How to become a chess grandmaster [Criteria, Goals & Salary]

To become a chess grandmaster, you can:

• Study legendary matches played by chess grandmasters
• Memorize techniques and patterns through repetition
• Play classical chess, which means games with long time controls
• Play regularly and participate in tournaments
• Hone your skills, gain experience, and develop your strategic thinking abilities
• Embrace the way GMs play and think

To become a chess grandmaster, you must meet the following criteria:

• Have an Elo rating of at least 2500
• Achieve three favorable results from at least 27 games in a tournament
• Have a deep understanding of the game and a desire to learn and improve
• Play regularly and participate in tournaments
• Sharpen your tactical instincts
• Learn openings, middlegames, and endgames
• Learn how to learn and how to think in chess
• Memorize techniques and patterns through repetition
• Be physically conditioned
• Have a desire to win

To become a grandmaster, you must also achieve two goals:

• Earn a FIDE rating over 2500
• Win a specific number of GM norms

A GM norm is a tournament against other titled chess players.

Grand Master Salary:

In 2022, the average monthly salary for a chess grandmaster was around $3,500. However, this figure can increase if the grandmaster also coaches, with monthly earnings potentially rising to around $4,800.
Most grandmasters make a living with chess coaching and not from playing. They can charge up to $120 an hour.
Elite grandmasters can earn up to $100,000 from a chess game. Magnus Carlsen has a net worth of at least $25-$30 million dollars, and Vishwanathan Anand has around $15 million dollars.
The world’s wealthiest chess player is Hikaru Nakamura, who has a fortune estimated at around $50 million.