Will you become a CM ? ( or a NM, or a IM etc )

anyone can become GM , all that the person needs is 

PASSION , DISCIPLINE  , BASIC FUNDAMENTALS .

i did my MSc in mathematics when i was of age 30 . and i got the gold medal for it . i beat all the other young guys . so AGE  does not count as a factor in becoming a GM or anything else you want to become .

I think you are right. Reducing the rating requirements and charging a fee makes FIDE look like an organisation of seedy and unprincipled money-grubbers and makes anyone taking up the new titles look vain, and possibly they deserve any ridicule that they get.

However it is worth 2300+ players paying FIDE for the FIDE Master (FM) title as, at many tournaments, it entitles holders to large reductions in  entry fees, and often enough relieves holders from having to pay any fee at all.

I like it that chess titles are still very difficult to attain, and that no-one, setting out on the quest to master our game, can be sure of reaching whatever level they are aiming for, whether it be 2000, 2200, 2300, IM or GM. ANd I mean that no matter how high their IQ, how formidable their memory, how keen their competitive spirit, how much time they dedicate, how much they love the game, or how much "talent" they have (whatever that might be.

I also like it that there is no way of testing somone in advance to see if they have the pre-requisites to succeed at chess.  The only way to find out how good you could be is to try, to make a serious and sustained effort.

Possibly of interest:

https://www.chess.com/article/view/can-anyone-be-an-im-or-gm

What It Takes to Become a Chess Master by Andrew Soltis

https://web.archive.org/web/20140708093409/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review857.pdf

Reaching the Top?! by Peter Kurzdorfer

http://www.thechessmind.net/blog/2015/11/16/book-notice-kurzdorfers-reaching-the-top.html

What It Takes to Become a Grandmaster by GM Andrew Soltis

https://www.chess.com/article/view/don-t-worry-about-your-rating

procuring almost any degree is about discipline. chess is not like academic study, so, no.

if you believe so, go for it and report back to us.

Thanks for the posts.

I see that we now have a thread here asking: How easy is it to become a GM. As has been said before it is like becoming an officer in an Army. You don't plan to become a General within a year or two. You start off as a 2cnd Lieutenant ( after a training course ) and then try to move up from there going thru the ranks, slow and steady   lol. 

baddy, your logic wil never get in the way of some people's beliefs.

Thanks for the post AlCzervik. It seems that we all want to be able to do something well but the way some people throw GM titles around here in these threads you would think that we are talking about a reward at the same level as a participation ribbon ( I mean give me a break for pete's sake ).

Maybe Oprah hands out titles like Cadillacs?! You get a GM title! You get a GM title....

I won't. My dream is hitting 1800 FIDE some day.

No, of course not. Because I started playing chess this January 2016, at the age of 60. My ambition was to become chess.com daily 1300 within this year. Now I am 1294, almost 1300. As an old beginner, not bad, right? My life time dream is to become chess.com 1600 before I die. As for the game of go, I am KGS 2d and OGS 1k. Soon I will be OGS 1d. Having played go ever since I was 6, I guess that's the limit of my mind.

All my respect to you, sir.

I am trying to improve my best with my coach . He has 2 IM norms . We work daily . Let me know if someone wanna join training sessions . Thank you

I seem to have forgotten this thread again ! Anyway I need a laugh people so please start up some more of those: " I want to be a GM in a Week ! " and " I want to be a GM in a Month ! " threads   rofl.  

   ---   Anyone who has seen any of my Games can see that I'm not in danger of ever becoming a GM ( or even a CM ) and yet I do have a GM of my own. Well okay it actually is a cute little GMC Canyon pickup truck ( with the handy super-cab ) but hey it is a GM nonetheless   lol.    

I am already in my mid 40s and I don't have any natural gifts to play well. I have to study hard just to stay around 1000. Some people have the talent to play 1400-1500 without cracking a book. Probably no title for me unless they starting giving them away 

This was a long time ago, but seeing stuff like this is pretty sad. 16?!

I returned to active tournament play when I was 29, became expert when I was 30, and reached NM last year at 35. In the years in between expert and NM, I was relatively inactive in tournaments (averaging one tournament a year) up until the final year. The biggest obstacle was finding the time and money to study and travel to tournaments. If you actually feel old at a young age, maybe there is some issue with health and fitness that needs to be addressed. The ageism many chess players have is a needless psychological barrier.

   ---   Btw just to be clear I did not mean to put down the CM title when I said " or even a CM " earlier, however needless to say it is still a long way from that level to becoming an NM and then an IM before getting to the GM level ( nevermind the newer " Super GM " rating ). One could look at it as it is in the Army as an example. You have say a Captain, then a Major and moving on to Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel  etc etc.    

Thanks for the posts.