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Note: I really mean female IMs and not WIMs

All IM version: List of records for youngest international masters since 1950?

WIM version: List of records for youngest WIMs (woman international masters) since 1950?


On Wiki, we have the List of youngest grandmasters since 1950. What about female IMs instead of GMs?

Edit 1: Who was/were even the 1st female international master/s?

Edit 2: I guess Judit Polgar is on this list because:

With these three results, she completed the requirements for the International Master title; at the time, she was the youngest player ever to have achieved this distinction.[45] Both Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov were 14 when they were awarded the title; Polgár was 12.[46] It was during this time that former World Champion Mikhail Tal said Polgár had the potential to win the men's World Championship.[47]

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Who was/were even the 1st female international master/s?

As far as I can see from the Olimpbase data (pre 2001 when FIDE started publishing) Judit Polgar was the first at the remarkably early age of 12 in 1988. No female has beaten that record so her name is the only one on the list.

Excluding Judit Polgar still gives a very short list:

Year Name Age Fed
(1988 Polgar, Judit 12 HUN)
1992 Xie, Jun 22 CHN
2002 Kosteniuk, Alexandra 18 RUS
2002 Kuharenko, Svetlana 18 UKR
2003 Lahno, Kateryna 14 UKR

The point being that to win the title directly requires the player to win the World Open U16 title or higher so this is not an easy title that is handed to little children with low ratings.

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  • the first female IM was judit polgar? wow
    – BCLC
    Oct 1, 2021 at 19:51

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