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In
chess, an ambition may be to learn a particular opening, to beat a
friend in five-minute chess, to win a club title, or another lofty goal.
These goals may change over time depending on the progress of preceding
goals. In chess, a handful of players decide on the ultimate aim of
becoming a Grandmaster through the world federation known as the
Fédération Internationale des Échecs, or by the acronym FIDE (fee-day).
This is the highest level of mastery in chess. Many often try to put
the Grandmaster title a context and compare it with a similar activity.
Some will say becoming a chess Grandmaster is equivalent to getting a
Ph.D. Let us be more realistic and agree that the two processes are
vastly different in their design and execution.
Is a GM title equivalent to a Ph.D. in Chess?
I
remember reading an article on ChessBase where the author presented
data citing the number of Ph.D. recipients at a California university
(in one year) eclipsed the number of those earning the GM title (in the
entire history). Thus, this was the basis for saying it is harder to
get a GM title than to get a Ph.D. These arguments are dubious and would
imply that rarity of completion determines difficulty of the task. Even
if we say that at least a GM has a Ph.D. in chess, the comparisons are incongruent. The point is that chess is a totally different type of process.
For
example, a chess player does not enroll into a highly-structured,
multi-tiered program (like getting a Ph.D. degree) within an accredited
institution, assigned to mentors for guidance and have to follow a
stringent set of rules, and spend years trying to prove the value of
esoteric subject matters. Even more challenging is having mentors and
administrators who can determine whether or not you advance through
three stages (i.e., coursework, qualifying exams, dissertation) each
having its own set of rules and challenges. Fortunately, chess may be
more practical because the individual has more control over their
destiny. Much is based on attained individual results with each
tournament being a rigorous staged exam.
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The chess GM is not merely a supreme chess player, they have the keen ability to ask a series of precise questions during play.
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What is a Grandmaster?
In
chess, the Grandmaster is the highest level of skill attainment. These
men and women have been sanctioned by the governing body as having
demonstrated an advanced understanding of chess through sport
competitions. The chess GM is not merely a supreme chess player, they
have the keen ability to ask a series of precise questions during play.
The difference between a GM and non-GMs is the GM not only has a deep
understanding chess ideas, they also understand which situations to
apply them and in which situations to deviate.
I interviewed GM Maurice Ashley in
a segment titled, "The Mind of Grandmaster" and he talked about how a
GM does not necessarily see the pieces as harboring unique movements,
but vessels of energy to be employed in the given position. He stated
that some situations causes a player to break long-established rules.
Sometimes rules get in the way of the truth of the position. If one
watches top level games you'll see ragged pawn structures deliver a
tangible value… or scattered pieces slowly gel into a coherent powerful
force.
On a more practical level, a Grandmaster invariably
serves as a model that aspiring chess players would like to emulate.
Many GMs were traditionally aloof and kept a distance with non-GMs, but
in the age of Internet chess, e-mail, text messaging, social networking,
the barriers between GMs and non-GMs have been reduced. It is easier to
approach strong players these days on a social level and this may be
one of the positive side effects of technology.
So… what do I do??
Remember
the chess player seeking to be a Grandmaster? The question he/she may
ponder more than, "What is a Chess Grandmaster?" is "How do I become a
Grandmaster?" This is not an essay on how to improve your skills to
reach Grandmaster level because there are countless books and learning
aids that do a great job. What this essay will do is give a basis primer
on the technical process of achieving Grandmaster through FIDE. There
are four things (at a minimum) that absolutely must happen to meet the
basic requirements for becoming a Grandmaster.
- First, score three Grandmaster results or "norms" in FIDE-sanctioned tournaments;
- Two, reach a minimum rating of 2500 in the FIDE rating system;
- Three, have the federation to complete all the required paperwork including norm certificates and pay the processing fees;
- Four, receive conferral by FIDE.
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Ultimately
the player's federation is responsible for submitting the packet which
includes, the title application form, norm certificates (with
crosstable), a fee as required by FIDE.
