FIDE titles


The International Chess Federation, FIDE, awards several performance-based titles to chess players, up to and including the highly prized Grandmaster title. Titles generally require a combination of Elo rating and norms. Once awarded, FIDE titles are held for life, though a title may be revoked in exceptional circumstances. Open titles may be earned by all players, while women's titles are restricted to female players. A strong female player may have a title in both systems.
A chess title, usually in an abbreviated form, may be used as an honorific. For example, Viswanathan Anand may be styled as "GM Viswanathan Anand".

History

FIDE's first titles were awarded in 1950 and consisted of 27 [|Grandmasters], 94 International Masters, and 17 [|Woman International Masters].
FIDE's first GMs were:
The standards for FIDE titles were not formally defined, and were decided by a committee. In 1957, FIDE introduced norms for FIDE titles.

Open titles

The term "Grandmaster" had been in informal use for strong chess players for several decades before its official institution by FIDE in 1950. At the same time FIDE also instituted the lesser rank of International Master, and two further subordinate ranks, FIDE Master and Candidate Master, were later created. The requirements for each rank have varied over time, but generally require having demonstrated suitably strong skill in rated competition. Additionally, the World Federation for Chess Composition awards Grandmaster, International Master, and FIDE Master titles to people who demonstrate high skill in the field of composing and solving chess problems. Also, chess online titles that can be used in OTB official tournaments can be earned by online players.

Grandmaster (GM)

The title Grandmaster is awarded to outstanding chess players by FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain. Once achieved, the title is generally held for life. In chess literature it is usually abbreviated to GM. The abbreviation IGM for International Grandmaster can also sometimes be found, particularly in older literature. This title can be awarded to the players with an Elo rating greater than 2500 who achieve the required three title norms.
The title may also be awarded directly without going through the usual norm requirements in a few high level tournaments, provided the player has a FIDE rating of over 2300:
Players who have achieved an Elo rating greater than 2700, such as Viswanathan Anand, Garry Kasparov, Magnus Carlsen, and Vladimir Kramnik are sometimes informally referred to as "Super-GMs" to distinguish them as being among the world's leading players, rather than one of the approximately 1800 players who hold the Grandmaster title. There are 38 players who would qualify for this title as of January 2020.
Beginning with Nona Gaprindashvili in 1978, a number of women have earned the GM title. Since about 2000, most of the top 10 women have held the GM title. This should not be confused with the Woman Grandmaster title.
At 12 years and 7 months, Sergey Karjakin became the youngest person ever to qualify for the Grandmaster title.

International Master (IM)

The title International Master is awarded to strong chess players. Instituted in 1950, it is a lifetime title, usually abbreviated as IM in chess literature.
Normally three norms in international tournaments involving other IMs and Grandmasters are required before FIDE will confer the title on a player. IMs usually have an Elo rating between 2400 and 2500. Occasionally there may be an IM who has not yet become a Grandmaster but has a rating greater than 2500.
The IM title can also be awarded for a few specific performances. For example, under current rules, the runner-up at the World Junior Championship will be awarded the IM title if he or she does not already have it. Current regulations may be found in the FIDE handbook.
After becoming an IM, most professional players set their next goal as becoming a Grandmaster. It is also possible to become a Grandmaster without ever having been an International Master. Larry Christiansen of the United States, Wang Hao of China, Anish Giri of The Netherlands, and former world champions Mikhail Tal of Latvia and Vladimir Kramnik of Russia all became Grandmasters without ever having been an IM. Bobby Fischer of the United States attained both titles solely by virtue of qualifying for the 1958 Interzonal and 1959 Candidates Tournament, only incidentally becoming IM before GM. The more usual path is first to become an IM, then move on to the GM level.
At 10 years, 9 months, and 20 days, Abhimanyu Mishra became the youngest-ever person to qualify for the IM title in 2019.

FIDE Master (FM)

Introduced in 1978, FM ranks below the title of International Master but ahead of Candidate Master. The usual way for a player to qualify for the FIDE Master title is by achieving an Elo rating of 2300 or more. The current title regulations can be found in the FIDE handbook.
The youngest FM ever in chess history is Alekhine Nouri of the Philippines who was awarded the title after winning the 14th ASEAN Age Group Chess Championships 2013 in Thailand at age 7.

Candidate Master (CM)

Introduced in 2002, the usual way for a player to qualify for the Candidate Master title is by achieving an Elo rating of 2200 or more. Candidate Master ranks below other open FIDE titles.

Arena titles

FIDE awards online titles for people who play on its chess server.
Arena Grandmaster is the highest online title. It is achieved by a series of 150 bullet games, 100 blitz games or 50 rapid games with a performance rating of over 2000.
Arena International Master is achieved by a series of 150 bullet games, 100 blitz games or 50 rapid games with a performance rating of over 1700.
Arena FIDE Master is achieved by a series of 150 bullet games, 100 blitz games or 50 rapid games with a performance rating of over 1400.
Arena Candidate Master is achieved by a series of 150 bullet games, 100 blitz games or 50 rapid games with a performance rating of over 1100.

Women's titles

Though the open FIDE titles are not gender-segregated, the following four titles given by FIDE are exclusive to women and may be held simultaneously with an open title. The requirements for these titles are about 200 Elo rating points lower than the requirements for the corresponding open titles. These titles are occasionally criticized and not all leading female players have elected to take them; for example, Grandmaster Judit Polgár, in keeping with her policy of playing only open competitions, never took a women's title.

Woman Grandmaster (WGM)

Woman Grandmaster is the highest-ranking chess title restricted to women aside from Women's World Champion. FIDE introduced the WGM title in 1976, joining the previously introduced lower-ranking title, Woman International Master.
The WGM title represents a level of chess skill lower than that of the unrestricted Grandmaster title, and WGM requirements are also lower than the requirements for the unrestricted International Master title. The winner of the World Girls Junior Championship is automatically awarded the WGM title. The current regulations can be found in the FIDE handbook.

Woman International Master (WIM)

Woman International Master is next to the highest-ranking title given by FIDE exclusively to women. FIDE first awarded the WIM title in 1950.
The WIM title has lower requirements than the unrestricted International Master title. The runners-up in the World Girls Junior Championship are automatically awarded the WIM title. The current regulations can be found in the FIDE handbook.

Woman FIDE Master (WFM)

The WFM title is just above Woman Candidate Master in the women-only titles given by FIDE. The minimum rating for receiving this title is 2100.

Woman Candidate Master (WCM)

Woman Candidate Master is the lowest-ranking title awarded by FIDE.

Arbiters and trainers

FIDE also awards titles for arbiters and trainers.
The arbiter titles are International Arbiter and FIDE Arbiter.
The titles for trainers are FIDE Senior Trainer, FIDE Trainer, FIDE Instructor, National Instructor, and Developmental Instructor.