irene@epistemi.UUCP (Irene Orr) (12/11/85)
There are three ranks of international title: Fide Master (FM) International Master (IM) and International Grandmaster (IGM), as well as corresponding women's titles, which are prefaced by a "W". To get one of these titles, you must achieve a given rating performance over 26 games played in 2 or 3 tournaments of at least 9 rounds AND have a published FIDE rating over a certain minimum (2250 for FM, 2350 for IM and 2450 for IGM). The rating performance required varies according to the title, of course. At least one of the tournaments must be either an all-play-all event or an Olympiad. There are also rules about compostion of the tournaments - you may not play more than 5 players of the same nationality, and three of your opponents must hold the title you are trying for. The FM title is also awarded to players who have been rated over 2300 in two or more consecutive FIDE lists. The award of these titles is not automatic, if you achieve the requirements you must apply to FIDE & pay a fee for your title, but some national federations do this on behalf of their players. The norm is generally given as a score required under well-defined circumstances. For example, in a 10-player all-play-all tournament (ie. 9 rounds) where the FIDE ratings average between 2376-2400, the required score for an IM norm is 5.5 out of 9. If the average drops to 2374, the required score is 6/9. Should you earn your norms but have a FIDE rating below the mimimum for the title you have earned, the title is not awarded until your rating goes over the mimimum, but you do not lose your norms in the usual way - they expire after 5 years. While there are GMs who have ratings <2500, very few players go over 2550 without becoming GMs eventually. Titled players with low ratings are generally quite middle-aged. These days competition is so fierce for a GM title that few competent GMs would lose to a 2200 player, unless that player was vastly underrated, and probably only to a fast-improving junior (under-21) rated around 2275-2375 as happened in Lloyd's Bank Masters, London, August/September. As you may see from the above, it is quite hard to get a title, Irene Orr (...seismo!mcvax!ukc!cstvax!epistemi!irene)