Tata Steel Chess Tournament
Annual chess tournament held in the Netherlands
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The Tata Steel Chess Tournament is an annual chess tournament held in January in Wijk aan Zee, the Netherlands.[1] It was called the Hoogovens Tournament from its creation in 1938 until the sponsor Koninklijke Hoogovens merged with British Steel to form the Corus Group in 1999, after which the tournament was renamed the Corus Chess Tournament. Corus Group was taken over by the Tata Group and became Tata Steel Europe in 2007,[2] with the tournament changing to its current name in 2011. It has also been referred to as "Wijk aan Zee" since the venue change from the town of Beverwijk to the town of Wijk aan Zee in 1968. Despite the name changes, the series is numbered sequentially from its Hoogovens beginnings; for example, the 2025 event was referred to as the 87th Tata Steel Chess Tournament.[3][4]
Top grandmasters compete in the tournament, but regular club players are welcome to play in the lower groups.[1] The Masters group pits fourteen of the world's best players against each other in a round-robin tournament, and has sometimes been described as the "Wimbledon of Chess".[5][6] Since 1938, there has been a long list of very strong winners; of the fifteen undisputed World Chess Champions since the first tournament in 1938, only five – Alexander Alekhine, Vasily Smyslov, Bobby Fischer, Ding Liren and Gukesh Dommaraju – have not won it. In 2001, nine of the top ten players in the world participated.[1]
Magnus Carlsen holds the record for most wins at the tournament, with eight. Viswanathan Anand is the only other player to have won the event five or more times, with five titles to his name. Nodirbek Abdusattorov is the current champion after winning in 2026.
Until recently, players ending on the same score shared the title. The first tie-break was held in 2018, with Magnus Carlsen defeating Anish Giri to clinch the title.[6] As of the 2025 edition, if two or more players lead with the same score at the end of the round-robin, they all take part in the tiebreaks to determine the sole winner. The time control of the tiebreaks is blitz, and then sudden death.[a][7]
Tournament history
Hoogovens Beverwijk
The early tournaments were very small, starting with groups of four in 1938, and entry restricted to Dutch players. The first four tournaments continued this way, until 1942, when it was expanded to six players, and in 1943 to eight players. No tournament was held in 1945 due to World War II.[further explanation needed] The first international tournament was held in 1946, with the field expanded to ten, and invitations to Alberic O'Kelly de Galway (Belgium) and Gösta Stoltz (Sweden) along with a Dutch contingent of eight.[1]
The 1946 tournament was one of the first European international chess tournaments after World War II. Food shortages were still a problem in Europe, so the post-tournament banquet featured pea soup, "inexpensive fare of the common people". In subsequent years pea soup has been served as the first course of the concluding banquet, a tradition continued when the tournament was moved from Beverwijk to Wijk aan Zee.[8]
Normal people have to see Naples before they die..., but a chess grandmaster has to win the Wijk aan Zee tournament first of all.
The tournament field was increased to twelve in 1953, and an international women's tournament was also held. In 1954, the tournament field was returned to ten players, but the strength of the competitions increased. The field was greatly enlarged to 18 in 1963, and although it reduced to 16 in 1964, the event had become the strongest international chess tournament in the world.[9]
