---
title: "Woman International Master in chess"
url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/woman-international-master.md"
canonical_url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/woman-international-master"
last_updated: "2026-11-07"
type: "reference"
summary: "Woman International Master is the second title in the women's FIDE series, earned through WIM norms and a rating of at least 2200."
related: ["https://georgelichess.com/glossary/woman-grandmaster.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/woman-fide-master.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/norm.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/international-master.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/title-application.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/tournaments-ratings-titles.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md"]
---

# Woman International Master in chess

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Woman International Master is the second title in the women's FIDE series, earned through WIM norms and a rating of at least 2200.

Woman International Master is the second title in the women's FIDE series, earned through WIM norms and a rating of at least 2200, or through qualifying results at certain women's events.

The Woman [International Master](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/international-master.md) title, written WIM, ranks below [Woman Grandmaster](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/woman-grandmaster.md) and above [Woman FIDE Master](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/woman-fide-master.md). A WIM norm is a performance of at least 2250 against opponents who average at least 2030, with at least 35 percent of the possible points scored, at least half the opponents holding titles other than CM or WCM, and at least a third of them, with a minimum of three, holding a WIM title or higher.

The [rating floor](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/rating-floor.md) for opponents in a WIM norm is 1850. For the title itself the applicant needs norms across at least 27 games and a rating that has reached 2200 at some time. A direct title needs a rating that has reached 2000 at some time, with conditional award below it.

Like the others, WIM covers over-the-board [standard chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/classical-chess.md), and the FIDE Council's confirmation makes it permanent. If you are planning a norm schedule, our norm checker applies the Handbook limits to the list of opponents you enter. See Woman Grandmaster, Woman FIDE Master and norm for the connected terms.

Also called: WIM.

Rating and title terms like "Woman International 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

- [Woman Grandmaster](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/woman-grandmaster.md)
- [Woman FIDE Master](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/woman-fide-master.md)
- [Norm](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/norm.md)
- [International Master](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/international-master.md)
- [Title application](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/title-application.md)

## Guides that go further

- [How to become a Woman International Master](https://georgelichess.com/titles/woman-international-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 (Clauses 0.5, 1.4.5 and 1.4.6), read 2026-10-21: https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/B012024
- FIDE Handbook B.01 FIDE Title Regulations, effective 1 January 2024 (Clause 1.5.3), 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

- [Woman Grandmaster in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/woman-grandmaster.md)
- [Woman FIDE Master in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/woman-fide-master.md)
- [Norm in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/norm.md)
- [International Master in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/international-master.md)
- [Title application in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/title-application.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)