, a chess grandmaster and a brilliant mind, has passed away at the age of just 29, leaving the whole world shocked and mourning. Known for his sharp talent on the board and his engaging live-streams and commentary online, Naroditsky had become a prominent figure in both elite and popular chess circles. The late chess player became a Grandmaster (GM) in 2013 at the age of only 18. He earned the title in the same year he won the US Junior Championship. Although the cause of Naroditsky’s death remains undisclosed as of now, many around the world can’t help but wonder how a teenage boy who became a GM even before surpassing his teenage years, met such a tragic fate.
What’s more? The discussion of chess has kicked off one of the longstanding curiosities over the title of a grandmaster – how does one earn it? What’s the youngest age to acquire it? Most of all, how many hurdles must one pass in order to become a grandmaster?
We can go back to The Queen's Gambit for a quick revision, but here, let’s cut to the chase and climb the stairs.
Becoming the Grandmaster: A beginner’s guide
Earning the title of FIDE Grandmaster (GM) is the pinnacle of achievement for any chess player — a badge of excellence that only a few thousand worldwide hold. To become a Grandmaster is one of the highest achievements in the world of chess — and while it’s a steep climb, the path is clear.
But how does one reach this rarefied level? The journey is both demanding and rewarding, requiring not only talent but also discipline, strategic learning, tournament success, and resilience.
Start young: Begin with a strong foundation
Though it’s never too late to improve, many grandmasters begin serious training early. A deep love for the game and commitment from a young age build the hunger and hours needed. Start by learning piece movements, tactical motifs, how the board works, opening principles, endgame essentials, and consistently practicing.
This “master the fundamentals” stage is the key to honing your skills.
During this phase, you should:
Learn how pawns, knights, bishops, rooks, and the queen work together.Solve tactical puzzles (pins, forks, skewers, discovered attacks) daily to build.Study basic endgames (king and pawn vs king, rook endgames) to build confidence in simplified positions.Once you ace the basics, you move ahead. Becoming a top-level player means being proficient across all phases of the game, which means:
Building an opening repertoire: learn your systems, understand the plans behind them, not just memorizing moves.
Training tactics daily: the ability to spot combinations, sacrifices, and tactical opportunities separates strong players.
Mastering endgames: many games at a high level are decided in late stages — know key endgame patterns firmly.
Practice, play, repeat
Titles aren’t awarded for online games alone — you must compete in rated, over-the-board tournaments under serious conditions. Participate in events with appropriate time controls, face strong opponents, learn from losses, and build stamina for long games.
Significant titles are earned over-the-board (OTB) in FIDE-sanctioned tournaments, so you must get experience playing rated events. According to FIDE title rules, you must play in tournaments that meet strict conditions to earn “norms”. During this stage, you have to participate regularly in rated tournaments and league events. While doing so, you’ll be learning competition skills, like time control, handling nerves, and post-mortem analysis of your own games. Aim to gradually increase your rating and gain exposure to stronger opponents.
However, at club level and beyond, consistency matters more than talent alone. Setting aside regular time for study, analyzing your games, learning openings, and reviewing grandmaster games is essential. To keep the ball rolling, keep a training diary – record your tournament games, mistakes, and lessons learnt. In addition, use books and online resources to deepen understanding of positional ideas (pawn structure, piece-activity). Most importantly, get feedback – either with a coach or stronger players to point out recurring weaknesses.
Understanding norms and the rating regulations
To become a Grandmaster, you must achieve both norms and reach a certain rating. The formal requirements set by FIDE for the GM title are:
Three GM norms: These are high-level performances in tournaments meeting strict criteria (for example, nine or more rounds, strong titled opponents, certain average ratings, international mix, etc).
Rating of 2500 (or more): You also need to achieve at least a 2500 FIDE rating at some point in your career.
In other words, you need to prove you can perform at GM-level in specific events and show a sustained high rating. Norms typically require a tournament performance rating of ~2600 (higher than your actual rating) against strong competition. This means playing against titled players, achieving a high score, and meeting federation or international mixture requirements.
Consistent high performance, steady mindset, and strong mentorship
Once you have passed the basic level and reached a high intermediate level, your study must become more refined, which includes:
Opening repertoire: Building a reliable set of openings where you are comfortable and understand typical plans.
Middlegame strategy: Learning about pawn structures, weak squares, piece maneuvers, and strategic decision-making rather than only tactical flair.
Endgame accuracy: Many titles are decided in the endgame, so mastering technical finishing is vital and of utmost importance.
Besides, regularly analyzing top-level games helps you internalize how grandmasters think.
How old should one be to become a Grandmaster?
There is no specific age-related criterion to become a chess Grandmaster; the title is based purely on performance criteria set by the International Chess Federation (FIDE).
Child prodigies like Abhimanyu Mishra became the world's , achieving the title at 12 years, 4 months, and 25 days old in 2021, breaking the previous record held by Sergey Karjakin, who was 12 years and 7 months old when he earned the title. On the other hand, Yuri Averbakh, a Russian and Soviet player, earned the title at the age of 100. He was the first centenarian FIDE (International Chess Federation) Grandmaster and continued to be involved in chess-related activities even after reaching 100. Averbakh passed away in May 2022.
The bottom line remains clear: consistency, resilience, and perseverance.
The journey to becoming a Grandmaster is long. However, amidst the cacophony of numbers and norms, lies a very human trait that can steer your ship to the top: grandmasters thrive on strict discipline, resilience after defeats, great mentorship, and a thriving community or club environment. Having a coach or mentor helps identify weaknesses, set training plans, and accelerate growth. Only a focused and willful mind enables one to implement that growth to achieve the glory.
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