Chess titles: from FM to grandmaster

A title is awarded neither by a club nor by a country but by FIDE, the world chess federation, and it is held for life. Once you earn it, it stays with your name forever, even if your rating later drops.

There are two families of titles: open (for everyone) and women's.

Open titles (from lowest to highest)

• CM - Candidate Master: rating threshold 2200.
• FM - FIDE Master: rating threshold 2300.
• IM - International Master: rating 2400 plus three norms.
• GM - Grandmaster: rating 2500 plus three norms.

For CM and FM it is enough to reach the required rating once, with no norms. For international master and grandmaster you need both.

Women's titles

The same ladder, only with lower rating thresholds (about 200 points):

• WCM - Woman Candidate Master: 2000.
• WFM - Woman FIDE Master: 2100.
• WIM - Woman International Master: 2200 + three norms.
• WGM - Woman Grandmaster: 2300 + three norms.

What a "norm" is

A norm is a top result at a single tournament confirming that you are playing at the level of the title. To count, the tournament has to meet several conditions: usually at least 9 games, opponents from several different federations and a certain number of already titled players, plus a rating performance at the level of the title (around 2450 for international master, around 2600 for grandmaster). You need three of them, at different tournaments.

Open or women's?

Many people get this wrong: the open titles are not "men's" titles. Anyone can earn GM, IM, FM and CM. The women's titles are an additional ladder, only for women players, with somewhat lower thresholds. That is why the strongest women players in the world hold the open grandmaster title, earned under exactly the same conditions as the men. A player may hold an open and a women's title at the same time.

Examples from home

Here the legendary Svetozar Gligoric was a world-class grandmaster for decades and a Candidate for the world championship. Among the women, Alisa Maric is a woman grandmaster and one of the strongest players our chess has had. Behind every one of these letters stand years of work rather than a title handed out as a gift.