IM norm

An IM norm, where IM means International Master, is a title norm under FIDE, the International Chess Federation. It demonstrates an IM-level tournament performance in an event that, beyond the score itself, satisfies conditions on the strength and composition of the opposition.

Main conditions

• A performance of at least 2450, calculated from the score and the strength of the opponents.
• An adjusted average opponent rating of at least 2230. Rating is a numerical estimate of competitive playing strength.
• A score of at least 35 percent of the available points.
• At least half of the opponents must hold one of the player titles that FIDE counts for this rule, with Candidate Master (CM) and Woman Candidate Master (WCM) excluded.
• At least one third of the opponents, with a minimum of three, must be International Masters or Grandmasters (GMs). Rules also govern national federations, event format, and valid games.

For this calculation, the adjusted opponent rating floor is 2050. Under the regulatory conditions, at most one opponent can be treated as 2050 when the real rating is lower, solely for the norm calculation. To earn the IM title through the normal route, the norms must cover at least 27 games and the player must have reached a 2400 rating.