Ideas, Openings & Improvement

A norm is a strong tournament performance. You need 3 norms (plus the right rating) for IM and GM titles.

There are approximately 2,000 living Grandmasters. Here is the breakdown by country and era.

The "master" threshold is 2200 FIDE. But different federations have different standards.

What separates a CM from a GM? It is more than just rating. Here is what each title actually means in practice.

Earning a chess title requires a combination of rating and norms. Here is how the system works.