As the tournament grew in stature, it began to offer lower groups such as a B-group (sometimes called "Challengers" in contrast to group-A or "Masters"), and occasionally a C-group. There also began a tradition to operate a year on year policy of inviting the winner of the B-group to the A-group.[1][10]
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The winners of the top group were:[10][11]
Winners 1938-1967 # Year Winner(s) Country Score % 1 1938 Jilling Van Dijk 
Netherlands2½/3 83.3 Philip Bakker Netherlands2 1939 Nicolaas Cortlever Netherlands3/3 100.0 3 1940 Max Euwe Netherlands3/3 100.0 4 1941 Arthur Wijnans Netherlands2½/3 83.3 5 1942 Max Euwe Netherlands4½/5 90.0 6 1943 Arnold van den Hoek Netherlands5½/7 78.6 7 1944 Theo van Scheltinga Netherlands5/7 71.4 – 1945 No competition[b] 8 1946 Alberic O'Kelly de Galway 
Belgium7/9 77.8 9 1947 Theo van Scheltinga Netherlands7½/9 83.3 10 1948 Lodewijk Prins Netherlands6½/9 72.2 11 1949 Savielly Tartakower 
France6½/9 72.2 12 1950 Jan Hein Donner Netherlands7/9 77.8 13 1951 Hermann Pilnik 
Argentina6½/9 72.2 14 1952 Max Euwe Netherlands7½/9 83.3 15 1953 Nicolas Rossolimo France9/11 81.8 16 1954 Hans Bouwmeester Netherlands6/9 66.7 Vasja Pirc 
SFR Yugoslavia17 1955 Borislav Milić SFR Yugoslavia6½/9 72.2 18 1956 Gideon Ståhlberg 
Sweden6½/9 72.2 19 1957 Aleksandar Matanović SFR Yugoslavia6½/9 72.2 20 1958 Max Euwe Netherlands5½/9 61.1 Jan Hein Donner Netherlands21 1959 Friðrik Ólafsson 
Iceland7½/9 83.3 22 1960 Bent Larsen 
Denmark6½/9 72.2 Tigran Petrosian 
Soviet Union23 1961 Bent Larsen Denmark7½/9 83.3 Borislav Ivkov SFR Yugoslavia24 1962 Petar Trifunović SFR Yugoslavia6/9 66.7 25 1963 Jan Hein Donner Netherlands12/17 70.6 26 1964 Paul Keres Soviet Union11½/15 76.6 Iivo Nei Soviet Union27 1965 Lajos Portisch 
Hungary10½/15 70.0 Efim Geller Soviet Union28 1966 Lev Polugaevsky Soviet Union11½/15 76.6 29 1967 Boris Spassky Soviet Union11/15 73.3
Hoogovens Wijk aan Zee
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The tournament was moved to the Dutch seaside town Wijk aan Zee in 1968.[12] Starting from 1982, the tournament mostly settled to its present number of 14 players. The winners of the top group were:[10][11]
Winners 1968-1999 # Year Winner(s) Country Score % 30 1968 Viktor Korchnoi Soviet Union12/15 80.0 31 1969 Mikhail Botvinnik Soviet Union10½/15 70.0 Efim Geller Soviet Union32 1970 Mark Taimanov Soviet Union12/15 80.0 33 1971 Viktor Korchnoi Soviet Union10/15 66.7 34 1972 Lajos Portisch Hungary10½/15 70.0 35 1973 Mikhail Tal Soviet Union10½/15 70.0 36 1974 Walter Browne 
United States11/15 73.3 37 1975 Lajos Portisch Hungary10½/15 70.0 38 1976 Ljubomir Ljubojević SFR Yugoslavia7½/11 68.2 Friðrik Ólafsson Iceland39 1977 Gennadi Sosonko Netherlands8/11 72.7 Efim Geller Soviet Union40 1978 Lajos Portisch Hungary8/11 72.7 41 1979 Lev Polugaevsky Soviet Union7½/11 68.2 42 1980 Walter Browne United States10/13 76.9 Yasser Seirawan United States43 1981 Gennadi Sosonko Netherlands8/12 66.7 Jan Timman Netherlands44 1982 John Nunn 
United Kingdom8½/13 65.4 Yuri Balashov Soviet Union45 1983 Ulf Andersson Sweden9/13 69.2 46 1984 Alexander Beliavsky Soviet Union10/13 76.9 Viktor Korchnoi 
Switzerland47 1985 Jan Timman Netherlands9/13 69.2 48 1986 Nigel Short United Kingdom9½/13 73.1 49 1987 Nigel Short United Kingdom9½/13 73.1 Viktor Korchnoi Switzerland50 1988 Anatoly Karpov Soviet Union9/13 69.2 51 1989 Viswanathan Anand 
