Grand chess master biography

Title in chess awarded uncongenial FIDE

Grandmaster (GM) is a give a ring awarded to chess players exceed the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Master hand is the highest title uncomplicated chess player can attain. Once upon a time achieved, the title is reserved for life, though exceptionally ethics title can be revoked fulfill cheating.

The title of Artist, along with the lesser FIDE titles of International Master (IM), FIDE Master (FM), and Runner Master (CM), is open appraise all players regardless of coitus. The great majority of grandmasters are men, but 42 battalion have been awarded the GM title as of , thrash out of a total of reflect on grandmasters.^[1] There is also organized Woman Grandmaster title with discount requirements awarded only to cohort.

There are also Grandmaster distinctions for composers and solvers be totally convinced by chess problems, awarded by influence World Federation for Chess Design (see List of grandmasters backer chess composition). The International Proportionality Chess Federation (ICCF) awards honesty title of International Correspondence Cheat Grandmaster. Both of these admass are now independent of FIDE, but work in cooperation know it.

"Super grandmaster" is blueprint informal term to refer hearten the world's elite players. Persuasively the past this would intend to players with an Elo rating of over , nevertheless as the average Elo cave of the top players has increased, it has typically destroy to refer to players climb on an Elo rating of disdainful Super GMs have some label recognition and are typically prestige highest earners in chess.^[2][3]

FIDE honours are awarded at the four times a year FIDE Council meetings. Players who have qualified for the GM title but have not thus far been awarded it are conversationally referred to as "GM-elect".^[4][5][6]

History

Usage method grandmaster for an expert reap some field is recorded deprive ^[7] The first known not easy of the term grandmaster find guilty connection with chess was scuttle the 18 February issue make a fuss over Bell's Life, in which unadulterated correspondent referred to William Pianist as "our past grandmaster".^[8] Later, George Walker and others referred to Philidor as a maven, and the term was further applied to a few subsequent players.^[8]

Early tournament use

The Ostend altercation of was divided into bend over sections: the Championship Tournament unthinkable the Masters' Tournament. The Benefaction section was for players who had previously won an universal tournament.^[9]Siegbert Tarrasch won the Espousal section, over Carl Schlechter, Dawid Janowski, Frank Marshall, Amos Elegance, and Mikhail Chigorin. These drive out were described as grandmasters choose the purposes of the combat.

The San Sebastián tournament won by Akiba Rubinstein was clean up designated grandmaster event.^[8] Rubinstein won with 12½ points out do in advance Tied for second with 12 points were Aron Nimzowitsch take Rudolf Spielmann.^[10]

By some accounts, sound the St. Petersburg chess game, the title Grandmaster was officially conferred by Russian Tsar Bishop II, who had partially funded the tournament.^[9] The Tsar reportedly awarded the title to grandeur five finalists: Emanuel Lasker, José Raúl Capablanca, Alexander Alekhine, Siegbert Tarrasch, and Frank Marshall. Cheat historian Edward Winter has problematical this, stating that the first known sources that support that story are an article invitation Robert Lewis Taylor in loftiness June 15, , issue recall The New Yorker and Marshall's autobiography My 50 Years after everything else Chess ().^[11][12][13]

Informal and Soviet handling before

Before , the title grandmaster was sometimes informally purposeful to world class players. Blue blood the gentry Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE, or International Chess Federation) was formed in Paris in , but at that time exact not award formal titles.

In , the Soviet Union's Cheat Federation established the title bring in Grandmaster of the Soviet Combining, in the form of blue blood the gentry German loan word "Großmeister". Contention the time Soviet players were not competing outside their suppleness country. This title was investigate b be received c clean in , after having back number awarded to Boris Verlinsky, who won the Soviet Championship.^[14] Decency title was brought back coach in , and awarded to Mikhail Botvinnik, who thus became illustriousness first "official" Grandmaster of say publicly USSR. Verlinsky did not finalize his title back.^[14]

Official status ( onwards)

In FIDE created the honours of Grandmaster (GM), International Genius (IM) and Woman Master (WM, later known as Woman Worldwide Master or WIM). The maestro title is sometimes called "International Grandmaster" (IGM), possibly to differentiate it from similar national distinctions, but the shortened form not bad far more common today.

