Titles are calculated based on all rated blitz antichess tournaments ever played on Lichess, relying solely on norms earned in these tournaments, without taking into account championship wins or the reaching of a specific rating. Only Arena and Swiss tournaments are considered. Norms are awarded upon achieving performance thresholds, the values of which are based on the minimum rating values for each norm as specified by FIDE. Opponents’ ratings, calculated using the Glicko-2 system, are used to calculate performance. The player’s own rating is not taken into account. The Glicko-2 system offers a fair assessment of opponent strength: a win against a low-rated opponent does not reduce the player’s performance, and the result of a game against an opponent with an as-yet-unknown established rating does not significantly affect the outcome. When calculating ratings, all non-blitz games are excluded, as well as all games against bots or players who have been flagged for Terms of Service (ToS) violations, applying retroactive effect.

For a tournament to count toward a norm, a player must play against a sufficient number of opponents of a certain strength. The sufficient number is determined based on a weight coefficient, which is the sum of the weight coefficients for each opponent and ranges from 12 for Master-level norms to 6 for Class E norms. If an opponent plays frequently, they have an established rating and their weight coefficient will be slightly less than 1.0 (for example, 0.98). For new players or those returning after a long break, the coefficient approaches 0.0 (for example, 0.17). If opponents have used Berserk, wins and draws against them are counted with a slight downward adjustment to the coefficient. If a player uses Berserk themself, this does not affect their norms. Players whose accounts were closed at the time the results were compiled have been excluded.

For each player, only norms corresponding to their title or higher are listed, with a maximum of five norms per category. Links to their five best tournaments are also provided.

Note: The titles and norms presented here are not intended to serve as a measure of players’ skill or strength. They merely reflect the level of commitment shown in specific tournaments. The vast majority of tournaments included in the results are Arena tournaments. To achieve high rankings in these tournaments, players are often forced to play faster and use Berserk, which affects their performance. Also, for technical reasons, the results presented do not include the most prestigious multi-day tournaments, which we believe are a good source for understanding players’ true strength.

• GM — Grandmasters are elite professionals who calculate variations with absolute precision. They possess encyclopedic knowledge of opening theory and a flawless endgame technique. A GM can spot subtle positional weaknesses instantly and almost never makes a simple tactical mistake.
• IM — International Masters are world-class players, many of whom compete professionally or coach full-time. They have a profound grasp of positional antichess and rarely make tactical calculation errors. The top tier of competitive players.
• M — Masters have a deep mastery of opening and endgame theory as well as precise tactical awareness. If you make a single passive or slightly inaccurate move against a Master, they will steadily squeeze you out of the game. Masters are incredibly strong players who typically dominate online tournaments, though they may lack the hyper-precise calculation of GMs and IMs.
• CM — Candidate Masters are highly skilled tactical players who understand advanced positional concepts (like pawn structures and weaknesses in antichess positions). At this level, a player understands complex strategic themes deeply and can punish amateur mistakes effortlessly. They are highly competent, rarely lose to lower-rated players, and possess a solid opening repertoire.
• RM — Regional Masters or Maestro have incredibly sharp tactical vision. They don't just calculate a few moves ahead; they understand forcing sequences and can easily spot deep, quiet positional moves that set up tactical traps. Their main barrier to reaching Master is consistency and minor endgame inaccuracies.
• A — Class A players have highly refined tactical vision and immense tournament experience. They rarely lose sight of their open pieces and have a good grasp of positional planning. Class A players understand standard opening lines well.
• B — Class B players are strong hobbyists and dedicated tournament players. A Class B player can calculate short tactical sequences (3 to 4 moves ahead) and actively looks for tactical traps. They tend to struggle in highly concrete, messy positions or when forced to defend for long periods.
• C — Class C players are above-average club players. Class C players know basic opening principles and can spot simple tactical opportunities. However, their primary weakness is consistency — they are prone to experiencing a "tactical blind spot" once or twice a game.
• D — Class D players are advanced beginners. Class D players comfortably know piece interactions and basic patterns. However, they generally struggle to form a cohesive strategic plan once the opening ends. Class D is a fantastic milestone because it means the player has officially broken away from the raw beginner phase and is playing actual, structured antichess.
• E — Class E players are novices and casual players. Class E players are developing their board vision. While they understand the ultimate goal of the game, their matches are almost entirely decided by direct blunders, such as overlooking their exposed pieces, which their opponents can use for clearing.