How does one become a Chess Master?

Question

I was at a chess store this weekend and they had people playing chess in the back half of the store. There was a sign that says "Play Chess All Day $5, Masters Always Free."

How do you become a master? Who decides? Do you have to win something big or get points or something?

Answer 1

Hi,

     Yes!  You have to practice and win quite a lot.  You may like to visit my web page - link below.  Everything you ever wanted to know about chess but were afraid to ask.  PRINT any orthodox chess set and board in the world - FREE!  I hope this is helpful for you.

Yours,

Chesmayne.

Answer 2

gd question.

Unfortunately wearing a Tuxedo and bringing your own handmade ivory chess set won't fool them into thinking your a master.  Usually a master refers to someone with a certain number of points in the Chess Federation, which are gained through participating/ winning matches in chess tournaments.

Hope this helped.

Answer 3

There are three main official master titles awarded by FIDE, the international chess federation:

FIDE master - you have to achieve a FIDE rating of 2300. Ratings are given and changed when you compete in FIDE rated tournaments (most major tournaments in the world). The rating you get is determined by your score in the tournament and the ratings of your opponents.

International Master - a higher award. You must gain a number of "norms" (at the moment I believe it is 3) by performing in tournaments at a certain level. E.g. a tournament may have an IM norm of 6.5 out of 10, based on the strength of the players in the tourney. If you score 6.5 points or more, you get a norm. You also need to have a rating of 2400 as well.

International Grandmaster - the highest master award. Gained the same way as for IM but the requires score for a GM norm is greater. In that tournament you may need to score say 8/10 to gain a GM norm.

There are a few other ways - e.g. if you win a zonal tournament (qualification round for the world championship title) you automatically become an IM, no norms needed.

There are also a few other titles, such as WGM, Woman Grandmaster, Candidate Master, etc.