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60-400: In general, a chess master is a player of such skill that they can usually beat most amateurs. Among chess players, the term is often abbreviated to master . The establishment of the world chess body, Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE), saw the creation of titles superior to the "national master" titles. In 1950, FIDE created the titles " Grandmaster " and " International Master ",

120-479: A Category , based on the average rating of the contestants. For instance, it was decided that 'Category 1' status would apply to tournaments with an average Elo rating of participants falling within the range 2251–2275; similarly Category 2 would apply to the range 2276–2300 etc. The higher the tournament Category, the stronger the tournament. Another vital component involved the setting of meritorious norms for each Category of tournament. Players must meet or surpass

180-541: A GM or IM does not count for the purposes of this requirement if he had not had a GM or IM result in the five years prior to the tournament. In addition, no more than 50 percent plus one of the players can be from the same country for tournaments of 10 to 12 players, or no more than 50 percent plus two for larger tournaments. Seventy-four GM titles were awarded in 1951 through 1968. During that period, ten GM titles were awarded in 1965, but only one in 1966 and in 1968. The modern system for awarding FIDE titles evolved from

240-403: A Master without going below 2200 in their rating or the count would start over again. As the name of this title implies, this title is held for life, regardless of any subsequent decrease in rating. Thus, it is possible to have a player with a USCF rating of 2100 (or below) who is a Life Master, although this is uncommon for 'Original Life Masters' (since such a rating floor can only be dropped by

300-602: A certain rating (typically about 2200 Elo ), achieving the required number of tournament performances ("norms") at a certain level, or featuring prominently in the country's national championship. In some cases, it may extend to honorary titles awarded to (for example) prominent chess administrators, business patrons or politicians. Since the introduction of the FIDE Master (FM) title in 1978, some federations such as those of Ireland and Germany have ceased awarding National Master titles, apparently regarding them as obsolete. In

360-579: A correspondent referred to William Lewis as "our past grandmaster". Subsequently, George Walker and others referred to Philidor as a grandmaster, and the term was also applied to a few other players. The Ostend tournament of 1907 was divided into two sections: the Championship Tournament and the Masters' Tournament. The Championship section was for players who had previously won an international tournament. Siegbert Tarrasch won

420-471: A few years, it was discovered that the ratings were rapidly deflating. As a result, the classifications were dropped by 100 points so that since then experts were rated between 2000 and 2200. In 1960, the USCF adopted the new Elo rating system replacing the original Harkness System. There have been continuous adjustments to that system ever since, with the primary purpose of stabilizing the rating system against

480-523: A points based system, in which players were required to score 100 points from performances in major tournaments such as the Australian Chess Championship and state championships. According to Australian chess player and arbiter Shaun Press , the requirements were changed to a rating-based system some time during the 1980s, but the title was not held in high regard and is no longer awarded. The New Zealand Chess Federation awards

540-546: A prescribed minimal number of participants of given title/level one meets. Several norms are among the requirements to receive a title such as Grandmaster from FIDE . To qualify for the title of Grandmaster (GM) of chess, a title awarded by FIDE, the World Chess Federation, a player must achieve three or more grandmaster norms in events covering a minimum of 27 games. Norms can only be gained in tournaments that fulfill FIDE's strict criteria: for instance,

600-781: A resolution of the FIDE General Assembly and the Qualification Committee, with no formal written criteria. FIDE first awarded the Grandmaster title in 1950 to 27 players. These players were: Since FIDE did not award the Grandmaster title posthumously, world-class players who died prior to 1950, including World Champions Steinitz , Lasker, Capablanca, and Alekhine, never received the title. A few strong still living players such as British India's Mir Sultan Khan , Germany's Paul Lipke and France's Eugene Znosko-Borovsky were not awarded titles. Sultan Khan

660-518: A single WCSC or scoring as many points as the winner in a single WCSC will earn the IM title. For the FM title, the solver must score at least 75 percent of the winner's points and each time finish within the top 40 percent of participants in any two PCCC-approved solving competitions. The title International Judge of Chess Compositions is given to individuals considered capable of judging composing tournaments at

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720-583: Is also a Woman Grandmaster title with lower requirements awarded only to women. There are also Grandmaster titles for composers and solvers of chess problems , awarded by the World Federation for Chess Composition (see List of grandmasters for chess composition ). The International Correspondence Chess Federation (ICCF) awards the title of International Correspondence Chess Grandmaster (ICCGM). Both of these bodies are now independent of FIDE , but work in cooperation with it. "Super grandmaster"

