Ten International Super-Tournaments

Tournaments featuring the best players of different regions have been a part of chess tradition since Italy's Giovanni Leonardo and Paolo Boi played Spain's Ruy López and Alfonso Ceron in 1575. But, the true international super-tournament didn't come about until the 19th century, when communication and transportation technology allowed the world's strongest players to meet each other in distant venues. Here are ten such events, with standings and crosstables and links to annotated games.

Vienna 1882

The 25th Anniversary Tournament of the Vienna Chess Society was held in Baron Rothschild's Vienna Chess Club in Austria from May 10th to June 24th, 1882. Players from America, Bohemia, Britain, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Poland, and Russia participated, including nine of the world's top-ten masters.

The event's format was double round-robin, and the length of the tournament led several players to forfeit games due to schedule conflicts or illness. Wilheim Steinitz and Szymon Winawer tied for the win, and Johannes Zukertort won the best performance prize from emperor Franz-Joseph.

Alexander G. Sellman annotated many of the games in Games of the Vienna Tournament of 1882

Standings and Crosstable:

Playoff Match Standings and Crosstable:

Hastings 1895

The Hastings International Chess Congress, held at the Brassey Institute in Hastings, England from August 5 to September 2, 1895, would become an annual Christmas event lasting until this day. Players from America, Austria, Britain, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Romania, and Russia participated, including all of the world's top-ten masters.

This round-robin event saw the little-known Harry Nelson Pillsbury win his first major tournament, while former world champion Wilhelm Steinitz won the brilliancy prize for Steinitz vs. von Bardeleben.

Participants annotated all of the games in The Hastings Chess Tournament

Standings and Crosstable:

St. Petersburg 1914

The 10th Anniversary Tournament of the St. Petersburg Chess Society was held at the St. Petersburg Chess Club in the Russian Empire from April 21st to May 22nd, 1914. Although several top-twenty invitees declined to attend for political reasons, players from America, Britain, Cuba, France, Germany, and Russia participated, including seven of the world's top-ten masters.

A preliminary round-robin event was followed by a double round-robin final, with scores carrying over. World champion Emanuel Lasker won the tournament, José Raúl Capablanca won the 1st brilliancy prize for Capablanca vs. Bernstein, Siegbert Tarrasch won the 2nd brilliancy prize for Nimzowitsch vs. Tarrasch, and Joseph Henry Blackburne won the special brilliancy prize for Blackburne vs. Nimzowitsch.

Journalists annotated in the games in The Grand International Masters' Chess Tournament at St. Petersburg, 1914

Preliminary Standings and Crosstable:

Final Standings and Crosstable:

Nottingham 1936

The Nottingham International Chess Masters Tournament was held, as a 50th jubilee of the Counties Chess Association Congress, at the University of Nottingham in England from August 10th to August 28th, 1936. Players from America, Britain, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Holland, Poland, the Soviet Union, and Yugoslavia participated, including eight of world's top-ten masters, five of which were or would be world chess champions.

Mikhail Botvinnik and former world champion José Raúl Capablanca tied for first in the round-robin event. This would be the last tournament of former world champion Emanuel Lasker.

Former and future world champion Alexander Alekhine annotated the games in The Book of the Nottingham International Chess Tournament.

Standings and Crosstable:

Holland 1938

The AVRO Chess Challengers Tournament was held in ten towns in the Netherlands from November 6th to November 27th, 1938. Players from America, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Estonia, France, Holland, and the Soviet Union participated, including eight of the world's top-ten masters.

Paul Keres and Reuben Fine tied for first in the double round-robin event. Former world champion José Raúl Capablanca fell ill with a heart condition partway through the tournament, but he still insisted on finishing his schedule.

Chess Review annotated the games in its December 1938 and January-May 1939 issues.

Standings and Crosstable:

Zurich 1953

The Candidates Tournament, organized by FIDE from 1948 to 1990 and 2007 to present, invited the winners of qualifying tournaments to participate in an event which would determine the challenger for the World Chess Championship match. The 1953 event was held in the Parish Hall in Neuhausen, Switzerland, and the Salon of Music in the House of Parliament in Zürich, Switzerland, from August 30th to October 24th. Players from America, Argentina, Holland, Hungary, the Soviet Union, Sweden, and Yugoslavia participated, including of nine of world's top-ten grandmasters. The KGB was rumored to have accompanied the Soviet players.

Vasily Smyslov won the double round-robin event, but he would only draw against Mikhail Botvinnik in 1954 World Chess Championship.

Chess Review annotated the games in its November-December 1953 and January-April 1954 issues.

Standings and Crosstable:

Santa Monica 1966

The Piatigorsky Cup, organized by Jacqueline Piatigorsky, a French-American sculptor, chess player, and tennis champion, was held in Santa Monica, California, from July 17th to August 15th, 1966. Players from America, Argentina, Denmark, Holland, Hungary, West Germany, the Soviet Union, and Yugoslavia participated, including seven of the world's top-ten grandmasters, three of which were or would be world chess champions.

Boris Spassky won the double round-robin event.

Chess Review annotated the games in its September-December 1966 and January 1967 issues.

Standings and Crosstable:

Linares 1994

The International Chess Tournament of the City of Linares was held from 1978 to 2010. By the late 1980s it had become one of strongest of the annual tournaments. The 1994 event was held in Linares, Spain from February 23rd to March 14th. Players from America, Belarus, Bulgaria, France, Hungary, India, Latvia, Russia, Spain, and Ukraine participated, including nine of world's top-ten grandmasters.

Former world champion Anatoly Karpov won the round-robin event with, arguably, the best tournament performance of all time. Evgeny Bareev won the brilliancy prize for Topalov vs. Bareev, and world champion Garry Kasparov was involved in a touch-move controversy in his game against rising-star Judit Polgar.

Chess Life annotated some of the games in its July 1994 issue.

Standings and Crosstable:

Wijk ann Zee 2001

The Blast Furnace Chess Tournament, first held in 1938, became one of strongest of the annual tournaments in the early 1960s. It is sometimes called the "Wimbledon of chess." The 2001 event was held in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, from January 13th to January 28th. Players from Belarus, Britain, Bulgaria, India, Holland, Hungary, Russia, Spain, and Ukraine participated, including nine of world's top-ten grandmasters.

Former world champion Garry Kasparov would become the first player to win three Wijk aan Zee tournaments in a row in this round-robin event.

Chess Life annotated many of the games in its May-July 2001 issues.

Standings and Crosstable:

St. Louis 2015

The Sinquefield Cup, organized by investor, philanthropist, and chess enthusiast Rex Sinquefield, became part of the Grand Chess Tour with this event, which was held in the Saint Louis Chess Club in Missouri from August 22nd to September 3rd. Players from America, Armenia, Bulgaria, France, Holland, India, Norway, and Russia participated, including eight of the world's top-ten grandmasters.

Levon Aronian won this round-robin event.

Chess Life annotated some games in its November 2015 issue and its online counterpart CLO.

Standings and Crosstable: