Peter Markland

[NickFaulks]

I know that FIDE occasionally awards an Honorary Grandmaster title.

Only once this century, in 2003.

[Paul McKeown]

I know that FIDE occasionally awards an Honorary Grandmaster title.

Only once this century, in 2003.

"very occasionally" then...

What are the circumstances that have lead to this title being awarded to a few players?

[NickFaulks]

What are the circumstances that have lead to this title being awarded to a few players?

Before my time, but I would assume political machinations.

[Kevin Thurlow]

"Before my time, but I would assume political machinations."

I know you're the FIDE expert (and I am not), but I assumed that after the norm-based titles came in, it was felt that historically some players had missed out, and would have achieved the titles under the new rules. Am I being over charitable there?

I'm sure politics also came into it - I seem to recall a couple of players being made GMs as "it was good for their countries".

[NickFaulks]

I know you're the FIDE expert (and I am not), but I assumed that after the norm-based titles came in, it was felt that historically some players had missed out, and would have achieved the titles under the new rules.

Very few got the title without a reasonable claim to it. Many equally deserving cases didn't get it. The decision process was rather opaque.

[Matt Mackenzie]

IIRC there is only one "honorary" GM still alive - our own Penrose.

[John McKenna]

IIRC there is only one "honorary" GM still alive - our own Penrose.

Apparently he's not so "honorary", Matt.

Penrose became a GM and not the inferior honorary version. How it happened is through another of Bob Wade's services to English chess...

SNIP

I see that Wikipedia and other sources call Penrose HGM or GM emeritus, but they are wrong.

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=632&start=15#p7787

[Paul McKeown]

The good news is that the title application has now been passed on to FIDE. Efficient work by the IRO, Dave Clayton!

[Paul McKeown]

Only once this century, in 2003.

Which brought me to this wiki article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grandmast ... andmasters.

Quoting from that:

Code: Select all

From 1977 until 2003, FIDE awarded honorary Grandmaster titles to 31 players based on their past performances
or other contributions to chess. Since 2007, no distinction has been made between an "honorary" grandmaster
and a full grandmaster. The following players have been awarded honorary Grandmaster titles:

    1977 – Julio Bolbochán, Esteban Canal, Borislav Milić, Carlos Torre Repetto
    1981 – Arnold Denker
    1982 – Lodewijk Prins, Raúl Sanguinetti
    1983 – Vladimir Alatortsev, Alexander Konstantinopolsky, Erik Lundin
    1984 – Eero Böök, Stojan Puc
    1985 – Harry Golombek, Mario Monticelli, Jaroslav Šajtar
    1986 – Arthur Dake, Theodor Ghițescu
    1987 – Vladimir Makogonov, Vladas Mikėnas, Bogdan Śliwa
    1988 – George Koltanowski
    1990 – Andrija Fuderer, Rudolf Marić
    1991 – Dragoljub Minić
    1992 – Heinz Lehmann, Rudolf Teschner
    1993 – Jonathan Penrose (Leonard Barden claims Penrose was awarded the full grandmaster title).[19][20]
    1996 – Károly Honfi, Enrico Paoli
    1999 – Péter Dely
    2003 – Elmārs Zemgalis

A fairly distinguished group, on the whole. Hard to argue that Denker, Mikenas, Koltanowski or Teschner were not of the standard expected of a grandmaster. No doubt they all had perfectly valid reasons as to why they did not achieve the title by normal means.

Looking at the current FIDE title regulations (https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/B01Regulations2017), it would appear that there is no longer a mechanism by which FIDE bestows an Honorary Grandmaster title (appear perhaps from Presidential or Board fiat - I wouldn't know what their reserved powers are).

[Matt Mackenzie]

And there were certainly other players - from the former USSR especially - who could easily have gained such an accolade but didn't.

[John Upham]

IIRC there is only one "honorary" GM still alive - our own Penrose.

Incorrect. JPs GM title (awarded in 1994) was not "honorary".

HGs, of course, was.