Previously, if a grandmaster was more than 400 rating points higher than their opponent, the system capped the gap. That allowed elite chess players to still pick up at least 0.8 rating points per win, even against much weaker opposition. FIDE says the change was made to prevent “farming”, where elite players pad their ratings in open events with lower-rated competition. ELO change sparks backlash from the chess worldThe decision has divided the chess community. GMs Oleksandr Bortnyk and Daniel Naroditsky, who often compete in local Charlotte chess club tournaments, accused FIDE of “stealing” their ratings outright.