How to become a Woman International Master

What score does a Woman International Master norm need in a nine round event?

The score you need depends on how strong the field is. In a nine round event the Handbook annex ties each score to a band of average opponent rating, and for the Woman International Master title the lowest average it accepts is 2030 B01 1.4.8. A field averaging more than that asks for fewer points.

Take a field that averages 2170 after the floor. The annex asks for 5.5 of 9. Worked out here: that is 61.1% of the games, the rating table adds 80 points, and the performance rating is 2250, which clears the 2250 B01 1.4.8 line. Half a point less gives 2213, which does not.

What score does a Woman International Master norm need over eleven or thirteen rounds?

Longer events count more games, so the bands move up in half points. These are the Woman International Master bands for the two most common longer lengths.

How does the rating floor change a Woman International Master average?

If the lowest rated opponent is under the floor, that opponent counts at the floor when the average is worked out. For the Woman International Master title the floor is 1850 B01 1.4.6. Only that one opponent is lifted, in every game you play against them.

Worked out here: nine opponents, eight rated 2052 and one rated 1550. Counted at their own ratings they average 1996, under the minimum of 2030 B01 1.4.8. With the lowest lifted to 1850 the average is 2030, which meets it. The floor limits how far one weak opponent can lower the average; it does not stop a field of weak opponents from missing the line, and the games against the lifted opponent still count toward your total.

Which opponents does a nine round Woman International Master norm field need?

The mix is counted in opponents. In a nine round event the annex asks for at least 3 B01 Annex, 9 rounds opponents holding WIM, WGM, IM or GM and at least 5 B01 Annex, 9 rounds holding any title that counts for the Woman International Master mix.

Worked out here: a field of 3 holding WIM, WGM, IM or GM, 2 holding another counting title and 4 untitled players meets both counts. Trade one of the 3 for a player holding a different counting title and the total of titled opponents is unchanged, but the count of WIM, WGM, IM or GM falls one short.

How many events will your games add up to?

The total is set by games, not by events. Norms must cover at least 27 games B01 1.5.1, and a single event adds at most 13 games B01 1.7. Worked out here: with nine round events that is 3 events, and with thirteen round events it is 3; two events can add at most 26, so two are never enough.

What the Woman International Master title asks of you

The Woman International Master title is earned through norms in standard chess played over the board. Each norm is a single event in which your score, your opponents' strength and the mix of their titles and federations all meet the Handbook levels.

Set beside the open International Master title, the rating levels are lower. The International Master title asks for 2400 (B01 1.5.3), a performance rating of 2450 (B01 1.4.8) and an opponent average of 2230 (B01 1.4.8); the Woman International Master title asks for 2200 (B01 1.5.3), 2250 (B01 1.4.8) and 2030 (B01 1.4.8). The way a norm is built is the same, from the score minimum to the cap of 13 (B01 1.7) games one event can add. Unlike the Grandmaster and Woman Grandmaster titles, there is no requirement for an event with one round a day.

Reading a field before you enter it

The average of your opponents' ratings is not simply the average of the list. When it is worked out, the lowest-rated opponent is lifted to 1850 (B01 1.4.6) if rated below it, and an unrated opponent counts as 1400 (B01 1.4.6). Since only one player is lifted, a field with several weak players pulls your average down.

Look at titles next. At least 50% (B01 1.4.5a) of your opponents must hold one of the counted titles (GM, IM, FM, WGM, WIM or WFM), and at least 1/3 (B01 1.4.5e) of them, and not fewer than 3 (B01 1.4.5e), must be Woman International Masters, Woman Grandmasters, International Masters or Grandmasters. The Annex lists the exact rounded count for each event length, though who you actually face depends on the pairings.

Then look at federations. You need opponents from at least 2 (B01 1.4.3) federations other than your own. No more than 3/5 (B01 1.4.4) of your opponents may come from your own federation, and no more than 2/3 (B01 1.4.4) from any one other, both rounded down. A strong event drawn mostly from a single country can fail here.

Why a good result still does not always count

A player can finish happy with the score and still find there is no norm. The performance rating is the binding number, and the average opponent, after the floor and the unrated rule, decides what a score is worth. Reaching 35% (B01 1.4.8) is only the entry point.

Other causes are too few titled players, too many opponents from one federation, or an event too short to count. A norm event needs at least 9 (B01 1.4.1) games, with a few listed exceptions for team and cup events.

One of your norms must also come from an event that is not exempt from the federation rules. Zonal tournaments and the final stage of a national championship are among the exempt events, so a good result there does not cover that requirement on its own. Events must be registered at least 30 (B01 1.1.1) days before they start.

Building a calendar around the requirements

Start with the rating. If you have not yet reached 2200 (B01 1.5.3), look for events where you also meet titled opponents, so the same games serve both goals. Once you have it, choose events by field: titled opponents, federation mix, enough games, and some events that are not exempt from the federation rules.

Keep a running record of each event, the games it adds to your total and the reason it did or did not form a norm. A title won directly in a listed championship needs a rating of at least 2000 (B01 0.6.2) alongside the finish, so watch those events too.

Using a coach and the free tools

The first lesson is a paid first lesson in which George, an International Master, reviews your games and finds what costs you points against stronger opposition. He then builds a plan around the events you can reach.

The free title requirements checker shows what your application still needs, and the title norm calculator tests an event's opponents and results against the norm requirements. Both work from the same Handbook figures as the table above.