Grandmaster

Did you know? You can now book a personalised video message from your favourite Grandmaster! 

Grandmaster (GM) is a designation given to chess players by the FIDE, the world chess federation. The highest accolade a chess player may receive is Grandmaster, which is second only to World Champion.  The following are all former chess grandmasters (GMs): Magnus Carlsen, Vishwanathan Anand, Sergey Karjakin, and Kimovich Kasparov.

The title is retained for life once won, though it has very rarely been withdrawn due to Cheating.

A competitor needs to accomplish both of the following to become a grandmaster: Two favourable results (called norms) from a total of at least 27 games in tournaments, and an Elo rating of at least 2500 at any point in their career (although they do not have to maintain this level to win or keep the title).

When a player wins the Women's World Championship, the World Junior Championship, or the World Senior Championship and their peak FIDE rating is at least 2300, the Grandmaster title is also automatically awarded without having to meet the aforementioned requirements.

Grandmaster titles have been given out by FIDE since 1995, except the three GM titles that have been annulled. 

One of the few players to have surpassed an Elo rating of 2800, Vishwanathan Anand made history in 1988 by becoming the first grandmaster from India. He first accomplished this achievement in 2006. He was chosen to serve as FIDE's vice president in 2022.