List of strong chess tournaments
 | The inclusion or exclusion of items from this list or length of this list is disputed. (February 2019) |
This article depicts many of the strongest chess tournaments in history.
The following list is not intended to be an exhaustive or definitive record of tournament chess, but takes as its foundation the collective opinion of chess experts and journalists over the strongest tournaments in history.
Events that merit inclusion have been largely judged according to the strength (and relative strength in depth) of their participants. Other factors were taken into account, but have less influence; for example the quality of chess played, the closeness of the contest and the number of world top 10 and/or 'big reputation' players who took part, the time control (no fast chess tournaments are listed). Inevitably, this introduces a degree of subjectivity, but the vast majority of tournaments in the list range from FIDE Category 10 to FIDE category 21 and beyond.
The names of the tournament winners have been included next to the year and venue. Many of the tournaments have had books written about them and whilst these will be mostly out of print, they are occasionally available at online auction sites, second-hand specialist book shops etc.
No attempt is made at comparing the relative strengths of tournaments in the list, as this is, and continues to be, the subject of inconclusive debate amongst experts.
While events are listed in year order, they are not listed chronologically within the same year.
Tournaments and winners[edit]
 |
1850–1859[edit]
| Year | Tournament | Location | Winner | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1851 | London 1851 chess tournament | London | Adolf Anderssen | |
| London Club | ||||
| 1857 | Manchester | Johann Löwenthal | ||
| American Chess Congress | New York | Paul Morphy | ||
| 1858 | Birmingham | Johann Löwenthal |
1860–1869[edit]
| Year | Tournament | Location | Winner | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1861 | Bristol | Louis Paulsen | ||
| 1862 | London 1862 chess tournament | London | Adolf Anderssen | |
| 1865 | Dublin | Wilhelm Steinitz | ||
| 1867 | Paris 1867 chess tournament | Paris | Ignác Kolisch | |
| Dundee | Gustav Neumann | |||
| 1868 | WDSB Congress | Aachen | Max Lange | |
| 1869 | NDSB Congress | Hamburg | Adolf Anderssen | |
| WDSB Congress | Barmen |
1870–1879[edit]
| Year | Tournament | Location | Winner | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | Baden-Baden 1870 chess tournament | Baden-Baden | Adolf Anderssen | |
| 1871 | WDSB Congress | Krefeld | Louis Paulsen | |
| 1872 | NDSB Congress | Altona | Adolf Anderssen | |
| London | Wilhelm Steinitz | |||
| 1873 | Vienna 1873 chess tournament | Vienna | ||
| 1874 | American Chess Congress | Chicago | George Henry Mackenzie | |
| 1876 | New York | |||
| American Chess Congress | Philadelphia | James Mason | ||
| Clipper | New York | |||
| MDSB Congress | Leipzig | Adolf Anderssen | ||
| London | Joseph Henry Blackburne | |||
| 1877 | MDSB Congress | Leipzig | Louis Paulsen | |
| 1878 | Paris 1878 chess tournament | Paris | Johannes Zukertort | |
| WDSB Congress | Frankfurt | Louis Paulsen | ||
| 1879 | London | Henry Edward Bird | ||
| DSB Congress | Leipzig | Berthold Englisch |
1880–1889[edit]
| Year | Tournament | Location | Winner(s) | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | Wiesbaden | |||
| WDSB Congress | Braunschweig | Louis Paulsen | ||
| 1881 | Berlin 1881 chess tournament (DSB Congress) | Berlin | Joseph Henry Blackburne | |
| 1882 | Vienna 1882 chess tournament | Vienna | ||
| 1883 | London 1883 chess tournament | London | Johannes Zukertort | |
| DSB Congress | Nuremberg | Szymon Winawer | ||
| 1885 | Hamburg | Isidor Gunsberg | ||
| Hereford | Joseph Henry Blackburne | |||
| 1886 | London | |||
| BCA Congress | ||||
| Belfast | William H. K. Pollock | |||
| Nottingham | Amos Burn | |||
| 1887 | DSB Congress | Frankfurt | George Henry Mackenzie | |
| London | ||||
| 1888 | Leipzig | |||
| Bradford | Isidor Gunsberg | |||
| 1889 | Amsterdam | Amos Burn | ||
| American Chess Congress | New York | |||
