Who are all these 2700+ ELO untitled players beating IMs and GMs on here?

Just wondering how come there are so many super strong untitled players on here?
Obviously titled players can register an account without getting their title associated with the account but the sheer numbers of them suggest there is something else afoot.

Maybe I'm overthinking it but grateful for ideas or positive suggestions, no insults please.

I think they are just GMs, IMs, FMs but playing anonymous on a random account. There might be some ToS-breakers but I can't be sure. guess they're just good at it

I think a lot of online players are not even FIDE licenced.

Licence!?

Sorry for the confusion. English is not my first language.

In my country, you cannot enter a chess tournament without being registered in a chess club, which gives you a licence, so you "officially" exist for the chess federation. So having a licence is mandatory to get a rating and therefore, to get a title.

I see.

I was just thinking that online play can allow people to become very good at the game without ever playing OTB or be part of any chess federation, which would explain why you can have untitled players rated 2300+.

Yep.

@tpr said in #8:

Some are titled players that want to play anonymously like for testing a new opening without their future opponents knowing.
Some are specialists in e.g. bullet, very fast, but unable to concentrate for hours on a classical over the board game.
Some are very strong, but unable to travel and play in FIDE events.

This is sandbagging, and its illegal on lichess, but who can really do anything about it?

#12
It is neither sandbagging nor illegal for titled players to play anonymously, for bullet specialists to play bullet, or for strong players unable to travel to over the board tournaments to play online.

I don't think anonymity is an argument here.

You can use a nickname, keep your real identity secret and still have your title attached to your account, can't you ?

#14
"You can use a nickname, keep your real identity secret and still have your title attached to your account, can't you ?"

• Titled players are allowed 2 accounts: one with title like to play titled only tournaments and one anonymous.

strong players

it's the guys who watch gothamchess content

@T_deus_ex_T said in #12:

Some are titled players that want to play anonymously like for testing a new opening without their future opponents knowing.
Some are specialists in e.g. bullet, very fast, but unable to concentrate for hours on a classical over the board game.
Some are very strong, but unable to travel and play in FIDE events.

This is sandbagging, and its illegal on lichess, but who can really do anything about it?

that is not sandbagging.

@AmiralFanchon said in #14:

I don't think anonymity is an argument here.

You can use a nickname, keep your real identity secret and still have your title attached to your account, can't you ?

perhaps they don't see the point in adding one

that is not sandbagging.

How is it not sandbagging my friend? If I am a GM, and I make a new profile, all those people that I will beat while being provisional, I will have sandbagged against them. Of course it is, but its online chess, so... Who really cares? XD