Answers.Body: <p>The regulations for awarding titles are given in <a href="https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/B012022" rel="noreferrer">FIDE Title Regulations effective from 1 January 2022</a>.</p>
  <p>There are two routes to getting the GM title:</p>
  <ol>
  <li>norms and a minimum rating</li>
  <li>specific results in specific Championship events plus minimum rating</li>
  </ol>
  <p>You correctly identify the minimum rating for a GM title via norms of 2500 however &quot;specific results in specific Championship events&quot; is also another route with a different minimum rating.</p>
  <p>Here is what <a href="https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/B012022" rel="noreferrer">FIDE Title Regulations effective from 1 January 2022</a> has to say:</p>
  <blockquote>
  <p>0.6     The Award of Titles</p>
  <p>0.6.1      Titles may be awarded for specific results in specific Championship events, or are awarded on achieving a rating as laid down in these regulations. Such titles are confirmed by the QC Chairman on advice from the FIDE Office. They are then awarded by FIDE.</p>
  <p>0.6.2  <strong>For a direct title to be awarded immediately an applicant has to have achieved at some time a minimum rating as follows</strong>:</p>
  <p><strong>GM 2300</strong><br />
  WGM 2100<br />
  IM  2200    WIM 2000<br />
  FM  2100    WFM 1900<br />
  CM  2000    WCM 1800<br />
  If an applicant is rated lower the title is awarded conditionally and will be awarded finally on request by the respective federation as soon as the minimum rating is achieved.  Any player with a conditional title may take a lower title when they reach the required rating for that lower title.</p>
  <p>0.6.3     Titles are also awarded based on applications with norms with a sufficient number of games. These titles shall be awarded by the FIDE Council on recommendation by the QC.</p>
  </blockquote>
  <p>The titles and titles in which they may be gained via &quot;specific results in specific Championship events&quot; are described in <a href="https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/B01DirectTitles2017" rel="noreferrer">Table for Direct Titles effective from 1 July 2017</a>.</p>
  <p>The events and positions which can be used to gain the GM title are as follows:</p>
  <ul>
  <li>World Cup - last 16</li>
  <li>Women's world championship - winning the title</li>
  <li>World over 65 championship - winning the title</li>
  <li>World over 50 championship - winning the title</li>
  <li>Continental championship - winning the title</li>
  </ul>
  <p>Other events like World U20 and World U18 can give GM norms but not the title itself.</p>
  <p>There is also a minimum rating requirement as noted earlier for these direct title awards. For GM that is 2300.</p>
  <blockquote>
  <p>I recently came across a GM who has a peak rating 2495 and has obtained the GM title after completing 3 norms.
  ...
  Is this some kind of exception or has the player completed another special requirement that I'm unaware of?</p>
  </blockquote>
  <p>According to FIDE Title Regulations effective from 1 January 2022:</p>
  <blockquote>
  <p>1.5.3 To have achieved <strong>at some time</strong> a rating as follows:</p>
  <p>GM ≥ 2500</p>
  </blockquote>
  <p>So, the 2500 minimum rating required is a one-time rating which can be after a game in the middle of a tournament. It does not have to be maintained through to the end of the rating period.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-03-09T19:00:19.300Z
Answers.Text: I interpret the rules differently than you do. The Table 1.24b describes than you get **GM title** if you reach the Gold place, and this is also for the _World U20_. 
    
