The term "Grandmaster" often refers to a leader of a military or fraternal order, but in chess, it signifies the highest level of skill and achievement. If grandmasters represent the pinnacle of the game, how can there be more than one? And does a younger grandmaster automatically surpass an older one?
Fortunately, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) has clear criteria for awarding this prestigious title. In this article, Superprof breaks down how many grandmasters exist today and what it takes to join their ranks.
How Many Chess Grandmasters Are There?
As of 2025, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) has officially awarded the Grandmaster (GM) title to 2,157 players worldwide. This number reflects the total count of unique individuals who have earned the title since it was first introduced in 1950.
You can find this figure in the FIDE Title Holders database, which is updated regularly and includes title approvals from commission meetings and congresses. The GM title is awarded for life, meaning even retired or inactive players remain on the list.
While the overall number is over 2,100, the number of actively competing grandmasters fluctuates. In recent years, about 700–800 GMs have played in rated tournaments each year, maintaining competitive Elo ratings and appearing on FIDE’s monthly ranking lists.
What Is a Chess Grandmaster?
The title of chess grandmaster is the highest title that a chess player can attain, other than World Champion. The title of chess grandmaster is awarded for life and is only revoked if a player is involved in cheating or fraud.
To be called a chess grandmaster, it's not enough to be a chess prodigy and win every single chess match against anyone who sits across the table from you. You have to follow a set of steps and meet specific requirements before you can qualify for the title. And then, once you qualify, you have to apply to FIDE to grant it to you; it's not simply bestowed.
There are different paths to becoming a chess grandmaster, depending on the qualities you embody that are external to chess. Say, if you're a very young player or female.
You can find out about the best beginner chess lessons here.
Did you know that, long before The Queen's Gambit, women were making waves in chess? Find out about some of the most remarkable female chess grandmasters.
How do players become grandmasters?
Set aside, for now, the need for dedication to the sport and starting as young as possible - two personal factors that are essential to achieve the highest level of skill in chess. FIDE has specific requirements every player must meet to claim the title of grandmaster.
To become a grandmaster, players must meet the following requirements:
- Holding an Elo rating of at least 2,500
- Complete 3 norms, which are chess tournaments where at least three grandmasters from different countries play
A norm is a chess tournament in which at least three grandmasters from different countries also play. These tournaments impose a time control of at least 120 minutes and you must play at least nine rounds, some opposite a grandmaster. For a tournament to qualify as a norm, an international arbiter must oversee it.
Aspiring grandmasters must play in at least three such tournaments and generate at least a 2600 Elo performance in each for their efforts to count towards their grandmaster qualification.
How does the Elo rating system work?
In a tournament, both you and your opponent come to the chessboard with a rating earned by playing in other tournaments. If they are a stronger player, they have a higher rating and, if they're weaker, their rating is lower. Let's say they are a stronger player than you.
If you win the match, you will 'receive' some of your opponent's rating. Your rating will go up and theirs will go down.
The chess Elo rating system calculates players' skill levels.
By this we see that Elo is not a matter of accruing points that are forever attributed to you; you must constantly defend and improve your rating. Also, it shows that you must earn your rating; it's not bestowed upon you based on how many matches you play in.
You can build your rating by playing in chess tournaments sponsored by your local chess club. If you're still in school, you can join the chess club and compete against other schools in your area.
Naturally, you should become a member of your country's Chess Federation as well as a registered FIDE member.
Now, let's look at other ways a chess player can become a grandmaster.
Steps to Becoming A Grandmaster: FIDE Titles
Practically every chess player who is serious about the game sets their sights on the ultimate title: chess grandmaster. Those in the know aim for Super Grandmaster. That's not an official title but, as long as you're aiming, why not aim that high?
Like the martial arts with its belt system, FIDE provides a ranking system by which chess players can be categorized.
You don't have to progress through every rank to become a chess grandmaster.
Several GMs earned their title without first being an IM, Mikhail Tal and Anish Giri among them. And the legendary Bobby Fischer, the American chess prodigy who defeated Boris Spassky in the Game of the Century, was titled GM and IM simply because he qualified for them; not because he played for them.
