Arbiter’s exercise: Armenian player M participates in a 10-round Swiss tournament. After 9 rounds, his results are:

FM – 2254 - FID - 1

FM – 2329 - RUS - 0.5

FM - 2367 - BLR - 0.5

GM - 2270 - MDA - 0

NONE - 2204 - UZB - 1

FM - 2275 - FID - 1

IM - 2482 - ARM - 0.5

GM - 2491 - KAZ - 0

IM - 2385 - UKR - 1

IM - 2392 - KGZ - ?

He asks the arbiter before Round 10 whether he can achieve an IM norm. If yes, what result does he need in his final game against “IM – 2392 – KGZ”? How does the answer change if the opponent “GM – 2491 – KAZ” is replaced with a “CM – 2097– KAZ”?

Arbiter’s Analysis according to FIDE title regulations:

IM norm requirements include:

  • 9 games played
  • Opponents from at least two federations other than the applicant’s
  • At most 3/5 opponents from the applicant’s federation and at most 2/3 from any single federation
  • At least 50% of opponents hold FIDE titles: GM, IM, FM, WGM, WIM, WFM
  • At least 1/3 of opponents, minimum three, must be IMs or GMs

Player M’s average opponent rating after 10 rounds is 2344.9. An average rating of 2340–2377 requires 6.5 points for an IM norm.

Verdicts:

  1. Player M currently has 5.5 points after nine rounds. He must WIN his final game to reach 6.5 points and achieve the IM norm.

  2. If the “GM – 2491 – KAZ” is replaced by a “CM – 2097– KAZ”, the average opponent rating drops to 2305.5. The required score then becomes 7.0 points. Since the maximum possible is 6.5 points, the IM norm becomes impossible.