Answers.Body: <p>Australia has some grandmasters, but no top GM (2700+). The country's legenary GM, Ian Rogers, is a renowned chess journalist. You can see his chess reports all over the Internet.</p>
  
  <p>The other grandmasters either have a job or actively make a living by coaching. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Illingworth" rel="nofollow noreferrer">GM Max Illingworth</a> is a professional chess coach.</p>
  
  <p>I don't think anybody in Australia is able to make a living by just playing chess, grandmaster or not.</p>
  
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Answers.UserDisplayName: SmallChess
Answers.Body: <p>I know a few GMs in 2500-2600 range who would be considered professional -> ie chess provides the primary means of earning income for them.</p>
  
  <p>It is very hard work with wages not matching the effort/skill spent:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>Being the primary player for medium club team (European/Middle East/Far East)</li>
  <li>Teaching (preferably within said club as it guarantees steady supply of clients) </li>
  <li>Being an personal assistant/coach to another player </li>
  <li>Playing for hire for a stronger club in say Bundesliga lower boards</li>
  <li>Actually getting some prize money in medium sized tournaments </li>
  <li>Books provide a tiny bit of income, but mostly are used for name/brand building for the next item</li>
  <li>Selling training coarses - again only a few can make a living from this</li>
  <li>A growing but still insufficient means of income is streaming, a few personalities can pull it off</li>
  <li>Playing in special norm tournaments, in Eastern Europe GMs get about 250-350Euros for a week long tournament, where IMs/FMs/untitled have to pay 100-300 Euros to compete for GM norms.</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>That said most GMs around 2500 have other means of living besides chess.</p>
  
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Answers.Text: In your last bullet, is that 250-350Eur plus expenses? Otherwise, surely that's not profitable after you take into account travel, accommodation and meals?
Answers.UserDisplayName: David Richerby
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Answers.Text: @DavidRicherby It's not really profitable with or without expenses.
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Answers.Text: @SmallChess It might not be enough profit to make a living but being paid beyond your expenses is literally the definition of profit.
Answers.UserDisplayName: David Richerby
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Answers.Text: Yes, that really is 250-350 Euros for a week's worth of playing serious chess (9 rounds ). That would be above minimum wage in most of Eastern Europe. I paid 150 Euros (as an FM) to play in these tournaments. so 7 candidates paying versus 3GMs getting paid.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Sint
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Answers.Text: `That said most GMs around 2500 have other means of living beside chess.` I don't think. In Sri lanka most top players (2000 to 2200) living just from chess... Coaching, organizing torments, etc
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Body: <p>How is the life of a professional chessplayer with ELO around 2500? I mean, someone who is no doubt strong, but hardly a top GM? How does he make a living these days, if he hasn't another job?</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2017-12-15T10:51:59.550Z
Comments.Text: I don't think there are many, and they all do different things.
Comments.UserDisplayName: RemcoGerlich
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2017-12-23T17:48:11.707Z
Comments.Text: There are also people who got to 2500 for title purposes, but subsequently stop playing actively (especially if they become full-time trainers). As time goes by they only keep that rating in name, as they will find it harder and harder to hold their own against 2500-level opposition.
Comments.UserDisplayName: prusswan
Tags: <grandmaster>
Title: How is the life of a professional GM with ELO around 2500?
ThreadText: # How is the life of a professional GM with ELO around 2500?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2017-12-15)
  
  How is the life of a professional chessplayer with ELO around 2500? I mean, someone who is no doubt strong, but hardly a top GM? How does he make a living these days, if he hasn't another job?
  
  **Tags:** grandmaster
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: I don't think there are many, and they all do different things.  
  > **username_2**: There are also people who got to 2500 for title purposes, but subsequently stop playing actively (especially if they become full-time trainers). As time goes by they only keep that rating in name, as they will find it harder and harder to hold their own against 2500-level opposition.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 2 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_4 on 2017-12-15. Score: 29 | Accepted answer
  
  I know a few GMs in 2500-2600 range who would be considered professional -> ie chess provides the primary means of earning income for them.
  
  It is very hard work with wages not matching the effort/skill spent:
  
  * Being the primary player for medium club team (European/Middle East/Far East)
  * Teaching (preferably within said club as it guarantees steady supply of clients)
  * Being an personal assistant/coach to another player
  * Playing for hire for a stronger club in say Bundesliga lower boards
  * Actually getting some prize money in medium sized tournaments
  * Books provide a tiny bit of income, but mostly are used for name/brand building for the next item
  * Selling training coarses - again only a few can make a living from this
  * A growing but still insufficient means of income is streaming, a few personalities can pull it off
  * Playing in special norm tournaments, in Eastern Europe GMs get about 250-350Euros for a week long tournament, where IMs/FMs/untitled have to pay 100-300 Euros to compete for GM norms.
  
  That said most GMs around 2500 have username_0 means of living besides chess.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_5**: In your last bullet, is that 250-350Eur plus expenses? Otherwise, surely that's not profitable after you take into account travel, accommodation and meals?  
  > **username_3**: @username_5 It's not really profitable with or without expenses.  
  > **username_5**: @username_3 It might not be enough profit to make a living but being paid beyond your expenses is literally the definition of profit.  
  > **username_4**: Yes, that really is 250-350 Euros for a week's worth of playing serious chess (9 rounds ). That would be above minimum wage in most of Eastern Europe. I paid 150 Euros (as an FM) to play in these tournaments. so 7 candidates paying versus 3GMs getting paid.  
  > **username_6**: `That said most GMs around 2500 have username_0 means of living beside chess.` I don't think. In Sri lanka most top players (2000 to 2200) living just from chess... Coaching, organizing torments, etc  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_3 on 2017-12-17. Score: 6
  
  Australia has some grandmasters, but no top GM (2700+). The country's legenary GM, Ian Rogers, is a renowned chess journalist. You can see his chess reports all over the Internet.
  
  The username_0 grandmasters either have a job or actively make a living by coaching. [GM Max Illingworth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Illingworth) is a professional chess coach.
  
  I don't think anybody in Australia is able to make a living by just playing chess, grandmaster or not.
  
  
  ---
  
  