Both professional and amateur chessplayers can get ratings. These ratings are used to sort players into classes, and can be used to compare one player to another. Players get different ratings for regular tournament chess, for "blitz" (very fast) chess, for chess by mail and for chess on the Internet. (Some countries use the term "Elo" for a chess rating.)
In addition to ratings, professional players earn titles like Master and Grandmaster.
This FAQ explains how ratings and titles are earned, and how you can get a rating. We also have links to many of the national chess organizations that supervise the ratings for their countries.
Questions about Ratings |
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3. Titles vs. Ratings
Or, "What's an International Master, anyway?" |
How can I play chess on the Internet?
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Do you have any information on upcoming tournaments? Most of the individual federations keep lists of their tournaments. (In the US, try the United States Chess Federation at http://www.uschess.org/) Where can I get information on current international events? We provide in-depth coverage of some important events on our Features Page. For crosstables and game scores, see Mark Crowther's fantastic THIS WEEK IN CHESS, available from our Links Page. |
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FIDE (Federation Internationale d'Echecs), the international chess organization which grants the World Championship title held by Bobby Fischer, has a rating system used in international events. [The Professional Chess Association (PCA), has a similar system.] The system is based on formulas worked out by Dr. Arpad Elo, a Hungarian mathematician, and the ratings have been used for many years. Consequently in some countries the term "Elo" is used for a chess rating, as in "Her Elo is 200 points higher than mine."
Editor's Note: in 2001, the US Chess Federation announced adoption of a somewhat modified rating system. Please note that the remainder of this section was written in 1996. The exact numbers given would be slightly different now, but the principles are similar. A detailed mathematical explanation of the current formula is available on Mark Glickman's page.
It's a very accurate system, and it's based on the idea that the stronger your opponent, the more points you should get for beating them! For example, I'm in the top Amateur class. If I played a Grandmaster and won, I would get 30 points! If the Grandmaster beat me, he or she would get only 2 points. If you draw with someone who has exactly the same rating as you do, your rating will not change. Your rating is recalculated with every tournament game you play, so in that sense it's a little bit like a baseball "batting average"--it tells you how the player has been doing up until now, and how they're likely to do in their next game.
The average adult USCF tournament player is rated about 1450. Many beginners start out with ratings of 1000 or so, with scholastic players starting out at around 600. The average of all USCF players is about 1100. In the US, if your rating gets up to 2000, you get your first professional title: Expert. Masters are those rated 2200 or higher. A Grandmaster would normally be rated about 2500. (See the next section, which explains International Titles.) The highest rated players in the world on the FIDE system have ratings of about 2800. So, to get a rating, contact your national organization and find out when they have rated events that are open to new players.
In the United States, the USCF publishes a magazine called CHESS LIFE. Many bookstores with large magazine sections carry it, including many Waldenbooks. The back section of each issue is called TOURNAMENT LIFE: it includes a listing of rated events by state.
Here are a few links to current ratings lists.
Most countries keep separate ratings databases for:
Each of these have different qualities. Some people are great at correspondence, but not that strong at OTB (Over the Board) play. Some good Standard players have trouble with Blitz. So it makes sense to have separate ratings for the different kinds of chess.
For detailed information on the difference between Standard and Blitz, see our Time Controls FAQ.
Internet chess ratings are available online from the individual chess servers. Each server is like a single online chess club, and each has its own ratings formula and its own ratings database. The formulas are similar to the ELO formulas used by FIDE, but may vary slightly. Also, like official ratings, most of the online clubs keep separate rating lists for quick chess and slow chess. These clubs are not affiliated with FIDE.
Note: One of the most popular chess software programs, Chessmaster, had a "rate yourself" quiz which assumed an average player was 1600. This is actually slightly higher than the average USCF player. Several of the internet chess organizations, most notably ICC, later started out new players with an Internet rating of 1600, perhaps because so many people came in assuming they'd have similar ratings to those they got in the self-quiz in their standalone programs. In any case, by mid 2002 this had resulted in Internet ratings being somewhat higher than USCF ratings for average players. Above 2000, the difference tends to disappear.
