Questions tagged [grandmaster]

The grandmaster (GM) title is the highest title awarded by FIDE. It is obtained by both acquiring a 2500 Elo rating, and achieving three "grandmaster norms," tournament performances of a sufficiently high standard.

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What is the most queens that have been on the board in a grandmaster game?

There are quite a few grandmaster games with 3 queens or 4 queens, but what is the highest number of queens on the board in a game between two GMs? I'd be interested in both the most on the board ...
Peter Flom's user avatar
8 votes
5 answers
830 views

Where can I watch live commentary and live matches between Grandmasters?

I want to watch live matches between GMs. In India here are no TV channels that provide me these matches.
Jaskaran Zap's user avatar
12 votes
5 answers
2k views

What do 2600 level grandmasters do to earn a living?

I want to know what a grandmaster does to earn a living, because if he has a 2600 rating then he is not able to win many tournaments.
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15 votes
1 answer
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What is the average age to become a grandmaster?

On average, what is the age of people when they obtain the title of international master or grandmaster? I also wonder how the age distribution looks like.
Maxwell86's user avatar
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3 votes
3 answers
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How can someone become the greatest chess player like Magnus Carlsen? [duplicate]

How can someone become the greatest chess player like Magnus Carlsen? I have been playing chess since I was 12 years old, but still I am an average chess player. Does it take genetics to become a ...
Pratik Joshi's user avatar
6 votes
3 answers
1k views

Learning my favorite grandmaster games by heart

I am novice with average of 1000 -1500 elo. If I start learning games played by grandmasters by heart, as in memorizing them, does it help me improve my chess skill, or it is a useless waste of time? ...
Dmitry Novice's user avatar
15 votes
4 answers
3k views

Why do some (many!) grandmasters play the opening so slowly?

I know it is never good to memorize opening lines and play them without understanding the plans and ideas, but still, I see so many grandmasters play moves from #5 to around #10 so slowly as if they'...
prestokeys's user avatar
7 votes
7 answers
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Can I become a GM by playing 100 games per day without studying books, strategy, etc?

Some things in life you learn by simply doing, not just doing it, but doing it a lot. Practice makes perfection. I don't believe no-one is born a GM. Even Kasparov had to practice a lot. So has ...
Eduard Roberts's user avatar
6 votes
7 answers
1k views

Just for fun and curiosity: is there cheating on professional chess tournaments/games?

Just for fun and curiosity. Has any GM ever tried to cheat during a game? Maybe even making (on purpose or not) an illegal move that was not caught by his opponent? NOTE: Of course when you are ...
Eduard Roberts's user avatar
8 votes
8 answers
8k views

Can almost anyone become a grandmaster if they devoted their life from age 6?

I hope that some stronger players have some insight or that their are some quotations from notable chess players that relate to the question.
CognisMantis's user avatar
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8 votes
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Do grandmasters ever disagree on what the main purpose of a move was?

I don't mean disagreeing on which move should be played, but why the chosen move was played. The reason why I ask is because if I study a game and read the annotater's explanation, I tend to ask ...
prestokeys's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
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Ranking of Baadur Jobava

I wanted to know the ranking of Baadur Jobava after his disastrous tournament in Tata Steel. But the only updated ranking list I found got to 2700 Elo and Jobava seems to be below this mark now. ...
Peter's user avatar
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12 votes
1 answer
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Is the 50-move rule ever used in grandmaster games?

The 50-move rule states that if no capture or pawn move occurs for 50 consecutive moves, then either player may claim a draw. It seems like the 50-move rule is never truly necessary to determine that ...
Zubin Mukerjee's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
977 views

Why is it rare to see unusual "special" opening preparation by trailing player late in a match?

Taking the recent Anand-Carlsen match as an example, I know that grandmasters spend incredible amounts of time in opening preparation, and Anand's play to refute certain lines of the Berlin defense ...
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11 votes
1 answer
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Do chess masters think with the board flipped when playing black?

Or do they always keep white on the bottom, as is the case with most historic games? Wouldn't it be easier for them to spot patterns from old games if they always oriented the board the same way in ...
user1837378's user avatar
9 votes
3 answers
925 views

Why do players think after they have made a plan?

I have seen many live competitions from top GMs, and I can usually see one thinking 15 minutes straight, then doing a tactical move. After some thinking from the other player, he does the main move, ...
MikhailTal's user avatar
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1 vote
5 answers
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Is it possible for any titled player to beat a chess engine?

This topic has been discussed before but I want to reopen this thread because of Stockfish vs Nakamura. I watched the series live on chess.com a few days ago In Game 2, I was hoping to see if ...
Lynob's user avatar
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10 votes
3 answers
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Average income for titled chess players

What is the average income for an IM? What about for a super GM? Is there an online site/resource that has these average incomes? Also only the ones that come from chess or chess-related activities(...
MikhailTal's user avatar
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24 votes
2 answers
1k views

Do Grandmasters think using algebraic notation?