  And _1st equal - norm_ isn't the same as reaching gold.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Kasper Kivimäki
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Answers.CreationDate: 2022-03-09T11:09:21.347Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2022-03-09T11:09:21.347Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Brian Towers
Answers.Body: <p>A couple different ways:</p>
  <ol>
  <li>Winning a tournament like the World Junior or World Senior, which automatically confers a GM title to the winner</li>
  <li>Having a rating over 2500 after any game. This is to encourage players to finish tournaments where they achieved 2500 rather than dropping out if it's not the last round yet. Without looking too deeply, I would guess that this is the case here.</li>
  </ol>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-03-09T04:23:25.570Z
Answers.Text: so basically a live rating of 2500 is enough for GM?
Answers.UserDisplayName: cmgchess
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-03-09T09:29:10.127Z
Answers.Text: I think the rating of 2500 can have been any time in the past.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Ian Ringrose
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-03-09T09:42:18.347Z
Answers.Text: @IanRingrose rating history doesnt show 2500 touched at any point
Answers.UserDisplayName: cmgchess
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-03-09T10:09:48.443Z
Answers.Text: https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/7l2gv8/the_exact_requirements_for_becoming_a_gm_explained/. The last point cleared my doubt. Apparently it is live rating 2500. Thanks
Answers.UserDisplayName: cmgchess
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-03-09T14:20:07.297Z
Answers.Text: Winning a world tournament while not already having a 2500 - how often does *that* happen?  Seems pretty unlikely unless - just everybody else was having a really bad day?  (Might be more likely in the Junior than the Senior just since many of the contestants haven't played enough games yet, but still...)
Answers.UserDisplayName: Darrel Hoffman
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Answers.CreationDate: 2022-03-09T17:23:13.823Z
Answers.Text: A World Junior title does not confer the GM title, only one GM norm.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Brian Towers
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Answers.CreationDate: 2022-03-09T17:27:25.467Z
Answers.Text: @DarrelHoffman: I'm sure it would be very unlikely, but I can just barely imagine, say, a financially independent person spending several years of their life studying chess without actually playing in many (FIDE-recognized) tournaments. I'm not sure why one would choose to do that, however.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Kevin
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Answers.CreationDate: 2022-03-09T17:40:40.820Z
Answers.Text: i initially thought that 2500 published rating is needed. i checked this guys last event and the case here is definitely 2. he lost last round and lost some 4.5(approx 5) so he had reached 2500 live rating before that
Answers.UserDisplayName: cmgchess
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-03-09T17:45:15.080Z
Answers.Text: btw zonal events used to give direct IM so probably direct GM as well(for winner ofc)
Answers.UserDisplayName: cmgchess
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Answers.CreationDate: 2022-03-10T14:28:18.760Z
Answers.Text: I'm actually curious now as to who would be the lowest-ranked player ever to win a world tournament.  Not sure if it's worth asking a new question for it though...
Answers.UserDisplayName: Darrel Hoffman
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2024-05-10T17:38:19.163Z
Answers.Text: @kevin, avoiding rated games until near GM standard will reduce the number of rated games required as she/he would have a higher  K while building up rating to 2400.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Ian Ringrose
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Answers.UserDisplayName: Cleveland
Body: <p>I recently came across a <a href="https://ratings.fide.com/profile/5040299" rel="nofollow noreferrer">GM who has a peak rating 2495</a> and has obtained the GM title after completing three norms.</p>
  <p>From my understanding, in order to become a GM one must</p>
  <ul>
  <li>Achieve a FIDE rating of 2500, and</li>
  <li>Earn three GM norms.</li>
  </ul>
  <p>Is this some kind of exception or has the player completed another special requirement that I'm unaware of?</p>
  
Tags: <fide><rating><elo><grandmaster><norm>
Title: How is it possible for a player without 2500 ELO to obtain the GM title?
ThreadText: # How is it possible for a player without 2500 ELO to obtain the GM title?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2022-03-09)
  
  I recently came across a [GM who has a peak rating 2495](https://ratings.fide.com/profile/5040299) and has obtained the GM title after completing three norms.
  
  From my understanding, in order to become a GM one must
  
  * Achieve a FIDE rating of 2500, and
  * Earn three GM norms.
  
  Is this some kind of exception or has the player completed another special requirement that I'm unaware of?
  
  **Tags:** fide, rating, elo, grandmaster, norm
  
  
  ---
  
  ## 2 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_3 on 2022-03-09. Score: 13 | Accepted answer
  
  A couple different ways:
  
