How long does it take to become a CM?

Hello everyone!

I would like to know how long it would usually take for someone like me to become a CM, I currently live in Singapore and have access to a club where we play chess.

(p.s are there any expenses involved?)

cheers,

*insert name here*

At least a few years. Maybe never.

Expenses are e.g. tournament and travel fees and coaching.

OP, what is your current OTB rating and age ?

by the sounds of it, you have no OTB rating.

 first step.  Join the club.

you can't do ANYTHING (towards getting a title) & until you do.

OTB chess is Fun even if you spend minimal money and effort on it. IMHO.

Hey,

Thank you for the responses, 

At this moment I do not have  OTB rating (and i'm assuming OTB = Over The Board)

and my current age is 14 

thank you all again

Then you should join a chess club and start playing in competition asap. Depending on your talent and love for the game, it could take anything between 5-6 years and never.

I know someone who learnt to play chess as an adult (~30) and got a (W)CM some four years after that.

Could you please share the ID of this person ? She must be an outlier, though I'm not sure what level WCM is.

Be in right place at the right time and win 50% of your games vs 1400-2200 rated playes and there you go, you got CM or 65% for FM. That's FIDE Zonals tournaments. Look for one in your area.

WCM is 2000 or higher FIDE

This.

And if you really are in the right place at the right time,  your opponents won't necessarily even all be rated. 

There are plenty of events where you get a CM or FM for scoring 50% or 65% in a tournament. Examples of such tournaments:  https://www.fide.com/fide/handbook.html?id=173&view=article

Which makes me feel that CM (and even FM to some degree), is a bit of a Mickey Mouse title.

You can't compare people who got honorary titles by scoring in zonals with those that achieve it by reaching the required elo rating. The latter are no mickey mouse titles at all.

You have a point there. Just like there is a difference between a honorary doctorate handed out to a politician and a real PhD - getting, say an FM, the hard way is a real accomplishment and requires both talent and some serious chess study.

My point was not to look down on the people with the titles in any way (not even the ones with "honorary" ones), but rather on FIDE for having very disparate ways of getting the same titles.