While these titles are recognized at FIDE-sanctioned over the board (OTB) events, should a player obtain a regular OTB title such as CM (Candidate Master) or FM (FIDE Master), this replaces their arena title.
The fully operational version of FIDE online arena was launched on April 4, 2014 with the announcement made by FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.
A plan to merge online and over-the-board FIDE ratings for the blitz and rapid time controls in the future was also announced.
[4] According to a September 2015 internal report, there were 4805 members, 2078 paying the subscription fee, with India the most populous.
In September of 2021, both World Chess and FIDE announced that the Arena ratings and titles will be included in the official players’ profiles on FIDE website.