  1. Winning a tournament like the World Junior or World Senior, which automatically confers a GM title to the winner
  2. Having a rating over 2500 after any game. This is to encourage players to finish tournaments where they achieved 2500 rather than dropping out if it's not the last round yet. Without looking too deeply, I would guess that this is the case here.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: so basically a live rating of 2500 is enough for GM?  
  > **username_4**: I think the rating of 2500 can have been any time in the past.  
  > **username_0**: @IanRingrose rating history doesnt show 2500 touched at any point  
  > **username_0**: https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/7l2gv8/the_exact_requirements_for_becoming_a_gm_explained/. The last point cleared my doubt. Apparently it is live rating 2500. Thanks  
  > **username_5**: Winning a world tournament while not already having a 2500 - how often does *that* happen?  Seems pretty unlikely unless - just everybody else was having a really bad day?  (Might be more likely in the Junior than the Senior just since many of the contestants haven't played enough games yet, but still...)  
  > **username_1**: A World Junior title does not confer the GM title, only one GM norm.  
  > **username_6**: @DarrelHoffman: I'm sure it would be very unlikely, but I can just barely imagine, say, a financially independent person spending several years of their life studying chess without actually playing in many (FIDE-recognized) tournaments. I'm not sure why one would choose to do that, however.  
  > **username_0**: i initially thought that 2500 published rating is needed. i checked this guys last event and the case here is definitely 2. he lost last round and lost some 4.5(approx 5) so he had reached 2500 live rating before that  
  > **username_0**: btw zonal events used to give direct IM so probably direct GM as well(for winner ofc)  
  > **username_5**: I'm actually curious now as to who would be the lowest-ranked player ever to win a world tournament.  Not sure if it's worth asking a new question for it though...  
  > **username_4**: @kevin, avoiding rated games until near GM standard will reduce the number of rated games required as she/he would have a higher  K while building up rating to 2400.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2022-03-09. Score: 7
  
  The regulations for awarding titles are given in [FIDE Title Regulations effective from 1 January 2022](https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/B012022).
  
  There are two routes to getting the GM title:
  
  1. norms and a minimum rating
  2. specific results in specific Championship events plus minimum rating
  
  You correctly identify the minimum rating for a GM title via norms of 2500 however "specific results in specific Championship events" is also another route with a different minimum rating.
  
  Here is what [FIDE Title Regulations effective from 1 January 2022](https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/B012022) has to say:
  
  > 0.6 The Award of Titles
  >
  > 0.6.1 Titles may be awarded for specific results in specific Championship events, or are awarded on achieving a rating as laid down in these regulations. Such titles are confirmed by the QC Chairman on advice from the FIDE Office. They are then awarded by FIDE.
  >
  > 0.6.2 **For a direct title to be awarded immediately an applicant has to have achieved at some time a minimum rating as follows**:
  >
  > **GM 2300**  
  > WGM 2100  
  > IM 2200 WIM 2000  
  > FM 2100 WFM 1900  
  > CM 2000 WCM 1800  
  > If an applicant is rated lower the title is awarded conditionally and will be awarded finally on request by the respective federation as soon as the minimum rating is achieved. Any player with a conditional title may take a lower title when they reach the required rating for that lower title.
  >
  > 0.6.3 Titles are also awarded based on applications with norms with a sufficient number of games. These titles shall be awarded by the FIDE Council on recommendation by the QC.
  
  The titles and titles in which they may be gained via "specific results in specific Championship events" are described in [Table for Direct Titles effective from 1 July 2017](https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/B01DirectTitles2017).
  
  The events and positions which can be used to gain the GM title are as follows:
  
  * World Cup - last 16
  * Women's world championship - winning the title
  * World over 65 championship - winning the title
  * World over 50 championship - winning the title
  * Continental championship - winning the title
  
  Other events like World U20 and World U18 can give GM norms but not the title itself.
  
  There is also a minimum rating requirement as noted earlier for these direct title awards. For GM that is 2300.
  
  > I recently came across a GM who has a peak rating 2495 and has obtained the GM title after completing 3 norms.
  > ...
  > Is this some kind of exception or has the player completed another special requirement that I'm unaware of?
  
  According to FIDE Title Regulations effective from 1 January 2022:
  
  > 1.5.3 To have achieved **at some time** a rating as follows:
  >
  > GM ≥ 2500
  
  So, the 2500 minimum rating required is a one-time rating which can be after a game in the middle of a tournament. It does not have to be maintained through to the end of the rating period.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_2**: I interpret the rules differently than you do. The Table 1.24b describes than you get **GM title** if you reach the Gold place, and this is also for the _World U20_.     And _1st equal - norm_ isn't the same as reaching gold.  
  
  ---
  
  