your rating is stabilized when your wins and losses change your rating by only 8–15 points, rather than 50 or more.
Check out this article to learn more about rating deviation: How do ratings work on Chess.com?