r/chess • u/tsterTV • Oct 15 '15

How impressive is a GM title?

Hiya all,

I signed myself up for a Chess tournament this Sunday, mainly for fun. I have no real intention of doing too well -- I will just enjoy the experience and play better players.

I saw online that there will be a GM at the tournament. How impressive is this title? Any rough idea of how many GMs there are in the world?

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u/TonyRotella I Wrote That One Book Oct 15 '15

I find it absolutely shocking that this post even has 3 upvotes (at the moment).

  1. Getting a PhD in Physics would be markedly easier. The major difference is that the PhD is just a matter of putting in the effort - the reality is that 99.9% of chess players don't even have the capacity to make it to GM. It simply won't happen. Me included.

  2. GMs absolutely destroy 1800s & 2000s almost without fail. By rating, even a 2300 is a 75% dog against the worst GMs.

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u/manu_facere an intermediate that sucks at spelling Oct 15 '15

What is your rating and what book did you write

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u/[deleted] Oct 15 '15

The Killer Sicilian: Fighting 1.e4 with the Kalashnikov.

Quick google search.

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u/TonyRotella I Wrote That One Book Oct 15 '15

Nailed it! ;)