Life Master is a chess title awarded by the United States Chess Federation (USCF). To be awarded this title, one must hold a master's rating of over 2200 for at least 300 USCF-rated tournament chess games.
During the 1990s, the USCF also awarded a "Life Master" title on the basis of a different and more complex system that was similar to the FIDE 'norm system' of awarding titles. This method of attaining Life Master became officially recognized by the USCF on January 1, 1996. The "class norm" system was later discontinued, and players who had or were subsequently granted the title on the 300-game basis were renamed "Original Life Masters." In practice, the distinction is rarely made.
As the name of this title implies, this title is held for life, regardless of any subsequent decrease in rating. Thus it is possible to have a player with a USCF rating of 2100 (or below) who is a Life Master. While this is uncommon for 'Original Life Masters' (since such a rating floor can only be dropped by the USCF itself), it is relatively common for Life Masters who earned their title via the now-defunct norm system, since the requirements for that title did not require a rating of over 2200. This has led to some holders of the USCF Life Master title having never obtained ratings above 2200.
Famous quotes containing the words life and/or master:
“The fate of our times is characterized by rationalization and intellectualization and, above all, by the “disenchantment of the world.” Precisely the ultimate and most sublime values have retreated from public life either into the transcendental realm of mystic life or into the brotherliness of direct and personal human relations. It is not accidental that our greatest art is intimate and not monumental.”
—Max Weber (1864–1920)
“We shall make mistakes, but they must never be mistakes which result from faintness of heart or abandonment of moral principles. I remember that my old school master Dr. Peabody said in days that seemed to us then to be secure and untroubled, he said things in life will not always run smoothly, sometimes we will be rising toward the heights and all will seem to reverse itself and start downward. The great thing to remember is that the trend of civilization itself is forever upward.”
—Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945)