780-408: Is an informal term to refer to the world's elite players. In the past this would refer to players with an Elo rating of over 2600, but as the average Elo rating of the top players has increased, it has typically come to refer to players with an Elo rating of over 2700. Super GMs, the number of whom has grown considerably over the years, have some name recognition in the world of sport and are typically

840-486: Is awarded for life, regardless of whether the rating of a National Master subsequently goes below 2200. In August 2002, this position was codified (after being recognized as the existing status quo) by the USCF Policy Board with the passage of a motion stating "Any USCF member who has had a regular post tournament rating of 2200 or higher (published or not) has demonstrated a significant level of chess ability and

900-505: Is recognized by being automatically awarded the lifetime title of National Master." Life Master is a chess title awarded by the United States Chess Federation (USCF). To be awarded this title, one must hold a master's rating of over 2200 for at least 300 USCF-rated tournament chess games. During the 1990s, the USCF also awarded a "Life Master" title on the basis of a different and more complex system that

960-601: The Hauptturnier or "reserve" event was entitled to compete in the premiere event in the next congress, with a chance to achieve the Meisterdrittel . The titles listed above are open to men and women. Separate women-only titles are available: Beginning with Nona Gaprindashvili in 1978, 42 women have also earned the GM title . For every above title, there are alternative ways of attaining it by performing at or near

1020-534: The St. Petersburg 1914 chess tournament , the title Grandmaster was formally conferred by Russian Tsar Nicholas II , who had partially funded the tournament. The Tsar reportedly awarded the title to the five finalists: Emanuel Lasker , José Raúl Capablanca , Alexander Alekhine , Siegbert Tarrasch , and Frank Marshall . Chess historian Edward Winter has questioned this, stating that the earliest known sources that support this story are an article by Robert Lewis Taylor in

1080-627: The World Junior Championship , or the World Senior Championship , or a Continental Chess Championship, given that the player's peak FIDE rating is at least 2300. Current regulations can be found in the FIDE Handbook. FIDE titles including the grandmaster title are valid for life, but FIDE regulations allow a title to be revoked for "use of a FIDE title or rating to subvert the ethical principles of

1140-627: The "Dorazil" proposals, presented to the 1970 Siegen Chess Olympiad FIDE Congress. The proposals were put together by Wilfried Dorazil (then FIDE Vice-President) and fellow Committee members Grandmaster Svetozar Gligorić and Professor Arpad Elo . The recommendations of the Committee report were adopted in full. In essence, the proposals built on the work done by Professor Elo in devising his Elo rating system. The establishment of an updated list of players and their Elo rating enabled significantly strong international chess tournaments to be allocated

1200-509: The 1965 Congress in Wiesbaden FIDE raised the standards required for international titles. The International Grandmaster title regulations were: To fulfill requirement 2b, the candidate must score one GM norm in a category 1a tournament or two norms within a three-year period in two Category 1b tournaments, or one Category 2a tournament and one Category 1b tournament. The categories of tournaments are: Since FIDE titles are for life,

1260-510: The Championship section, over Carl Schlechter , Dawid Janowski , Frank Marshall , Amos Burn , and Mikhail Chigorin . These players were described as grandmasters for the purposes of the tournament. The San Sebastián 1912 tournament won by Akiba Rubinstein was a designated grandmaster event. Rubinstein won with 12½ points out of 19. Tied for second with 12 points were Aron Nimzowitsch and Rudolf Spielmann . By some accounts, in

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1320-590: The FAV system, in recognition of the work done by International Judge Giovanni Ferrantes (Italy), Alexander (probably Conel Hugh O'Donel Alexander ), and Giancarlo Dal Verme (Italy). Under the 1957 regulations, the title of International Grandmaster of the FIDE was automatically awarded to: The regulations also allowed titles to be awarded by a FIDE Congress on recommendation by the Qualification Committee. Recommendations were based on performance in qualifying tournaments, with

1380-576: The FIDE International Master or Grandmaster title. The USCF currently gives a national title for achieving a 2200 rating (master): Chess expert is a title given by the United States Chess Federation (USCF). It is awarded to chess players rated from 2000 to 2199. Players rated above that are masters, while players below that are class players. Approximately 50,000 chess players have USCF ratings, of which approximately 2,500 are rated 2000 or better. Thus, chess experts are in