Titles were awarded by a fraud of the FIDE General Company and the Qualification Committee, be dissimilar no formal written criteria. FIDE first awarded the Grandmaster honour in to 27 players. These players were:

• The top name of the day: world titleist Mikhail Botvinnik, and those who had qualified for (or bent seeded into) the inaugural Lea Tournament in Isaac Boleslavsky, Intensity Bondarevsky, David Bronstein, Max Euwe, Reuben Fine, Salo Flohr, Missionary Keres, Alexander Kotov, Andor Lilienthal, Miguel Najdorf, Samuel Reshevsky, Vasily Smyslov, Gideon Ståhlberg, and László Szabó.
• Players still living who, notwithstanding that past their best in , were recognised as having archaic world class when at their peak: Ossip Bernstein, Oldřich Duras, Ernst Grünfeld, Boris Kostić, Grigory Levenfish, Géza Maróczy, Jacques Mieses, Viacheslav Ragozin, Akiba Rubinstein, Friedrich Sämisch, Savielly Tartakower, and Metropolis Vidmar.

Since FIDE did not grant the Grandmaster title posthumously, top-notch players who died prior converge , including World Champions Steinitz, Lasker, Capablanca, and Alekhine, on no account received the title.^[15] A passive strong still living players much as British India's Mir All-powerful Khan, Germany's Paul Lipke shaft France's Eugene Znosko-Borovsky were turn on the waterworks awarded titles. Sultan Khan was awarded the GM title posthumously in

regulations

Title awards out of the sun the original regulations were subject-matter to political concerns. Efim Bogoljubow, who had emigrated from decency Soviet Union to Germany, was not entered in the chief class of Grandmasters, even while he had played two matches for the World Championship discover Alekhine. He received the designation in , by a elect of thirteen to eight look after five abstentions. Yugoslavia supported fulfil application, but all other Marxist countries opposed it. In , FIDE abolished the old ethics, although a provision was repaired that allowed older masters who had been overlooked to pull up awarded titles. The new custom awarded the title of Cosmopolitan Grandmaster of the FIDE communication players meeting any of illustriousness following criteria:^[16]

1. The world champion.
2. Masters who have the absolute right get on the right side of play in the World Espousal Candidates Tournament, or any competitor who replaces an absent adversary and earns at least uncut 50 percent score.
3. The winner neat as a new pin an international tournament meeting given standards, and any player rating second in two such tournaments within a span of span years. The tournament must facsimile at least eleven rounds surpass seven or more players, 80 percent or more being Supranational Grandmasters or International Masters. As well, 30 percent of the name must be Grandmasters who hold the absolute right to sport in the next World Patronage Candidates Tournament, or who imitate played in such a competition in the previous ten years.
4. A player who demonstrates ability obviously equal to that of (3) above in an international tourney or match. Such titles blight be approved by the Reservation Committee with the support declining at least five members.

regulations

After FIDE issued the title maxim, it was recognized that they were somewhat haphazard, and drain began to revise the etiquette. The FIDE Congress in Vienna in adopted new regulations, cryed the FAV system, in brownie points of the work done by virtue of International Judge Giovanni Ferrantes (Italy), Alexander (probably Conel Hugh O'Donel Alexander), and Giancarlo Dal Verme (Italy). Under the regulations, ethics title of International Grandmaster weekend away the FIDE was automatically awarded to:

1. The world champion.
2. Any sportswoman qualifying from the Interzonal battle to play in the Green Tournament, even if he frank not play in the Green for any reason.
3. Any player who would qualify from the Interzonal to play in the Field but who was excluded in that of a limitation on class number of participants from consummate Federation.
4. Any player who actually plays in a Candidates Tournament swallow scores at least 33⅓ percent.

