Chess title

Chess master redirects here. For the Ubisoft applica- 1.1 Early use of the Master title
tion, see Chessmaster. For the Chinese novel by A Cheng,
From the beginning of recorded chess, to the establishsee The Chess Master.
A chess title is a title created by a chess governing body ment of the rst 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 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, rst organised by the Deutscher
Schachbund (German Chess Federation) in 1876. The
DSBs 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
the Hauptturnier or reserve event was entitled to compete in the premiere event in the next congress, with a
chance to achieve the Meisterdrittel.[2]

1.2 FIDE titles

Main article: FIDE titles
Grandmaster Garry Kasparov

Grandmaster (abbreviated as GM, sometimes International Grandmaster or IGM is used) is awarded

to world-class chess masters. Apart from World
Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess
player can attain. Before FIDE will confer the title
on a player, the player must have an Elo chess rating
(see below) of at least 2500 at one time and three favorable results (called norms) in tournaments involving other Grandmasters, including some from countries other than the applicants. There are also other
milestones a player can achieve to attain the title,
such as winning the World Junior Championship.

and bestowed upon players based on their performance

and rank. Such titles are usually granted for life. The
most prestigious titles are those granted by the international chess governing body FIDE; many national chess
federations also grant titles such as National Master.[1]

Over-the-board chess

International Master (abbreviated as IM). The conditions are similar to GM, but less demanding. The
minimum rating for the IM title is 2400.

In general, a chess master is a player of such skill that he or

she can usually beat most amateurs. Among chess players, the term is often abbreviated to master, the meaning
being clear from context.

FIDE Master (abbreviated as FM). The usual way for

a player to qualify for the FIDE Master title is by
achieving a FIDE Rating of 2300 or more.

The establishment of the world chess body, Fdration

Internationale des checs (FIDE), saw the creation of titles superior to the national master titles. In 1950 FIDE
Candidate Master (abbreviated as CM). Similar to
created the titles "Grandmaster" and "International MasFM, but with a FIDE Rating of at least 2200.
ter", the requirements for which were increasingly formalized over the years. In 1978 FIDE created the lesser All the titles listed above are open to men and women.
title of "FIDE Master".
Separate women-only titles, such as Woman Grandmas1

OVER-THE-BOARD CHESS

ter (WGM), are also available. Beginning with Nona term of expert is not used. Instead, players of that
Gaprindashvili in 1978, many women have also earned level are called "Candidate Masters", although the FIDE
the unsegregated GM title.[3]
Candidate Master title generally requires a higher rating
(2200 FIDE).[6]

1.3

National titles

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 dierent countries vary, but are usually based on
criteria such as achieving a certain rating (typically about
2200 Elo), achieving the required number of tournament
performances (norms) at a certain level, or featuring
prominently in the countrys 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.
1.3.1

Individual federations

Soviet Union In the Soviet Union, the Master title was

conferred by the federal government and was connected
to the title of Master of Sport. The rst 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 less than 100
awards were made altogether. The majority of these players also qualied for the FIDE International Master or
Grandmaster title.

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 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 rst 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 a few years, it was discovered that
the ratings were rapidly deating. As a result, the classications 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 the forces
of ination and deation, so that a chess expert today will
be approximately the same strength as a chess expert was
20 or 40 years ago.
This information stated here also applies in Canada,[7]
under the auspices of the Canadian Federation of Chess
(CFC), with one dierence being that Class E encompasses all players rated under 1200. Similar class distinctions may apply in other national chess federations as
well.

United States The USCF currently gives a national title

for achieving ve performances at a certain rating level:
Note: 1st Category titles and lower do not require the listed rating.

Master The United States Chess Federation (USCF)

awards 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.
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.

Expert 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. In the United States, the title of National Master is
Thus, chess experts are in the top 5% of all USCF tour- awarded for life, regardless of whether the rating of a Nanament chess players.
tional Master subsequently goes below 2200.[8] In August
The title of chess expert is not awarded for life. Every 2002, this position was codied (after being recognized
time a tournament chess player plays a game, his rating as the existing status quo) by the USCF Policy Board with
goes up or down depending on the games outcome and the passage of a motion stating Any USCF member who
on how strong his opponent is. If the rating of a chess ex- has had a regular post tournament rating of 2200 or higher
pert falls below 2000, he is not a chess expert any more. (published or not) has demonstrated a signicant level
This is in contrast to international titles awarded by FIDE, of chess ability and is recognized by being automatically
which are awarded for life. In European countries the awarded the lifetime title of National Master.

3
Life Master Life Master is a chess title awarded by the
United States Chess Federation (USCF). To be awarded
this title, one must hold a masters rating of over 2200 for
at least 300 USCF-rated tournament chess games.