| DSB Congress | Breslau | Siegbert Tarrasch |
1890–1899[edit]
Standing: Albin, Schlechter, Janowski, Marco, Blackburne, Maróczy, Schiffers, Gunsberg, Burn, Tinsley. Seated: Vergani, Steinitz, Chigorin, Lasker, Pillsbury, Tarrasch, Mieses, Teichmann. Absent: von Bardeleben, Mason, Pollock, Walbrodt
| Year | Tournament | Location | Winner(s) | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | Manchester | Siegbert Tarrasch | ||
| Vienna | Max Weiss | |||
| Graz | Gyula Makovetz | |||
| Berlin | ||||
| 1891 | Horatio Caro | |||
| 1892 | DSB Congress | Dresden | Siegbert Tarrasch | |
| London | Emanuel Lasker | |||
| 1893 | New York | |||
| 1894 | DSB Congress | Leipzig | Siegbert Tarrasch | |
| New York | Wilhelm Steinitz | |||
| 1895 | Hastings 1895 chess tournament | Hastings | Harry Nelson Pillsbury | |
| 1895/96 | Saint Petersburg 1895–96 chess tournament | St Petersburg | Emanuel Lasker | |
| 1896 | Budapest | Mikhail Chigorin | ||
| Nuremberg 1896 chess tournament | Nuremberg | Emanuel Lasker | ||
| 1897 | Schachverein Centrum | Berlin | Curt von Bardeleben | |
| Berlin 1897 chess tournament | Charousek | |||
| 1898 | Budapest | |||
| DSB Congress | Cologne | Amos Burn | ||
| Vienna 1898 chess tournament | Vienna | Siegbert Tarrasch | ||
| 1899 | London 1899 chess tournament | London | Emanuel Lasker | |
| 1899/1900 | Vienna | Géza Maróczy |
1900–1909[edit]
| Year | Tournament | Location | Winner(s) | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Paris 1900 chess tournament | Paris | Emanuel Lasker | |
| DSB Congress | Munich | |||
| 1901 | Monte Carlo chess tournament | Monte Carlo | Dawid Janowski | |
| Russian Chess Championship | Moscow | Mikhail Chigorin | ||
| 1902 | Vienna | |||
| Monte Carlo | Géza Maróczy | |||
| DSB Congress | Hannover | Dawid Janowski | ||
| 1903 | Monte Carlo | Siegbert Tarrasch | ||
| 1904 | 1904 Cambridge Springs International Chess Congress | Cambridge Springs | Frank Marshall | |
| Monte Carlo | Géza Maróczy | |||
| DSB Congress | Coburg | |||
| 1905 | Ostend | Géza Maróczy | ||
| Barmen | ||||
| 1906 | Ostend | Carl Schlechter | ||
| Stockholm | ||||
| DSB Congress | Nuremberg | Frank Marshall | ||
| Russian Chess Championship | St Petersburg | Salwe | ||
| 1907 | Leopold Trebitsch Memorial Tournament | Vienna | Jacques Mieses | |
| Ostend 1907 chess tournament | Ostend | Siegbert Tarrasch | ||
| Carlsbad 1907 chess tournament | Carlsbad | Akiba Rubinstein | ||
| 1908 | Vienna 1908 chess tournament | Vienna | ||
| Prague 1908 chess tournament | Prague | |||
| 1909 | Chigorin Memorial | St. Petersburg |
1910–1919[edit]
| Year | Tournament | Location | Winner(s) | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | DSB Congress | Hamburg | Carl Schlechter | |
| 1910/11 | Vienna | |||
| 1911 | New York | Frank Marshall | ||
| San Sebastián chess tournament | San Sebastián | José Raúl Capablanca | ||
| Carlsbad 1911 chess tournament | Carlsbad | Richard Teichmann | ||
| 1912 | San Sebastián | Akiba Rubinstein | ||
| Bad Pistyan | Piešťany | |||
| Budapest | ||||
| Russian Chess Championship | Vilnius | Akiba Rubinstein | ||
| DSB Congress | Breslau | |||
| 1913 | New York | José Raúl Capablanca | ||
| Havana | Frank Marshall | |||
| Vienna | Carl Schlechter | |||
| Vienna Club | Rudolf Spielmann | |||
| 1914 | Russian Chess Championship | St Petersburg | ||
| St. Petersburg 1914 chess tournament | Emanuel Lasker | |||
| Baden bei Wien | Rudolf Spielmann | |||
| DSB Congress (Mannheim 1914 chess tournament) | Mannheim | Alexander Alekhine | ||
| Vienna | Carl Schlechter | |||
| 1915 | New York | José Raúl Capablanca | ||
| 1916/17 | Vienna | Carl Schlechter | ||
| 1917/18 | Milan Vidmar | |||
| 1918 | Berlin | Emanuel Lasker | ||
| Four Masters | Milan Vidmar | |||
| Kaschau | Richard Réti | |||
| New York | José Raúl Capablanca | |||
| 1919 | Stockholm | Rudolf Spielmann | ||
| Hastings | José Raúl Capablanca |
1920–1929[edit]
1930–1939[edit]
1940–1949[edit]
1950–1959[edit]
1960–1969[edit]
1970–1979[edit]
1980–1989[edit]
1990–1999[edit]
2000–2009[edit]
2010–2019[edit]
2020–2029[edit]
Individual tournaments[edit]
- AVRO 1938 chess tournament
