Q&A for How to Become a Grandmaster

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  • Question
    How do I become good in one day?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    Chess is a "slow" game. Expect to improve slowly.
  • Question
    Is it possible to become a GM in a few months?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    If you mean a few months after you first learn the game, that's quite unlikely. "Many years" is more likely, even for a very dedicated player.
  • Question
    Points like 2876 or 2789 or something means what?how these points would be calculated!
    Community Answer
    It's based on a complex formula of how many FIDE tournaments you attend, your record, and the strength of your opponents. You can check your FIDE score on their website or calculate your score at https://ratings.fide.com/calculators.phtml
  • Question
    I m 36 years old and I wish to become GM.is there any upper age limit?
    Community Answer
    There is no upper age limit.
  • Question
    Can an intermediate player follow these steps?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    Yes, these steps can help you achieve the level of expert, the next step toward becoming a grandmaster.
  • Question
    I already have a United States Chess Federation membership and rating. Will I use the same rating when I register for FIDE?
    Community Answer
    No, you will receive a new rating after you play in a FIDE rated tournament.
  • Question
    How do I become a grandmaster in chess? Do I need to be a certain age?
    Community Answer
    The easiest way to become good at something is the time-old mantra of 'practice makes perfect.' If you want to become a grandmaster in chess, you must play the game with others or with bots until you can effectively win against most. Then you must play in tournaments until you have ascended to the national level of play. Then you will be considered a grandmaster. There are bot levels that set the skill to grandmaster level and tell you your exact proficiency rating, or 'ELO'. The highest rating is grandmaster (around 3000). There is no age limit; some children are extremely gifted at playing chess.
  • Question
    How do I check my current rating?
    Eric Li
    Community Answer
    Your rating type depends on where you live. For example, if you live in the USA, then you have a USCF rating and if you live in Canada you have a CFC rating. To check your current rating, simply visit your country's chess organization site and find the "rating lookup" function.
  • Question
    How do I get an FIDE membership?
    Community Answer
    Go to the FIDE website. You will need to pay a fee.
  • Question
    Starting a chess training at the age of 32 years, is this sufficient to become a GM?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    It would be extraordinarily difficult to do that, but they say nothing is impossible!
  • Question
    If I become an FIDE member, does it disqualify me from scholastic tournaments?
    Community Answer
    No, it doesn't. You can still play in scholastic tournaments if you wish. But I would suggest sticking to either one or the other because you may get very mixed up with which points you have.
  • Question
    What is the annual income of a grandmaster?
    Community Answer
    Grandmaster is a title, but not a job. Being a grandmaster does not pay you anything.
  • Question
    Can unrated players join?
    Community Answer
    If you are referring to FIDE membership, yes, you just need to pay the membership fee.
  • Question
    How should I practice to become a grandmaster?
    Community Answer
    Play with better players and you will become stronger. Go step by step, keep practicing and don't give up.
  • Question
    How much can I spend on the chess grandmaster?
    Community Answer
    There is no limit for this.
  • Question
    How do I confuse my opponent?
    Community Answer
    Try repeating moves, but not three times of course. This will confuse your opponent and make them think that you don't know what you are doing.
  • Question
    What do you mean by ELO?
    Community Answer
    ELO is just a ranking scale if you play tournaments. An ELO of 2300+ is Grandmaster.
  • Question
    What is the best defense against e4 ,d4 and c4?
    Community Answer
    For e4: play c5 (sicilian defense) or e5 (king's pawn). For d4: play d4 (queen's pawn). For c4: this is a very uncommon opening called the bird's opening. I don't know of any specific defense against this.
  • Question
    Does a USCF membership count as an FIDE membership?
    Community Answer
    No, a USCF membership does not count as an FIDE membership. If you play in an FIDE-rated tournament, and play against at least 9 FIDE-rated players, your national federation will typically submit your results to FIDE to get an FIDE rating. At that point, you will be assigned an FIDE member number.
  • Question
    How do I get the ratings?
    Community Answer
    Play in a FIDE tournament, and you'll get ratings. You will need to play at least one FIDE rated player.
  • Question
    What is the lowest age limit to play chess?
    Community Answer
    There is no limit. You can play at any age.
  • Question
    If I'm 16 and I play chess daily, how long will it take for me to become a GM?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    It's hard to say. It depends on one's talent level and time constraints. Regardless of age, it would probably take ten or more years.
  • Question
    Do I place tournaments on the FIDE website or do I have to travel long distances in order to just to play chess to become a grandmaster?
    Community Answer
    You can play tournaments on the FIDE website without needing to travel anywhere.
  • Question
    How do I train when playing chess?
    Community Answer
    Just play a lot, review your games, study other peoples' strategies, and practice, practice, practice.
  • Question
    How can one play chess blindfolded?
    Community Answer
    You have to have a good visual memory, and be able to visualize the chessboard clearly and remember all the position changes. You also need a high level of concentration. It helps to know every piece by feel alone.
  • Question
    Ian a 12 year old boy and I have always wanted to be a GM is this possible?
    Community Answer
    It is possible, but it requires persistence and concentration. If you study chess a lot, you might get to the GM level.
  • Question
    Is it possible to beat an expert bot in chess at the highest difficulty?
    Community Answer
    Yes, it is possible but rare. Even the world champion would win 1 % of all games he plays against the bot.
  • Question
    How long do I need to be playing chess to become a grandmaster?
    Community Answer
    It will usually take at least a few years to become a GM but it depends on how much you play and how well you learn the game strategies.
  • Question
    I'm 13 years old is this enough to become a GM?
    CHRISTOPHER GOYMERAC
    Community Answer
    Yes, it is. There is no age limit to become a GM. The youngest GM ever was Magnus Carlsen. He was also 13 when he became a GM.
  • Question
    I have an ELO of 1300 in 1 month. When will I become a grandmaster?
    Mathias Lee
    Community Answer
    Just keep practicing, and time will tell. There will be no specific time when you'll get it. Progress is based on how much effort you put into it.
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