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As you
can see, there are a number requirements and each has its own set of
internal issues and politics. One is the stipulation concerning norms
and rating categories that determine the number of points needed for a
norm (see FIDE Handbook, section 1.4 on "International Title Regulations").
To give a thumbnail sketch, a player has to score a certain number of
points given the strength of his/her rated opposition. The stronger the
opposition, the fewer points needed; the weaker the opposition, the more
points needed.
The result is basically stating that a norm is
the score expected of a Grandmaster given the strength of their
opposition. In round robins, norm chances are strengthened since each
non-GM will play all the Grandmasters in the field. In Open tournaments,
you typically will play Grandmasters only if you are scoring well.
Thus, you may not get paired with the required three GMs if you fall off
the pace. There is a recent ruling that states that GM norms do not expire.
At this point in time, there are no considerations for earning more
than the required three. It may be a good future policy in FIDE to award
bonus ELO points to those who earn more than the required amount.
Ultimately the player's federation is responsible for submitting the packet which includes, the title application form,
norm certificates (with crosstable), a fee as required by FIDE. There
have been cases where the arbiter has not informed a player of receiving
a norm and/or did not issue a certificate after the tournament.
Sometimes the arbiters make mistakes, so it is up to the player to pay
attention to these details. It is also up to the federation to
investigate any problems with the application process. There have also
been many cases where federations do not submit the proper paperwork,
misplace the file… or forget altogether. The player may have to apply
pressure in these cases.
The final step is conferral by FIDE. The
governing body has a committee called Qualification Commission and they
view all the applications to make sure all the requisite documents are
present. They then proceed to vet the applications to ensure that the
tournaments are FIDE sanctioned and that the player's norms are
legitimate. Once the packets are found to be in order, a vote is taken
and conferral is granted.
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Another Path… Less Trod
There
is another path to the GM title, but this path is less likely. It
requires a player to win a World Championship level tournament (World
Championship, World Junior Championship, World Senior Championship).
This means the granting of the title is automatic if one wins clear
first. In the case of the World Championship, the top 16 will earn the
title if they have not already done so. Typically players placing in
these positions are already Grandmasters.
One
of the most controversial rules in FIDE is the automatic granting of
titles. The problem has come at the International Master (IM) and FIDE
Master (FM) level where problems of credibility have surfaced. For
example, in weaker chess regions where there are few titled players,
automatic awarding of titles are looked at with disregard by peers who
earned titles through three norms and rating requirements. There are
many cases where players earn the IM title and their ratings are well
below the required 2400 level… in some cases as much as 300-400 points!
This denudes the value of the title and this practice should cease. Such
problems are not likely to occur with the GM title, but the biggest
problems may be the legitimacy of tournaments where there norms were
earned.
If one achieves the Grandmaster title, it is certainly an
accolade worthy of praise and like no other. However, it carries
different meaning in different societies. Many Grandmasters are shocked
when they travel to a foreign country and do not get the public respect
they feel they deserve. I remember some Russian émigrés coming to
America in the 80s getting this rude awakening. I once heard a true
story about a person who was hosting a top Grandmaster in Israel, a
powerful chess nation. The two go into a business establishment where
they chat with the owner. The host excitedly introduces the owner to the
Grandmaster. The host politely shares in the excitement, but asks the
Grandmaster, "So… what do you do for a living?"
Most people do
not understand what a Grandmaster is and it is due to the failure of
marketing chess. FIDE should make sure that the prestige of these titles
are kept meaningful. There is a question of rating inflation and there
are those who say that GM title is not as meaningful as in the 50s and
60s. There is a divergence of opinion. Some say that chess players have
simply gotten a lot stronger in a shorter timeframe. I would agree. The
Ukraine's Sergey Karjakin earned
the GM title at 12 years and seven months and that record will
certainly be broken one day. Regardless of where you stand in this
argument and which path you have trodden, represent the GM title with
class… and give back to the chess community.
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