- Baden-Baden 1870 chess tournament
- Berlin 1881 chess tournament
- Berlin 1897 chess tournament
- Bled 1931 chess tournament
- Buenos Aires 1939 chess tournament
- Cambridge Springs 1904 chess tournament
- Carlsbad 1907 chess tournament Carlsbad
- Carlsbad 1911 chess tournamentCarlsbad
- Carlsbad 1923 chess tournamentCarlsbad
- Carlsbad 1929 chess tournamentCarlsbad
- Dallas 1957 chess tournament
- Groningen 1946 chess tournament
- Hamburg 1910 chess tournament
- Hastings 1895 chess tournament
- Kemeri 1937 chess tournament
- London 1851 chess tournament
- London 1862 chess tournament
- London 1883 chess tournament
- London 1899 chess tournament
- Mannheim 1914 chess tournament
- Mar del Plata 1941 chess tournament
- Montevideo 1938 chess tournament
- Moravská Ostrava 1923 chess tournament
- Moscow 1925 chess tournament
- Munich 1941 chess tournament
- New York 1924 chess tournament
- New York 1927 chess tournament
- New York 1931 chess tournament
- Nottingham 1936 chess tournament
- Nuremberg 1896 chess tournament
- Ostend 1907 chess tournament
- Paris 1867 chess tournament
- Paris 1878 chess tournament
- Paris 1900 chess tournament
- Prague 1908 chess tournament
- Salzburg 1942 chess tournament
- San Antonio 1972 chess tournament
- San Remo 1930 chess tournament
- St. Petersburg 1914 chess tournament
- Vienna 1873 chess tournament
- Vienna 1882 chess tournament
- Vienna 1898 chess tournament
- Vienna 1908 chess tournament
- Zurich 1934 chess tournament
- Zurich 1953 chess tournament
Major recurring tournaments[edit]
- Aerosvit chess tournament
- American Chess Congress
- Berlin City Chess Championship
- Biel International Chess Festival
- Grand Slam Masters Final
- British Chess Congress
- Capablanca Memorial
- Chigorin Memorial
- Dortmund Sparkassen Chess Meeting
- DSB Congress
- Euwe Memorial
- General Government chess tournament
- Gibraltar Chess Festival
- Hastings International Chess Congress
- IBM international chess tournament
- Keres Memorial
- Konex chess tournament
- Leningrad City Chess Championship
- Leopold Trebitsch Memorial Tournament
- Linares chess tournament
- London Chess Classic
- Lone Pine International
- Lublin Grandmaster Tournament
- Mar del Plata chess tournament
- Monte Carlo chess tournament
- Moscow City Chess Championship
- M-Tel Masters
- Netanya chess tournament
- North Sea Cup
- Norway Chess
- Paris City Chess Championship
- Pearl Spring chess tournament
- Phillips & Drew Kings
- Reggio Emilia chess tournament
- Rubinstein Memorial
- San Sebastián chess tournament
- Shamkir Chess
- Shenzhen Masters
- Schlechter Memorial
- Silesian Chess Congress
- Sinquefield Cup
- Staunton Memorial
- Tal Memorial
- Tata Steel Chess Tournament
- Tilburg chess tournament
- Torre Memorial
- Trebitsch Memorial
- Triberg chess tournament
- Vidmar Memorial
- Vlissingen chess tournament
- World Open chess tournament
- Xtracon Chess Open
- Zurich Chess Challenge
World Cup[edit]
- Chess World Cup 2005
- Chess World Cup 2007
- Chess World Cup 2009
- Chess World Cup 2011
- Chess World Cup 2013
- Chess World Cup 2015
- Chess World Cup 2017
- Chess World Cup 2019
- Chess World Cup 2021
See also[edit]
- List of mini chess tournaments
- Chess tournaments
- Chess Olympiad
- European Individual Chess Championship
- EU Individual Open Chess Championship
References[edit]
- Sunnucks, Anne (1970). The Encyclopaedia of Chess. Hale. ISBN 0-7091-1030-8.
- Kenneth Whyld (1986). Guinness Chess, The Records. Guinness Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-85112-455-0.
- Litmanowicz, Władysław & Giżycki, Jerzy (1986). Szachy od A do Z (1. A-M). Wydawnictwo Sport i Turystyka Warszawa. ISBN 83-217-2481-7.
- Litmanowicz, Władysław & Giżycki, Jerzy (1987). Szachy od A do Z (2. N-Z). Wydawnictwo Sport i Turystyka Warszawa. ISBN 83-217-2745-X.
- British Chess Magazine (January 1978) – Your Hundred Best Chess Tournaments To 1960 (by Ken Whyld)
- British Chess Magazine (August 1979) – Reflections on Montreal (by Raymond Keene)
- British Chess Magazine (November 1987) – The 'Super-tournaments' in chess history (by Romelio Milian Gonzalez)
External links[edit]
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