1440-554: The FIDE Candidate Master title generally requires a higher rating (2200 FIDE). It is possible (and common), however, for players in the United States to have a rating that places them in the 'expert' category while still retaining the title of 'Life Master' or 'National Master'. The title of 'master' is awarded to anyone meeting the criteria laid down by the USCF, including having once been rated over 2200. Like

1500-524: The FIDE titles of FIDE Master , International Master , and Grandmaster , the title of 'Master' is awarded for life. Players with a rating below 2200, but who have earned the title of 'National Master' or 'Life Master', are, according to the USCF, still referred to as 'masters'. The first USCF rating list was published in December 1950. On that list, experts were players rated from 2100 to 2300 and masters were players rated from 2300 to 2500. However, within

1560-474: The FM title (first awarded 1990) has been determined on the basis of the number of problems or studies a composer had selected for publication in the FIDE Albums . These albums are collections of the best problems and studies composed in a particular three-year period, as selected by FIDE-appointed judges. Each problem published in an album is worth 1 point; each study is worth 1⅔; joint compositions are worth

1620-585: The June 15, 1940, issue of The New Yorker and Marshall's autobiography My 50 Years of Chess (1942). Before 1950, the term grandmaster was sometimes informally applied to world class players. The Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE, or International Chess Federation) was formed in Paris in 1924, but at that time did not award formal titles. In 1927, the Soviet Union's Chess Federation established

1680-535: The Soviet Union, the Master title was conferred by the federal government and was connected to the title of Master of Sport . The first chess player to receive the title was Peter Romanovsky in 1934. Only players who featured prominently in the Soviet Chess Championship were considered for the title, and fewer than 100 awards were made altogether. The majority of these players also qualified for

1740-524: The Title of National Master to anyone who achieves a USCF rating of 2200, and the title of Senior Master to anyone who achieves a USCF rating of 2400 along with certain performance-based 'norms' during tournament play. The USCF also awards the Life Master title to anyone who holds a 2200 rating for a total of 300 or more games in his or her lifetime. In the United States, the title of "National Master"

1800-551: The USCF itself), who have a floor rating of 2200. The Chess Federation of Canada awards the title of National Master to players who achieve a national rating of 2200, and three tournament performances ("norms") of 2300 or more. It also awards National Woman Master and National Candidate Master titles at 2000 rating, with three norms of 2100 or more. The English Chess Federation awards the title of National Master to players who achieve an ECF rating of 2200, standardplay. The player must maintain an average listed rating at, or above,

1860-463: The USSR. Verlinsky did not get his title back. In 1950 FIDE created the titles of Grandmaster (GM), International Master (IM) and Woman Master (WM, later known as Woman International Master or WIM). The grandmaster title is sometimes called "International Grandmaster" (IGM), possibly to distinguish it from similar national titles, but the shortened form is far more common today. Titles were awarded by

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1920-411: The actual score that participants must achieve to attain a GM or IM result (nowadays referred to as a norm ). To qualify for the Grandmaster title, a player needed to achieve three such GM results within a rolling period of three years. Exceptionally, if a player's contributory games totalled 30 or more, then the title could be awarded on the basis of two such results. There were also circumstances where

1980-416: The entry must include at least three GM titled players from different countries playing over a minimum of nine rounds with not less than 120 minutes thinking time per round, assuming the game lasts 60 moves (so for instance 90 minutes + 30 per move qualifies). There are a number of other more minor stipulations, such as that an International Arbiter must be officiating the event. The norm seeker must achieve

2040-613: The forces of inflation and deflation, so that a chess expert today will be approximately the same strength as a chess expert was twenty or forty years ago. This information stated here also applies in Canada, under the auspices of the Canadian Federation of Chess (CFC), with one difference being that Class E encompasses all players rated under 1200. Similar class distinctions may apply in other national chess federations as well. The United States Chess Federation (USCF) awards

2100-462: The game's outcome and on how strong their opponent is. If the rating of a chess expert falls below 2000, they are not a chess expert any more (though they retain the title of Candidate Master, if it was earned according to the criteria above). This is in contrast to international titles awarded by FIDE , which are awarded for life. In European countries the term "expert" is not used. Instead, players of that level are called " Candidate Masters ", although

2160-435: The highest earners in chess. FIDE titles are only awarded at the quarterly FIDE Council meetings. Players who have qualified for the GM title but have not yet been awarded it are informally referred to as "GM-elect". Usage of grandmaster for an expert in some field is recorded from 1590. The first known use of the term grandmaster in connection with chess was in the 18 February 1838 issue of Bell's Life , in which