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.[14] As of 31 January
2013, 22 players hold the National Master title, the ma[15]
During the 1990s, the USCF also awarded a Life Mas- jority of whom also have FIDE titles.
ter title on the basis of a dierent and more complex system that was similar to the FIDE 'norm system' of awarding titles. This method of attaining Life Master became 2 Problem chess
ocially recognized by the USCF on January 1, 1996.
The class norm system was later discontinued, and play- See also: List of grandmasters for chess composition
ers who had or were subsequently granted the title on the
300-game basis were renamed Original Life Masters.
Just as in over-the-board play, in problem chess the tiIn practice, the distinction is rarely made.
tles International Grandmaster, International MasAs the name of this title implies, this title is held for life, ter and FIDE Master are awarded by FIDE via the
regardless of any subsequent decrease in rating. Thus it PCCC (Permanent Commission for Chess Composition)
is possible to have a player with a USCF rating of 2100 for especially distinguished problem and study composers
(or below) who is a Life Master. While this is uncom- and solvers (unlike over-the-board chess, however, there
mon for 'Original Life Masters (since such a rating oor are no women-only equivalents to these titles in problem
can only be dropped by the USCF itself), it is relatively chess).
common for Life Masters who earned their title via the
now-defunct norm system, since the requirements for that
title did not require a rating of over 2200. This has led to 2.1 Composers
some holders of the USCF Life Master title having never
For composition, the title of Grandmaster for chess comobtained ratings above 2200.
position was established in 1959, with Andr Cheron,
Arnoldo Ellerman, Alexander Gerbstmann, Jan Hartong,
Canada The Chess Federation of Canada awards the and Cyril Kipping being the rst honorary recipients. In
title of National Master to players who achieve a na- subsequent years, qualication for the IM title, as well
tional rating of 2200, and three tournament performances as for the GM title (rst awarded in 1972 to Genrikh
(norms) of 2300 or more. It also awards National Kasparyan, Lev Loshinsky, Comins Manseld, and Eeltje
Woman Master and National Candidate Master titles.[9] Visserman) and the FM title (rst awarded 1990) has
been determined on the basis of the number of problems or studies a composer had selected for publication
England The English Chess Federation awards the title
in the FIDE Albums. These albums are collections of the
of National Master to players who achieve an ECF rating
best problems and studies composed in a particular threeof 200 or more (equivalent to a FIDE rating of approxiyear period, as selected by FIDE-appointed judges. Each
mately 2250). It also awards a number of lesser titles.[10]
problem published in an album is worth 1 point; each
study is worth 1; joint compositions are worth the same
Ireland Up until 1991, the Irish Chess Federation divided by the number of composers. For the FIDE Masawarded the title of Irish National Master to 15 players. ter title, a composer must accumulate 12 points; for the
International Master title, 25 points are needed; and for
The title has since fallen into disuse.[11]
the Grandmaster title, a composer must have 70 points.
Australia The title of Australian Master was introduced in 1959, and was awarded by the Australian Chess
Federation using 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.[12] 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.[13]

2.2 Solvers

For solvers, the GM (International Solving Grandmaster)

and IM titles were both rst awarded in 1982; the FM title
followed in 1997. GM and IM titles can only be gained by
participating in the ocial World Chess Solving Championship (WCSC):[16] to become a GM, a solver must score
at least 90 percent of the winners points and on each occasion nish in at least tenth place three times within ten
successive WCSCs. For the IM title they must score at
least 80 percent of the winners points and each time nNew Zealand The New Zealand Chess Federation ish in at least fteenth place twice within ve successive
awards the title of National Master using a points based WCSCs; alternatively, winning a single WCSC or scorsystem, based on performances in the New Zealand Chess ing 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 winners points and each time
nish within the top 40 percent of participants in any two
PCCC-approved solving competitions.

2.3

Judges
[17]

REFERENCES

[8] Meeting Minutes Board of Directors Meeting August

2002, United States Chess Federation, PO Box 3967,
Crossville, TN 38557
[9] CFC Titleholders | The Chess Federation of Canada - La
Fdration Canadienne des checs. Chess.ca. Retrieved
on 2013-10-23.
[10] Master Points System The English Chess Federation.
Englishchess.org.uk. Retrieved on 2013-10-23.

The title International Judge of Chess Compositions is

given to individuals considered capable of judging com[11] Irish National Master. Icu.ie. Retrieved on 2013-10-23.
posing tournaments at the highest level.

Correspondence chess

The International Correspondence Chess Federation

(ICCF) awards the titles International Master, Senior
International Master and International Correspondence
Chess Grandmasterthese 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 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.

See also
FIDE titles

References

[1] World Chess Federation. FIDE Handbook: Chess Rules.

1.0. Requirements for the titles designated in 0.31.
Archived March 15, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 December 2006.
[2] Hooper, David & Whyld, Kenneth (1996). Hauptturnier. The Oxford companion to chess (2 ed.). Oxford
University Press. p. 170. ISBN 978-0-1928-0049-7. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
[3] Current FIDE lists of top players with their titles are online at de.com Archived April 30, 2008, at the Wayback
Machine.. Retrieved 11 December 2006
[4] Players who maintain a 2200 rating over 300 games are
Life Masters USCF terms
[5] The USCF has a rating oor of 100
[6] FIDE page
[7] 701. C.F.C. RATING SYSTEM & FIDE RATED
EVENTS. CFC. Archived from the original on February 25, 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-24.

[12] Anne Sunnucks (1976). The encyclopaedia of chess (2nd

ed.). London: Robert Hale Ltd. p. 33. ISBN 978-07091-4697-1. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
[13] chessexpress: The Australian Master Title. Chessexpress.blogspot.com (2009-06-07). Retrieved on 2013-1023.
[14] http://www.newzealandchess.co.nz/NZCFdocs/Titles.
pdf
[15] Archived copy (PDF). Archived from the original
(PDF) on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
[16] Rules for the WCSC
[17] International judges

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