However, what we see today is actual rating deflation of the top players in the world. In July 2017 there were six players over 2800 (Carlsen at 2822, Kramnik 2812, Wesley So 2810, Levon Aronian 2809, Caruana 2807, and Mamedyarov 2800). The same month the top 10 average was 2781, while there were 47 players above 2700 ELO!

Looking at the 2700chess.com live rating list today, there are two players over 2800 (Carlsen, whose rating is 2832 i.e. higher than July 2017, and Nakamura 2802), the top 10 average is 2776, and there are only 31 players above 2700!

The reasons for rating deflation

One of the major reasons for rating deflation is changes in the rating floors of FIDE. Rating floor was 1800 before 2001, then it was decreased to 1600, 1400, 1200, and finally 1000 in August 2012. While this was recently fixed (and will probably get another fix soon), there is a 10 year inherit problem of players who started with low rating and are scraping points from seasoned players with every draw and decisive game.

Another issue is actually a positive news for chess. A huge influx of youngsters with very low ELO, yet much higher skill. Over time, this new generation is propagating the lower rating through the system, while many of the old stars are fading. Thus, the rate of players falling below 2700 ELO is higher than the rate of repopulating the club.

There are other reasons, ranging from global political instability to local federation issues, from better coaching practices to higher access to chess engines. All this combined forms a thread of deflation in the 2700 club. Yet, as the popular song goes, “always walk on the bright side of life”: the rating deflation makes the 2700 list even more prestigious place to be!

Make sure to check out often the fantastic 2700chess.com website, not only for their tracking of the 2700 club, but also the top women list, the junior top 20 list, and more

Chessdom: Congratulations on winning the strong Reykjavik Open! This is one of the strongest opens of 2023 and now you have the title in your hands. How does this feel?

Nils Grandelius: It feels great! It was my 11th start in the Reykjavik Open, so to finally be able to win it is such a great pleasure!

You had a difficult start with draws against IM Ludvig Carlsson and FM Shubh Jayesh Laddha. Then you switched to a higher gear. Is there anything in particular that boosted your game play for the remaining rounds?

I did have fairly smooth victories in round 4 and 5, but for me the real turning point came in round 7. I played a solid german grandmaster who played the Exchange Slav with white in a very solid fashion, but after a very long game I managed to grind out a win in an almost entirely equal queen ending. This really gave me a big confidence boost for the last couple of rounds!

In Reykjavik you added extra 3,7 ELO points, reaching 2662. This is close to your all time high of 2694, which happened right before the pandemic. Now that the restrictions are gone and OTB chess is booming again, are you going to make a run for the 2700 club?

-Yes, definitely! I still feel I have a lot to learn, and a lot of potential to improve, so for now the plan is to work hard and keep playing strong events to improve. I’m certainly enjoying classical chess as much as ever!

A home tournament is coming up for you, the Tepe Sigeman 2023. What are your expectations? Is it more difficult or easier to play at home?

-Playing at home in itself can be double edged. Nowadays, I live in Copenhagen, so while Malmø is still close, and my former home, it still feels like I am traveling away for the tournament. Traditionally, I’ve been doing fairly well in the Tepe Sigeman tournament. The organisation and atmosphere is great, and the invited players are always ready for a full fight. Result-wise I don’t have any special plans – I am mainly looking forward to playing lots of highly interesting opponents. Tepe Sigeman 2023 info here / Live games

You are the author of Lifetime Repertoires: Classical Slav and The Grand Ruy Lopez, are there more courses coming up from you soon?

For the near future I am focusing a lot on playing myself, with some interesting challenging tournaments coming up. Once I get some breaks from tournaments again, I do intend to do some more courses, but more about that in the future. Get Classical Slav here and Grand Ruy Lopez here