The regulations also allowed titles add up be awarded by a FIDE Congress on recommendation by loftiness Qualification Committee. Recommendations were home-produced on performance in qualifying tournaments, with the required score aide on the percentage of Grandmasters and International Masters in justness tournament.^[17]

regulations

Concerns were raised put off the regulations were too unworthy amateur. At the FIDE Congress sophisticated , GM Milan Vidmar whispered that the regulations "made purge possible to award international distinctions to players without sufficient merit". At the Congress in Reaper Aviv, a subcommittee was au fait to propose changes to class regulations. The subcommittee recommended ensure the automatic award of adornments be abolished, criticized the arrangements used for awarding titles family circle on qualifying performances, and titled for a change in description makeup of the Qualification Cabinet. Several delegates supported the subcommittee recommendations, including GM Miguel Najdorf who felt that existing manners were leading to an splashiness of international titles.^[17] At interpretation Congress in Wiesbaden FIDE protuberant the standards required for supranational titles. The International Grandmaster label regulations were:

• 1. Any Replica Champion is automatically awarded dignity GM title
• 2a. Anyone who hoard at least 40 percent coach in a quarter-final match in greatness Candidates Tournament
• 2b. Scores at slightest the number of points consign a tournament corresponding to greatness total of a 55 proportion score against Grandmasters plus 75 percent against International Masters (IM) plus 85 percent against new players (a GM "norm").

To fulfil requirement 2b, the candidate ought to score one GM norm knoll a category 1a tournament copycat two norms within a three-year period in two Category 1b tournaments, or one Category 2a tournament and one Category 1b tournament.

The categories of tournaments are:

• 1a—at least sixteen company, at least 50 percent sit in judgment GMs and 70 percent go rotten least IMs
• 1b—at least twelve delegate, at least 33⅓ percent GMs and 70 percent IMs
• 2a—at nadir fifteen players, at least 50 percent IMs
• 2b—ten to fourteen panel, at least 50 percent IMs.

Since FIDE titles are for perk up, a GM or IM does not count for the effectiveness of this requirement if proceed had not had a GM or IM result in say publicly five years prior to blue blood the gentry tournament.

In addition, no supplementary contrasti than 50 percent plus look after of the players can emerging from the same country look after tournaments of 10 to 12 players, or no more go one better than 50 percent plus two promote larger tournaments.

Seventy-four GM distinctions were awarded in through At near that period, ten GM adornments were awarded in , on the contrary only one in and answer ^[18]

regulations

The modern system go all-out for awarding FIDE titles evolved distance from the "Dorazil" proposals, presented acquaintance the Siegen Chess Olympiad FIDE Congress. The proposals were put away together by Wilfried Dorazil (then FIDE Vice-President) and fellow Cabinet members Grandmaster Svetozar Gligorić stomach Professor Arpad Elo. The recommendations of the Committee report were adopted in full.^[19]

In essence, influence proposals built on the outmoded done by Professor Elo conduct yourself devising his Elo rating plan. The establishment of an updated list of players and their Elo rating enabled significantly robust international chess tournaments to have someone on allocated a Category, based undergo the average rating of righteousness contestants. For instance, it was decided that 'Category 1' condition would apply to tournaments criticism an average Elo rating warm participants falling within the organize –; similarly Category 2 would apply to the range – etc. The higher the meeting Category, the stronger the combat.

Another vital component involved blue blood the gentry setting of meritorious norms friendship each Category of tournament. Name must meet or surpass decency relevant score to demonstrate drift they had performed at Master hand (GM) or International Master (IM) level. Scores were expressed importance percentages of a perfect farthest score and decreased as rectitude tournament Category increased, thereby teaching the strength of a player's opposition and the relative question mark of the task.

Tournament organisers could then apply the percentages to their own tournament intrigue and declare in advance representation actual score that participants have to achieve to attain a GM or IM result (nowadays referred to as a norm).

To qualify for blue blood the gentry Grandmaster title, a player obligatory to achieve three such GM results within a rolling turn of three years. Exceptionally, providing a player's contributory games totalled 30 or more, then picture title could be awarded classical the basis of two much results. There were also setup where the system could well adapted to fit team handiwork and other competitions.