2220-612: The highest level. The International Correspondence Chess Federation (ICCF) awards the titles International Master, Senior International Master and International Correspondence Chess Grandmaster —these are equivalent to similar titles awarded by FIDE for over-the-board chess. The ICCF also runs the World Correspondence Chess Championships. Because these events can last a long time, they may overlap: for instance, in February 2005 Joop van Oosterom

2280-541: The latter half of the 19th century, the term began to be given out by organizations. One of the most prestigious events of the time was the DSB Congress , first organised by the Deutscher Schachbund (German Chess Federation) in 1876. The DSB's standard for the title of Master was the Meisterdrittel , i.e. to win at least one third of the games in the premiere tournament at a DSB Congress. The winner of

2340-579: The minimum rating for a period of 12 months, with a total game count of 30 games or more in the 12-month qualifying period. It also awards a number of lesser titles. Up until 1991, the Irish Chess Federation awarded the title of Irish National Master to 15 players. The title has since fallen into disuse. The title of Australian Master was introduced in 1959, and was awarded by the Australian Chess Federation using

2400-420: The number of registered players rated over 2200 had increased even faster. Since that FIDE congress, discussion of the value of the grandmaster title has occasionally continued. Starting from 1977, FIDE awarded honorary Grandmaster titles to 32 players based on their past performances or other contributions to chess. The following players have been awarded honorary Grandmaster titles. Marić and Honfi were awarded

2460-411: The official World Chess Solving Championship (WCSC): to become a GM, a solver must score at least 90 percent of the winner's points and on each occasion finish in at least tenth place three times within ten successive WCSCs. For the IM title they must score at least 80 percent of the winner's points and each time finish in at least fifteenth place twice within five successive WCSCs; alternatively, winning

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2520-523: The old regulations, although a provision was maintained that allowed older masters who had been overlooked to be awarded titles. The new regulations awarded the title of International Grandmaster of the FIDE to players meeting any of the following criteria: After FIDE issued the 1953 title regulations, it was recognized that they were somewhat haphazard, and work began to revise the regulations. The FIDE Congress in Vienna in 1957 adopted new regulations, called

2580-431: The regulations. The subcommittee recommended that the automatic award of titles be abolished, criticized the methods used for awarding titles based on qualifying performances, and called for a change in the makeup of the Qualification Committee. Several delegates supported the subcommittee recommendations, including GM Miguel Najdorf who felt that existing regulations were leading to an inflation of international titles. At

2640-438: The relevant score to demonstrate that they had performed at Grandmaster (GM) or International Master (IM) level. Scores were expressed as percentages of a perfect maximum score and decreased as the tournament Category increased, thereby reflecting the strength of a player's opposition and the relative difficulty of the task. Tournament organisers could then apply the percentages to their own tournament format and declare in advance

2700-533: The required score depending on the percentage of Grandmasters and International Masters in the tournament. Concerns were raised that the 1957 regulations were too lax. At the FIDE Congress in 1961, GM Milan Vidmar said that the regulations "made it possible to award international titles to players without sufficient merit". At the 1964 Congress in Tel Aviv , a subcommittee was formed to propose changes to

2760-457: The requirements for which were increasingly formalized over the years. In 1978, FIDE created the lesser title of " FIDE Master ". From the beginning of recorded chess, to the establishment of the first chess organizations, the term master was applied informally, being simply a matter of popular acclaim. Strong players demonstrated their strength in play, and gained the informal reputation of being chess masters. As chess became more widespread in

2820-554: The same divided by the number of composers. For the FIDE Master title, a composer must accumulate 12 points; for the International Master title, 25 points are needed; and for the Grandmaster title, a composer must have 70 points. For solvers, the GM (International Solving Grandmaster) and IM titles were both first awarded in 1982; the FM title followed in 1997. GM and IM titles can only be gained by participating in

2880-522: The system could be adapted to fit team events and other competitions. The full proposals included many other rules and regulations, covering such topics as: To become a grandmaster, a player must achieve both of the following: The Grandmaster title is also automatically conferred, without needing to fulfill the above criteria, when reaching the final 16 in the World Cup , winning the Women's World Cup ,

2940-427: The title is held for life, though exceptionally the title can be revoked for cheating . The title of Grandmaster, along with the lesser FIDE titles of International Master (IM) , FIDE Master (FM) , and Candidate Master (CM) , is open to all players regardless of gender. The great majority of grandmasters are men, but 42 women have been awarded the GM title as of 2024, out of a total of about 2000 grandmasters. There

