FIDE Master

The FIDE Master (FM) title is an official over-the-board player title awarded by FIDE, the International Chess Federation. It belongs to the open series, meaning the series available to any player, and sits below International Master (IM) and above Candidate Master (CM). It is not merely an informal description of a strong player.

Unlike the Grandmaster and International Master titles, FM has an ordinary route based on rating, the number used to estimate a player's competitive strength, and it does not require collecting norms: the threshold is 2300. For ratings achieved after 1 July 2017, the regulations require the player to have played at least 30 rated games at that time. Reaching the threshold is what matters; a player does not have to remain above 2300 to keep the title.

FM can also be awarded directly for specified results in championships listed by FIDE. Direct-title rules can use minimum ratings different from the ordinary 2300 rating route. This is why an FM can legitimately have a current rating below 2300.