International Grandmaster

English

Alternative forms

• international grandmaster

Noun

International Grandmaster (plural International Grandmasters)

1. (chess) Synonym of Grandmaster; the highest rank of chess player.
   • 1970, The Encyclopaedia of Chess, St. Martin's Press, page 157:

     A book containing portraits of International Grandmasters against whom he has played has been published in Switzerland, entitled Henri Grob the Artist.

   • 1973, Frank Brady, Profile of a Prodigy: The Life and Games of Bobby Fischer, Revised edition, David Mckay Company, page 20:

     International Grandmaster Bisguier was defending champion. World Junior Champion Lombardy was a strong favorite, and International Grandmaster Reshevsky even stronger.

   • 2010, Robert Epstein, Teen 2.0, Linden Publishing (Quill Driver Books), page 180,

     For Americans the greatest chess legend of all time was Bobby Fischer, who became the youngest international grandmaster in history in 1958 at age fifteen and who eventually (in 1972) became World Champion in a celebrated bout with the Soviet Union's legendary Boris Spassky.

   • 2016, Alex Dunne, The United States Junior Open Chess Championship, 1946-2016, McFarland & Company, page 13:

     He earned the title of International Grandmaster in 1957 and appeared on the first USCF rating list (1950) with a rating of 2394.

Usage notes

• In informal use before titles were standardised by FIDE from 1950. The term has persisted as a synonym, along with its abbreviation IGM. The short version is now much more common.