The First FIDE Grandmasters 1950

The Origin of the Grandmaster Title

Until 1950, there was no official title for chess masters. While people colloquially spoke of "grandmasters," this was an informal designation without clear criteria. FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs), founded in 1924, decided in 1950 to introduce an official title system. At their congress in Copenhagen, they decided to award the title "Grandmaster" (GM) to the strongest living players.

Two Groups: Active Masters and Veterans

The 27 grandmasters were divided into two groups. Group A comprised 15 active top players, led by World Champion Botvinnik. Group B honoured 12 veterans for their historical achievements — among them Jacques Mieses, Akiba Rubinstein, Savielly Tartakower and Géza Maróczy.

The decision was not made on a single day. Already at the 20th FIDE Congress in Paris in July 1949, the formal distinction between Grandmaster and International Master was introduced and an initial list adopted. The final list of 27 names was formalised at the Congress in Copenhagen in July 1950. Written selection criteria did not exist — FIDE only introduced norm-based requirements in 1957.

The 27 First Grandmasters

On July 27, 1950, the following 27 players were appointed Grandmasters:

Jacques Mieses: The Oldest Grandmaster

At 85 years, Jacques Mieses was the oldest of the 27 honorees. His appointment recognized a career that began in 1888 – 62 years before the title was awarded! Technically, Mieses was thus the first British Grandmaster, as he was a British citizen in 1950. The first British-born Grandmaster was later Tony Miles (1976).

Mieses and the Other 26

Among the 27 grandmasters, Mieses knew many personally — from decades of shared tournaments. He had played against Tartakower (since Vienna 1907), Bernstein (since Coburg 1904), Maróczy, Vidmar and Duras (Vienna 1907) and Rubinstein (Ostend 1907). He shared the Hastings 1945/46 tournament with Euwe, and Sämisch was a fellow countryman from the German chess scene.

Of the 27 recipients, eleven were Soviet players — an early sign of the dominance that would shape world chess for decades to come.

The Significance for Chess History

The introduction of the Grandmaster title in 1950 was a milestone in chess history. For the first time, there was official recognition for the strongest players. The title became the standard for excellence in chess. Today (2025) there are over 2,000 Grandmasters worldwide. But the 27 pioneers of 1950 remain special – they were the first to officially bear this prestigious title.