The world of chess rankings is very different now; it's doubtful that any player would be accorded a title simply on their merits.
Let's talk more about the other paths to the IM title, now.
How Many Female Grandmasters Are There?
As of 2024, 42 women have been awarded the Grandmaster (GM) title by the International Chess Federation (FIDE).
Additionally, FIDE offers a separate Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title, which has different requirements and is exclusively for female players. As of 2020, there were 458 active WGMs globally.
The first woman to earn the GM title was Nona Gaprindashvili in 1978. Since then, the number of female grandmasters has gradually increased, yet they still constitute a small percentage of the total grandmaster population.
Winning a Chess World Championship
The stereotypical chess player is male, older, often white and somewhat nerdy. Oh, and they're probably all introverted, too. Real chess players hail from the four corners of the world. They come in all shapes, sizes, ages, levels of intellect and types of personality.
| Category | Competition | Title Awarded | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Players | World Senior Championship (50+ and 65+ divisions) | International Master (IM) | Second or third place finish |
| Female Players | Women's World Championship | International Master (IM) | Second place finish |
| Youth Players | World Junior Championships (U16 | U18) | International Master (IM); Winning the championship outright with an Elo rating of 2200+ |
| Youth Players | World Junior Championship (U20) | International Master (IM) | Second or third place finish with the requisite Elo rating |
In light of that, should international chess tournaments be one-size-fits-all affairs?
As previously mentioned, the chess world is very different from when Bobby Fischer ruled the game. Whereas he earned his grandmaster title when he was 15, today's chess sensation, Abhimanyu Mishra, is the youngest person ever to earn the IM title.
And, with two norms already under his belt and exceeding the number of points required, he's well on his way to breaking Sergey Karjakin's record for the youngest chess grandmaster.
Incidentally, Karjakin is from the country with the most chess grandmasters. Do you know which one?
Grandmasters Who Were Never World Chess Champions
Can you see how neatly FIDE took the semantics out of the rating debate? By establishing thresholds, players know exactly what the requirements are to earn each successive title. And, contrary to the term's definition, it's not the single, highest-rated chess player who is the grandmaster but all of those players who meet or exceed the ultimate FIDE-set threshold.
FIDE's system even lays out different ways for players to arrive at their titles.
Not every player follows the prescribed routes. Several chess grandmasters never competed for the World Championship title. Again discounting Fischer because his was an exceptional case, here are a few great names in chess who toiled out of the spotlight to win their titles.
Levon Aronian: a steady player with a good points standing who had the misfortune of competing for the World Championship title just as Magnus Carlsen was on the rise.
- Vasyl Ivanchuk: a chess elite whose misfortunes lie in being of the same chess era as Kasparov and Karpov
- Viktor Korchnoi, who was up against the same giants as Ivanchuk
- Efim Geller who forever played in Fischer's and Tigran Petrosian's shadows
- Paul Keres was cheated of his World Championship shot because of the Second World War
There are others, of course. Plenty of others. Their names and legendary chess skills prove that you don't have to follow every step FIDE laid out to become a grandmaster.
In short, you should do what all of the grandmasters of chess before you have done: dedicate yourself to the game.
About The Grandmaster Title
Overlooking how chess players achieved their grandmaster titles - whether they followed the prescribed path of ascendency or took a more direct route, and regardless of which category any player might fit in - Seniors, Juniors or Women, there are 2087 names on FIDE's list of chess grandmasters.
However, the number of currently active grandmasters is substantially lower because, once a player earns their title, it is theirs for life unless they are caught cheating.
That means that a chess player may retire from competition - meaning they are no longer a contender you have to play against, or they may become inactive - they're either taking a break from competitive play or they've stopped playing but haven't formally declared their retirement.
Even if they're no longer living, they are still listed on the FIDE grandmaster rolls.
If you consider only grandmasters who are active and meet the criteria for the title - active players with an Elo over 2500, the number of grandmasters shrinks to 735.
If you have plans to add your name to that roster, you might need to know who currently sits at the top of the list of chess grandmasters...
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