To play at one of the online clubs, you need to connect online to the club and play there. Different clubs have different interface software that lets you see the pieces on your computer screen as you move them, and lets you use a mouse. Check out each club's Website for more information, or talk to the admins (staff) at each club to find out their suggestions and procedures. (For details on playing on the Internet, see our section on Playing Chess on the Internet.)
Although you can play as a guest at most of the online clubs, you will need to register in order to play rated games. Again, the admins at each club can help you with the registration procedure. Some clubs are free, some have an annual membership fee, and some offer a mix of free and paid services. Many people belong to more than one.
Some of the most popular online clubs are (listed alphabetically):I'm personally a member at many online chess servers, and enjoy playing at each. Just like different real world clubs, they have different atmospheres, rules, and offer different features: try them all out before making your decision about where to play!
"Masters don't play the same game that we do--it just happens to have the same rules as ours."
--Steve Kelly, Florida Chess Association
Having a high rating doesn't automatically get you a title, but obviously people with very high ratings are more likely to have titles.
International titles are awarded by FIDE (the international sanctioning body for tournament chess). The highest title is International Grandmaster, usually just called Grandmater, or GM. In 2003, there were about 800 Grandmasters worldwide, and fewer than 100 in the United States.
The next title down is International Master, or IM. In 2003 there were fewer than 2,200 IMs worldwide.
In addition to these two international titles from FIDE, national organizations usually have their own title system, which is generally based on rating. (FIDE's lowest title, FIDE Master, or FM, is also based on rating.) GM and IM, though, are more prestigious, in part because they are based on more than just rating.
Here's the catch: you can get a rating by beating anybody. Stack up enough wins against 1400 players, and you can get a 2200 rating. But in order to get a Grandmaster title, you have to be able to demonstrate how well you play against Grandmasters. Only your results in a FIDE-certified event count, and at least some of your opponents must be titled players. You then have to score a certain percentage (the exact percentage depends on the average rating of the opponents you play). If you make that percentage, you are said to "make a norm"--that is, you performed at the level that a Grandmaster would be expected to perform, against opponents that included some Grandmasters, for that event. The norm for an IM is set lower than the norm for a GM in the same event, but otherwise the system is the same.
And in order to get a title, you can't make a norm just once: you have to score a norm several times, usually three times in about 7 years. Also, online play doesn't count--you have to play in real "over the board" (OTB) tournaments, attended by a FIDE-certified tournament director/arbiter.
There are other requirements, too, such as the number of countries that have to be represented, and the total number of GMs in the event, and whether it's a round robin or a Swiss system. But these rules do change from time to time, and there are several exceptions, so it's best to check the FIDE handbook (link below) for current rules if you want to see all the specifics.
Most fans just need to know that getting a title requires more than just achieving a certain rating, and that there are multiple paths to becoming a GM, with the most common path being based on making three norms.
FIDE also reserves the right to review and certify every title application, so it's not an automatic award.
As we've mentioned, there are a few exceptions to the 3 norms rule. For example, at the time of this writing, the winner of the World Junior Championship was automatically awarded the GM title, For current regulations, see the FIDE handbook at the link below.
{My thanks to Tarjei J. Svensen of Norway for assistance with this section.)
Once you get the title, it's yours for life, no matter what happens to your rating. So, a Grandmaster is someone who, at least at one point in their career, was capable of scoring even or better against other Grandmasters. Normally a Grandmaster will have a rating of about 2500 or higher, and an International Master will have a rating of about 2400 or higher. It is possible, though, for an IM (International Master) to have a higher rating than a GM (Grandmaster), especially if the IM is improving and just hasn't earned all three GM norms yet.
So, when you look at tournament results, look for both ratings (how they've done recently) and titles (an indication of lifetime accomplishments).
International Titles
Current regulations are at FIDE handbook.
National US Amateur Classes
Remember, though, that an average tournament player is much better than most chess players in the world, and would probably be the best at their local cafe or even in a school club. A starting rating of 900 or 1100 shows that you're a good solid player at a nontournament level, and you're ready to start learning the intricacies of The Royal Game.
Copyright 1996-2008 Jamie Duif Calvin, California.
All rights reserved.
Last update on August 5, 2008