Grandmaster Chess Games

World Chess Federation Tournaments

• FIDE is responsible for organizing Grandmaster chess games and also lower-level competitions. Additionally, FIDE sets globally accepted regulations for tournament play and etiquette, including the number of hours each participant can play per day, formulas for determining skill level and requirements for earning distinctions. Players advance through FIDE-sponsored tournaments and receive titles of honor based upon performance. In order to advance in title, a player must consistently perform above opponents holding higher titles. Thus, Master participants in FIDE tournaments seek promotion to Grandmaster by defeating current Grandmasters.

International and FIDE Arbiters

• FIDE requires that International and FIDE Arbiters oversee all Grandmaster-level chess games at approved tournaments. International Arbiters ensure that all games involving players from distinct nations are conducted fairly, in accordance with the rules of chess. FIDE Arbiters perform the same role within domestic chess tournaments. International Arbiters must be proficient in English and conversant in chess terminology within other common FIDE languages. This creates equality of communication for tournament participants across the globe. Many International Arbiters are retired chess players who have earned the Grandmaster title by competing in international tournaments.

Seeking the Grandmaster Title

• Grandmaster chess games may involve play between two current Grandmasters, but often these games entail a Master challenging a Grandmaster in pursuit of title advancement. Prospective Grandmasters cannot earn the title within a single game, but must achieve superior scores in a series of FIDE-approved tournaments. In cases of tournaments requiring players to participate in a large number of individual games, exceptional Masters may be able to earn the Grandmaster title within two years. Advancement to Grandmaster requires that a player achieve norms within two different tournaments. Players may achieve norms by earning a tournament performance rating of 2,600 or better, performing successfully against Grandmaster opponents from foreign nations and maintaining a low amount of thinking time per game.

Woman Grandmaster Games

• Grandmaster chess games may involve participants seeking the title Woman Grandmaster. The requirements for earning this title are less rigorous than those for the comprehensive Grandmaster distinction, which both men and women can earn. Woman Grandmaster games must adhere to all FIDE standards, but FIDE does not require title seekers to defeat multiple players with higher skill ratings or to participate in more than one tournament. Prospective Woman Grandmasters must play in an all-female tournament such as the Women's World Chess Championship or the Continental Women Championship and meet the tournament's title criteria. For example, the winner of the Women's World Chess Championship automatically earns the Woman Grandmaster title.