Licence, approval and FIDE rating: how a tournament counts

A tournament only “counts” towards a rating if it has been approved: the organiser has declared it in advance, it is run by a qualified arbiter, and its results have been submitted to the FFE and then, where applicable, to FIDE. This page explains the whole chain, from the player's licence to the publication of their rating.

A licence or B licence: which to choose?

The FFE licence is taken out through an affiliated club. It is valid from 1 September to 31 August and includes the federal insurance (personal accident and civil liability) during play and travel.

On top of the federal share come those of the regional league and the departmental committee, which cannot exceed the federal share. Depending on the league, an adult A licence therefore costs from €32 to €53 for 2026-2027, and an adult B licence from €5 to €10, before any club membership fee. A player discovering competition through rapid tournaments can start with a B licence; as soon as they want to play classical games or in a team, the A licence is the one to have.

Beware of a common confusion online: the acronym FFE also stands for the French Equestrian Federation (Fédération française d'équitation). The chess federation is online at echecs.asso.fr and ffechecs.fr.

What is an approved tournament?

In France, the approval request is made online on the FFE website, within deadlines set by the Arbiter's Handbook (Livre de l'arbitre): 10 days before the start for a tournament counting only towards the FFE rapid Elo, 15 days for a FIDE tournament (one month if it hosts players rated above 2700, or above 2500 among women) and 40 days for a FIDE tournament where a norm is possible. The organiser pays approval fees, detailed on the page about organising a chess tournament.

For a player, the practical question is simple: the tournament regulations must state which rating it is approved for. To take part, Le Palais des Échecs explains how to enter an approved tournament and what to prepare before the first round.

Time controls accepted for the FIDE rating

FIDE publishes three separate ratings: standard (classical), rapid and blitz. A game only enters the standard rating if the time control is long enough for the level of the players. The FIDE Rating Regulations (in force since 1 March 2024) set the following minimums, calculated on a 60-move game:

If the time control includes a first control at a given number of moves, it must be at least 30 moves. The definitions of rapid and blitz time controls are set out on the page about time controls in chess. The FFE also maintains its own national rapid rating, the FFE rapid Elo.

How to get a first FIDE rating

1. Have a FIDE ID. In France, a licence holder who plays in a FIDE tournament under the FRA federation is automatically assigned an ID. A foreign player must already have one, otherwise their games cannot be taken into account.
2. Play rated games. The first rating is published once the player has completed at least five games against rated opponents. Results from several tournaments played over a period of 26 months can be combined.
3. Reach the floor. A first rating must be at least 1400, the current floor of the FIDE list; a player whose rating falls below 1400 subsequently appears as unrated. Conversely, a first rating is capped at 2200.
4. Check the list. Ratings are published every month on ratings.fide.com, where each player has a profile with their three ratings and their game history.

How many points do you win or lose?

After each rated game, the rating changes according to the gap between the result achieved and the expected result, multiplied by a K-factor. The FIDE regulations set K at 40 for a player new to the list, until they have played 30 games, and for all players up to the end of the year of their 18th birthday as long as they stay below 2300; at 20 as long as the rating stays below 2400; and at 10 once the player has reached 2400.

Example: a player rated 1700, with K = 20, beats an opponent rated 1600. With a 100-point difference, the FIDE table gives an expected score of about 0.64. They therefore gain about 20 × (1 − 0.64) = 7 points. Had they lost, they would have lost about 13. The changes from each tournament are cumulated, and the new list is published on the first day of each month.

Why approval matters for titles and opens

The whole of a player's later career rests on FIDE-approved tournaments: International Master or Grandmaster norms can only be scored in approved tournaments that meet the conditions of the Title Regulations, detailed on the page about titles and grandmaster norms. Approval is also what lets a round count towards the rating: a game played in a non-approved tournament, however strong, counts for nothing. The big chess opens in France all announce their FIDE approval in their regulations, as do the festivals that add an unrated casual tournament. Finally, the pairings themselves follow a system approved by FIDE: that is the subject of the page on the Swiss system.

What about online games?

Games played entirely online, on a gaming site, do not count towards the FIDE standard, rapid or blitz ratings. The Rating Regulations only cover the case of hybrid competitions, where each player plays on a screen but in a room under the supervision of an arbiter: they must be approved one by one by the FIDE Qualification Commission and supply the complete game files.