Many people have asked me about how the Grandmaster title was achieved by various women since the rules were changed many times. I will do my best to list them according to the best of my knowledge.
List of women who earned the GM title with 2 or 3 norms (with a minimum of 24 games) and 2500 rating:
1. S. Polgar (Hungary) WWC
2. J. Polgar (Hungary)
3. P. Cramling (Sweden)
4. Z. Chen (China) WWC
5. A. Stefanova (Bulgaria) WWC
6. H. Koneru (India)
List of women who achieved the GM title by winning the Women’s World Championship (there are no norm, minimum rating or performance rating requirements):
1. N. Gaprindashvili (USSR / Georgia) WWC
2. M. Chiburdanidze (USSR / Georgia) WWC
3. Xie Jun (China) WWC
List of women who received the GM title by winning the European Women’s Championship (there were no norm or 2500 rating requirements, only 1 GM norm in this tournament was needed. This rule has since been changed so this would not happen again. Now, at least 2 norms would be needed. It is unclear to me if the 2500 rating is required under the new rule):
1-2. A. Kosteniuk (Russia)
1-2. Z. Peng (Holland)
N. Zhukova (UKR) has 3 GM norms but no title yet because she does not have a 2500 rating.
I still think that FIDE should go back and award the GM title to all previous Women’s World Champion. I think if a precedent has been set with Gaprindashvili and Chiburdanidze as Women’s World Champions, the same honor should be given to all Women’s World Champions, especially when the GM title was given out to winners of the European Women’s Championship (with 2600 performance) which is a much lower honor than the Women’s World Championship.
Thank you for posting the list and clear up the confusion about how some women got their GM title. I never knew how Peng and Kosteniuk got their titles. Now I understand. It is kind of sad that some titles were watered down.
Mary
1 norm and GM title immediately? What is the deal with that? Why is FIDE doing this? That is not fair. Irina Krush also has 1 GM norm too and no title.
Maca
I do not understand why there should be a different standard for women. Why can’t the same rules apply to everybody? Women’s brains are as good as men’s, and men have no advantages in a chess match over women, so what gives?
Hi,Susan
I believe Zhu Chen earns GM title ahead of Stefanova. 🙂
There is a physical difference between men and women. Susan talked about it many times. For one or two games, it is the same. But in a long tournament, women potential may have a disadvantage.
Yolie
Susan I agree with you 100%. all the past world champions should get the GM title.
I love your blog. it is one of the very best on the internet. I love reading your comments. I did not know until a minute ago that there were comments to your blog.
I only learned about your blog from the San Luis tmt. Mig mentioned your blog. super good comments.
I also agree 199% with your comments on who should be considered World Champ and to forget about Kramnik. I never really considered Kramnik a World Champ anyway.
Unfortunately, I read many sexist comments on ICC watching the games. I suspect that if Judit were to win the title some people would not support her as champion. but I would. I have been rooting for her from the beginning.
I hope Judit has time after this tmt to get organized and can come back with a big winning tmt score. She certainly came close to scoring much better. I will continue to support her through the entire tmt.
However, I fully intend to take the winner of the tmt and consider him the World Champ. just like you said.
and lastly you are really wondeful for chess in the USA and the entire world. you are such a breath of fresh air and giving instead of taking. Love is Giving not taking. you are certainly spiritually advanced.
Tommy
To the anon who posted the following:
“I believe Zhu Chen earns GM title ahead of Stefanova. 🙂 “
If you reread the lists you will see that Stef is not placed above or earlier than ZHu Chen anywhere.
There are no dates listed for either person. They are in separate categories
I also agree with you Ms. Polgar. It’s unthinkable to give Kosteniuk and Peng the GM title for winning the European Women’s Championship and not Women’s World Champions like Vera Menchik. That’s outrageous. Kosteniuk is no Vera Menchik.
J. Lopez
Miami, Florida
Please, Peng / Kosteniuk are no Vera Menchik, not even by a mile.
Veronica
Kosteniuk is a lot stronger than Peng but not in the same class as Menchik, Chiburdanidze, Gaprindashvili or the Polgar sisters.
Liu
It is not fair to say some people ‘earned’ the title and some ‘received’ it like they did not do anything.
They all earned it according to valid FIDE rules. Men also have different ways to ‘earn’ a GM title, including single-norm events.
All the women mentioned are stronger than at least some of the many 100’s of male GM in the world today. In fact, they are under much closer scrutiny than the men so they can’t get away with all those doubtful norms that many men have used, even tournaments that did not exist.
It is very fair. It was harder to get 3 norms and 2500 rating than to win the women’s world championship in those days. Many women’s world champions were about 2300-2350. It is not fair for some women to get the GM title today for 1 norm. Obviously, FIDE made a very bad rule. That is why they changed it after Kosteniuk and Peng got the title.