List of strong chess tournaments


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. This list excludes World Chess Championship matches between two players but includes knockout FIDE World Championships as those are played between many players. Rapid & Blitz events and team events like the Chess Olympiad are also not included in this list.
Events that merit inclusion have been largely judged according to the strength 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 or 'big reputation' players who took part, and the time control. 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

1890–1899

YearTournamentLocationWinner
1890ManchesterSiegbert Tarrasch-
1890ViennaMax Weiss
1890GrazGyula Makovetz
1890Berlin
1891BerlinHoratio Caro
1892DSB CongressDresdenSiegbert Tarrasch
1892LondonEmanuel Lasker
1893New YorkEmanuel Lasker
1894DSB CongressLeipzigSiegbert Tarrasch
1894New YorkWilhelm Steinitz
1895Hastings 1895 chess tournamentHastingsHarry Nelson Pillsbury
1895/96Saint Petersburg 1895–96 chess tournamentSaint PetersburgEmanuel Lasker
1896BudapestMikhail Chigorin
1896Nuremberg 1896 chess tournamentNurembergEmanuel Lasker
1897Schachverein CentrumBerlinCurt von Bardeleben
1897Berlin 1897 chess tournamentBerlinCharousek
1898BudapestCharousek
1898DSB CongressCologneAmos Burn
1898Vienna 1898 chess tournamentViennaSiegbert Tarrasch
1899London 1899 chess tournamentLondonEmanuel Lasker
1899/1900ViennaGéza Maróczy

1900–1909

YearTournamentLocationWinner
1900Paris 1900 chess tournamentParisEmanuel Lasker
1900DSB CongressMunich
1901Monte Carlo chess tournamentMonte CarloDawid Janowski
1901Russian Chess ChampionshipMoscowMikhail Chigorin
1902Vienna
1902Monte CarloGéza Maróczy
1902DSB CongressHannoverDawid Janowski
1903Monte CarloSiegbert Tarrasch
19041904 Cambridge Springs International Chess CongressCambridge SpringsFrank Marshall
1904Monte CarloGéza Maróczy
1904DSB CongressCoburg
1905OstendGéza Maróczy
1905Barmen
1906OstendCarl Schlechter
1906Stockholm
1906DSB CongressNurembergFrank Marshall
1906Russian Chess ChampionshipSaint PetersburgSalwe
1907Leopold Trebitsch Memorial TournamentViennaJacques Mieses
1907Ostend 1907 chess tournamentOstendSiegbert Tarrasch
1907Carlsbad 1907 chess tournamentCarlsbadAkiba Rubinstein
1908Vienna 1908 chess tournamentVienna-
1908Prague 1908 chess tournamentPrague
1909Chigorin MemorialSt. Petersburg-

1980–1989

Individual tournaments

Major recurring tournaments

World Cup