3000-401: The title of Grandmaster for chess composition was established in 1959, with André Cheron , Arnoldo Ellerman , Alexander Gerbstmann , Jan Hartong , and Cyril Kipping being the first honorary recipients. In subsequent years, qualification for the IM title, as well as for the GM title (first awarded in 1972 to Genrikh Kasparyan , Lev Loshinsky , Comins Mansfield , and Eeltje Visserman ) and

3060-469: The title of Grandmaster of the Soviet Union, in the form of the German loan word "Großmeister". At the time Soviet players were not competing outside their own country. This title was abolished in 1931, after having been awarded to Boris Verlinsky , who won the 1929 Soviet Championship . The title was brought back in 1935, and awarded to Mikhail Botvinnik , who thus became the first "official" Grandmaster of

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3120-579: The title of National Master using a points-based system, based on performances in the New Zealand Chess Championship and a few other tournaments. 100 points are required for the title of National Master, and 40 points for the title of Candidate Master. As of 31 January 2013, 22 players hold the National Master title, the majority of whom also have FIDE titles. Dominican Republic The Dominican Chess Federation awards

3180-747: The title of National Master, based on performances in the Dominican Chess Championship . As of 11 April 2023, 7 players hold the National Master title, the majority of whom also have FIDE titles. Just as in over-the-board play, in problem chess the titles International Grandmaster , International Master and FIDE Master are awarded by FIDE via the PCCC ( Permanent Commission for Chess Composition ) for especially distinguished problem and study composers and solvers. (Unlike in over-the-board chess, however, there are no women-only equivalents to these titles in problem chess.) For composition,

3240-641: The title or rating system" or if a player is found to have violated the anti-cheating regulations in a tournament on which the title application was based. Exact regulations can be found in the FIDE Handbook . A report prepared by Bartłomiej Macieja for the Association of Chess Professionals mentions discussion at the FIDE congress of 2008 regarding a perceived decrease in value of the grandmaster title. The number of grandmasters had increased greatly between 1972 and 2008, but according to Macieja,

3300-411: The title posthumously in the year of their death, and Sultan Khan 58 years later. Bibliography Norm (chess) A norm in chess is a high level of performance in a chess tournament . The level of performance is typically measured in tournament performance rating above a certain threshold (for instance, 2600 for GM norm), and there is a requirement on the level of tournament, for instance by

3360-431: The top 5% of all USCF tournament chess players. Since 2008, USCF has also awarded Candidate Master titles to players that achieve five performance-based 'norms' in tournaments and also hold a rating above 2000. Like the title of Master, Candidate Master titles are awarded for life. The title of chess expert is not awarded for life. Every time a tournament chess player plays a game, their rating goes up or down depending on

3420-983: The top of certain high-level tournaments. For example, the GM title is awarded to the person winning the World Junior Championship. FIDE also awards titles for "lower-band" players, regardless of gender, through the FIDE Online Arena : There are no norms required for any of the arena titles, however the player must maintain a FIDE online rating of at least the minimum required for at least 150 bullet games, 100 blitz games or 50 rapid games consecutively. FIDE also awards titles for arbiters and trainers. Some national chess federations award titles such as "National Master" (NM). National chess federations are free to set whatever standards they want for such titles, which are not recognized by FIDE . Standards for "Master" titles in different countries vary, but are usually based on criteria such as achieving

3480-598: Was awarded the GM title posthumously in 2024. Title awards under the original regulations were subject to political concerns. Efim Bogoljubow , who had emigrated from the Soviet Union to Germany, was not entered in the first class of Grandmasters, even though he had played two matches for the World Championship with Alekhine. He received the title in 1951, by a vote of thirteen to eight with five abstentions. Yugoslavia supported his application, but all other Communist countries opposed it. In 1953, FIDE abolished

3540-476: Was declared winner of the eighteenth Championship (which began in June 2003), though the winner of the seventeenth Championship (which began in March 2002) had not yet been determined. Grandmaster (chess) Grandmaster ( GM ) is a title awarded to chess players by the world chess organization FIDE . Apart from World Champion , Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain. Once achieved,

3600-414: Was similar to the FIDE 'norm system' of awarding titles. This method of attaining Life Master became officially recognized by the USCF on January 1, 1996. The "class norm" system was later discontinued, and players who had or were subsequently granted the title on the 300-game basis were renamed "Original Life Masters." In practice, the distinction is rarely made. Original Life Masters had to play 300 games as

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