Is algebraic notation used just to communicate chess moves in written and spoken form, or should players strive to use it during their thinking process as well? In Dan Heisman's excellent The ...
Nick's user avatar
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12 votes
1 answer
5k views

In the USA, if you achieve a USCF rating of 2200 and gain the National Master title, what happens if your rating then goes below 2200?

Is the "National Master" title awarded for your entire life? Or do you lose the title if your rating goes below 2200? I've heard that to get the title of National Master for your entire life you have ...
Fate's user avatar
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Has any other grandmaster gone as long undefeated like Capablanca?

Between 1916 and 1924, future World Champion J.R. Capablanca, as of 1921, experienced a period of eight years without a single tournament defeat. He was then regarded as one of the world's best ...
Tom Au's user avatar
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7 votes
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Which 20th century grandmster had the highest draw percentage in their career?

The title says it all. I am looking to learn and adopt a play style which does not necessarily win, but is typified as being incredibly difficult to actually win against, hence why I wish to know who ...
Anon's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
2k views

What are the benefits of becoming a chess (player, team or tournament) sponsor?

It is probably well known that Magnus Carlsen is sponsored by Arctic Securities. An example of a tournament sponsorship is the Annual Rilton Cup sponsored by the Rilton Foundation. What are the ...
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44 votes
15 answers
51k views

Can playing blindfold chess be learned or is it a natural skill?

Any blindfold players here? Just wondering if blindfold chess is a skill that can be learned by amateurs like me or a natural skill by chess GM's, IM's, etc.
LayoutPH's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
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Has the King's Indian Defense been refuted at the Grandmaster level?

I know about b4 in the bayonet and the Kramnik-Kasparov games of course.
concernedkid's user avatar
7 votes
8 answers
8k views

Can Grandmasters beat computers when given time-odds?

For eg., if a grandmaster is given 10:1 time odds, will he be able to beat a computer? For eg, if the GM is given 120 minutes for the entire game and the computer is given 12 minutes? If not 10:1 ...
guru's user avatar
  • 1,053
12 votes
4 answers
4k views

How to play a Grandmaster in a simultaneous?

Would you play well known Opening theory, or avoid it? What other strategies would you employ to beat a GM in a simultaneous? I have my own strategies which I've used. See link in my profile. But what ...
ezaspi's user avatar
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15 votes
2 answers
3k views

Why do Chess GMs need coaches?

Today chess.com did an interview with Carlsen's coach. Someone like Carlen or Anand, why do they still need coaches? Their Elo is higher than their coaches, they can use engines to analyze the games, ...
Lynob's user avatar
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10 votes
4 answers
685 views

The thin line between winning and losing at the top level?

At lower level, we often blunder many times and do not make the best moves, so there can be multiple ways to win. But at the top level, for example, during the candidate matches going on now, the ...
xaisoft's user avatar
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23 votes
9 answers
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Why is there a craze of becoming chess grandmaster?

Go to any online chess server, there are thousands playing and trying their best. These days there are even online coaches and titled players and people are ready to shed huge bucks for getting couple ...
RajSanpui's user avatar
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19 votes
2 answers
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What is the shortest known GM level OTB game to end with checkmate?

What is the shortest known on the board game played between GM rated players that ended with a checkmate? "Shortest" does not mean the game has to be very short. Note: Edited this question twice ...
Masked Man's user avatar
  • 1,006
11 votes
6 answers
31k views

Why and how do great chess players become "crazy"? [closed]

I know that this question may be for a more psychology-focus forum, and "great" is an understatement for players such as Fischer; yet, I want to know your opinion on this question. Is it intelligence? ...
Flair's user avatar
  • 435
17 votes
2 answers
3k views

How come chess prodigies seem to start at a young age?

I started looking into the history of a few grandmasters such as Fischer and Carlsen, so I wondered: why does it seem that chess "kings" and queens" start playing the game from a young age? Can anyone ...
Flair's user avatar
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27 votes
8 answers
5k views

Does the first-move advantage for White have real meaning apart from the highest levels of play?

Most games that involve taking turns, with one player going first by lot or agreement, have some sort of advantage to going first. Tic-tac-toe, for instance, is a guaranteed draw for player 1, ...
Jonathan Garber's user avatar
9 votes
1 answer
1k views

When was the term 'Super Grandmaster' first used?

According to the following wiki link, The unofficial title, "Super Grandmaster", is often used by players to refer to those with a 2700+ rating to distinguish the most serious world ...
Chetter Hummin's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
611 views

How has the Grandmaster title evolved?

The wikipedia article is a good starting point, but I'm also interested in how the specific regulations have changed over the years. Currently, 3 norms must be achieved1 in tournaments that adhere to ...
Andrew's user avatar
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11 votes
4 answers
3k views

Which chess website has the strongest players?

The debate on which is the "best" chess website tends to be subjective and thus is inconclusive. On the other hand, the site that has the strongest players should be objectively ascertainable provided ...
Bryan's user avatar
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