The comprehensive proposals included many other laws and regulations, covering such topics as:

• Eligible tournament formats
• Eligible participants
• Unrated participants
• Registration of tournaments with FIDE
• Calculations, including the handling of fractions

Current regulations

To become a grandmaster, on the rocks player must achieve both albatross the following:

• Favorable results (called norms) from a total look up to at least 27 games count on tournaments. With some exceptions, switch over receive a norm in uncut tournament:
  • The player's performance designation at the end of blue blood the gentry tournament must be at small (Tournaments are no longer restricted in categories.)
  • At least 33% execute the player's opponents must put right Grandmasters.
  • At least 50% of interpretation player's opponents must hold clean up FIDE title other than Nominee Master and Woman Candidate Master.
  • The player's opponents must have aura average rating of at bottom
  • The player's opponents must take up from at least 3 discrete chess federations, which can contain the player's own federation.
    • A maximum of 60% of smart player's opponents can come steer clear of the player's own federation.
    • A utmost of 66% of a player's opponents can come from cool single federation.
  • At least one usual must be scored at systematic Swiss tournament with at bottom 40 participants of average evaluation of and above.^[20]
• An Elo excessive of at least at dick point (although they need crowd together maintain this level to accept or keep the title).
  • The rating requirement can be gratification even if the player sporadically a tournament rated below opinion then reaches or exceeds clean up rating during the tournament on the other hand eventually concludes the tournament sign out a rating lower than

The Grandmaster title is also necessarily conferred, without needing to meet the above criteria, when motion the final 16 in honesty World Cup, winning the Women's World Cup, the World Secondary Championship, or the World High up Championship, or a Continental Brome Championship,^[21] given that the player's peak FIDE rating is erroneousness least Current regulations can cast doubt on found in the FIDE Handbook.^[22]

FIDE titles including the grandmaster headline are valid for life, nevertheless FIDE regulations allow a give a ring to be revoked for "use of a FIDE title on the other hand rating to subvert the just principles of the title shabby rating system" or if neat player is found to suppress violated the anti-cheating regulations block out a tournament on which dignity title application was based.^[22]

Exact cryptograph canon can be found in excellence FIDE Handbook.

Title inflation

A write-up prepared by Bartłomiej Macieja target the Association of Chess Professionals mentions discussion at the FIDE congress of regarding a detected decrease in value of primacy grandmaster title.^[23][24] The number some grandmasters had increased greatly among and , but according pocket Macieja,^[23] the number of list players rated over had affixed even faster. Since that FIDE congress, discussion of the payment of the grandmaster title has occasionally continued.^[25]

Honorary grandmasters

Starting from , FIDE awarded honorary Grandmaster awards to 32 players based concealment their past performances or distress contributions to chess. The masses players have been awarded nominal Grandmaster titles. Marić and Honfi were awarded the title posthumously in the year of their death, and Sultan Khan 58 years later.

• – Julio Bolbochán, Esteban Canal, Borislav Milić, Carlos Torre Repetto
• – Traitor Denker
• – Lodewijk Prins, Raúl Sanguineti
• – Vladimir Alatortsev, Alexanders Konstantinopolsky, Erik Lundin
• – Eero Böök, Stojan Puc
• – Beset Golombek, Mario Monticelli, Jaroslav Šajtar
• – Arthur Dake, Theodor Ghițescu
• – Vladimir Makogonov, Vladas Mikėnas, Bogdan Śliwa
• – George Koltanowski
• – Andrija Fuderer, Rudolf Marić (posthumously)
• – Dragoljub Minić
• – Heinz Lehmann, Rudolf Teschner
• – Jonathan Penrose^[26]
• – Károly Honfi (posthumously), Enrico Paoli
• – Péter Dely
• – Elmārs Zemgalis
• – Sultan Khan (posthumously), Andreas Dückstein, Iivo Nei

See also

References

Bibliography

External links