--- title: "Candidate Master in chess" url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/candidate-master.md" canonical_url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/candidate-master" last_updated: "2026-11-07" type: "reference" summary: "Candidate Master is the entry-level FIDE title for open play, awarded for reaching a standard rating of 2200. It is confirmed for life like other FIDE titles." related: ["https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fide-master.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/woman-fide-master.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/title-requirement.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/norm.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fide-rating.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/tournaments-ratings-titles.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md"] --- # Candidate Master in chess > **For AI agents:** the complete index of GeorgeLiChess pages is [llms.txt](https://georgelichess.com/llms.txt). Every page is also served as markdown at its URL plus .md. Candidate Master is the entry-level FIDE title for open play, awarded for reaching a standard rating of 2200. It is confirmed for life like other FIDE titles. Candidate Master is the entry-level FIDE title for open play, awarded for reaching a standard rating of 2200, and it does not count towards the title-holder share in norm calculations. The Candidate Master title, written CM, sits one step below [FIDE Master](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fide-master.md). Under the Title Regulations a player earns it by reaching a standard rating of at least 2200 at some time, with the same 30-game condition for ratings earned after 1 July 2017. Direct CM titles can also be awarded for a result in listed events, such as the Open and Women's [Olympiads](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/chess-olympiad.md), where the minimum rating requirement is waived. One detail catches people out in norm arithmetic: the rule that at least half of a norm's opponents must be title holders excludes Candidate Masters and Woman Candidate Masters, so a field full of CMs does not help a title seeker meet that share. The title is mainly a recognized milestone and a useful label on a tournament list. It is confirmed for life like other FIDE titles. Compare it with FIDE Master and with the women's counterpart, [Woman FIDE Master](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/woman-fide-master.md), and read [title requirement](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/title-requirement.md) for how each is earned. Also called: CM. Rating and title terms like "Candidate Master" matter once you know your next step, and the [improvement plans by rating band](https://georgelichess.com/improve.md) set out a weekly routine for each rating range. ## Related terms - [FIDE Master](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fide-master.md) - [Woman FIDE Master](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/woman-fide-master.md) - [Title requirement](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/title-requirement.md) - [Norm](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/norm.md) - [FIDE rating](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fide-rating.md) ## Guides that go further - [How to become a Candidate Master](https://georgelichess.com/titles/candidate-master.md): The requirements, each with its FIDE Handbook clause, and a checker for your own numbers. - [FIDE chess titles](https://georgelichess.com/titles.md): How the Candidate Master, FIDE Master, International Master and Grandmaster titles are earned, with every Handbook clause. - [Chess ratings explained](https://georgelichess.com/chess-ratings-explained.md): What a rating measures, how FIDE, Lichess, US Chess and chess.com compute theirs, and why the numbers differ. ## Sources - FIDE Handbook B.01 FIDE Title Regulations, effective 1 January 2024 (Clause 1.3.2), read 2026-10-21: https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/B012024 - FIDE Handbook B.01 FIDE Title Regulations, effective 1 January 2024 (Clause 0.6.2), read 2026-10-21: https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/B012024 - FIDE Handbook B.01 FIDE Title Regulations, effective 1 January 2024 (Clause 1.4.5), read 2026-10-21: https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/B012024 [Book your first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book.md) and George Li reviews your games and builds a study plan around them. Questions about lessons: write to hello@georgelichess.com. ## Related - [FIDE Master in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fide-master.md) - [Woman FIDE Master in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/woman-fide-master.md) - [Title requirement in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/title-requirement.md) - [Norm in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/norm.md) - [FIDE rating in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fide-rating.md) - [Chess terms: Tournaments, ratings and titles](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/tournaments-ratings-titles.md) - [Chess terms glossary: plain definitions](https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md)