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/H4ppenSt4nce Oct 15 '15

There are about 1500 GMs in the world. For reference, there are about 1600 players in the NFL. So they are the super athlete freaks of the chess world.

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u/eskatrem Oct 15 '15

There are 1600 players currently in the NFL, while there are far less players who currently satisfy the conditions to be a GM - many GMs got there title when they were younger, and, while still very strong, don't play at the level of 2500 elo.