Woman Grandmaster

Woman Grandmaster (WGM) is a player title awarded by FIDE, the International Chess Federation, to players eligible under its women's-title rules. It belongs to a series that includes Woman Candidate Master (WCM), Woman FIDE Master (WFM), Woman International Master (WIM), and WGM. It is separate from the open Grandmaster (GM) title. A woman can hold WGM, an open title such as International Master (IM) or GM, or several of these titles if she satisfies each set of rules.

The usual WGM route uses title norms, meaning tournament performances that satisfy special conditions. A WGM norm requires a calculated performance of at least 2400 against opponents whose adjusted average rating is at least 2180; a rating is a number used to estimate competitive playing strength. At least one third of the opponents, with a minimum of three, must be WGMs, IMs, or GMs, alongside further conditions on titled opponents and national federations. To receive WGM through norms, the norms must cover at least 27 games and the player must at some point have reached a 2300 rating.

A direct-title route also exists for specified FIDE results. In the current 2026 table, for example, reaching the last eight of the Women's World Cup earns the WGM title, subject to the general conditions that apply to direct titles.