India7½/13 57.7 Gyula Sax HungaryZoltán Ribli HungaryPredrag Nikolić SFR Yugoslavia52 1990 John Nunn United Kingdom8/13 61.5 53 1991 John Nunn United Kingdom8½/13 65.4 54 1992 Valery Salov 
Russia8½/13 65.4 Boris Gelfand 
Belarus55 1993 Anatoly Karpov Russia2½/4[c] 56 1994 Predrag Nikolić 
Bosnia and Herzegovina7/9 77.8 57 1995 Alexey Dreev 
Russia2½/4[c] 58 1996 Vasyl Ivanchuk 
Ukraine9/13 69.2 59 1997 Valery Salov Russia8½/13 65.4 60 1998 Viswanathan Anand India8½/13 65.4 Vladimir Kramnik Russia61 1999 Garry Kasparov Russia10/13 76.9
Corus tournament
From 2000, the formal name for the tournament was changed to the "Corus Chess Tournament".[12] The winners of the A-group were:[10][11]
Winners 2000-2010 # Year Winner(s) Country Score % 62 2000 Garry Kasparov Russia9½/13 73.1 63 2001 Garry Kasparov Russia9/13 69.2 64 2002 Evgeny Bareev Russia9/13 69.2 65 2003 Viswanathan Anand India8½/13 65.4 66 2004 Viswanathan Anand India8½/13 65.4 67 2005 Peter Leko Hungary8½/13 65.4 68 2006 Viswanathan Anand India9/13 69.2 Veselin Topalov 
Bulgaria69 2007 Levon Aronian 
Armenia8½/13 65.4 Teimour Radjabov 
AzerbaijanVeselin Topalov Bulgaria70 2008 Levon Aronian Armenia8/13 61.5 Magnus Carlsen 
Norway71 2009 Sergey Karjakin Russia8/13 61.5 72 2010 Magnus Carlsen Norway8½/13 65.4
Tata Steel tournament
From 2011, the formal name changed to the "Tata Steel Chess Tournament".[12] The winners of the Masters section were:[10][11]
Winners 2011-present # Year Winner Country Score % 73 2011 Hikaru Nakamura United States9/13 69.2 74 2012 Levon Aronian Armenia9/13 69.2 75 2013 Magnus Carlsen Norway10/13 76.9 76 2014 Levon Aronian Armenia8/11 72.7 77 2015 Magnus Carlsen Norway9/13 69.2 78 2016 Magnus Carlsen Norway9/13 69.2 79 2017 Wesley So United States9/13 69.2 80 2018 Magnus Carlsen Norway9/13 69.2 81 2019 Magnus Carlsen Norway9/13 69.2 82 2020 Fabiano Caruana United States10/13 76.9 83 2021 Jorden van Foreest Netherlands8½/13 65.4 84 2022 Magnus Carlsen Norway9½/13 73.1 85 2023 Anish Giri Netherlands8½/13 65.4 86 2024 Wei Yi 
China8½/13 65.4 87 2025 R Praggnanandhaa India8½/13 65.4 88 2026 Nodirbek Abdusattorov 
Uzbekistan9/13 69.2
Multiple winners
The following players have won the tournament more than once; years where they shared the title are bolded.
| Player | Country | Wins | Tournaments Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magnus Carlsen |  Norway |
8 (1 shared) | 2008, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2022 |
| Viswanathan Anand |  India |
5 (3 shared) | 1989, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2006 |
| Max Euwe |  Netherlands |
4 (1 shared) | 1940, 1942, 1952, 1958 |
| Levon Aronian |  Armenia |
4 (2 shared) | 2007, 2008, 2012, 2014 |
| Victor Korchnoi |  Soviet Union Switzerland |
4 (2 shared) | 1968, 1971, 1984, 1987 |
| Lajos Portisch |  Hungary |
4 (1 shared) | 1965, 1972, 1975, 1978 |
| Jan Hein Donner | Netherlands |
3 (1 shared) | 1950, 1958, 1963 |
| Efim Geller | Soviet Union |
3 (3 shared) | 1965, 1969, 1977 |
| Garry Kasparov |  Russia |
3 | 1999, 2000, 2001 |
| John Nunn |  United Kingdom |
3 (1 shared) | 1982, 1990, 1991 |
| Walter Browne |  United States |
2 (1 shared) | 1974, 1980 |
| Anatoly Karpov | Soviet Union Russia |
2 | 1988, 1993 |
| Bent Larsen |  Denmark |
2 (2 shared) | 1960, 1961 |
| Predrag Nikolić |  SFR Yugoslavia Bosnia and Herzegovina |
2 (1 shared) | 1989, 1994 |
| Friðrik Ólafsson |  Iceland |
2 (1 shared) | 1959, 1976 |
| Lev Polugaevsky | Soviet Union |
2 | 1966, 1979 |
| Valery Salov | Russia |
2 (1 shared) | 1992, 1997 |
| Gennadi Sosonko | Netherlands |
2 (2 shared) | 1977, 1981 |
| Nigel Short | United Kingdom |
2 (1 shared) | 1986, 1987 |
| Jan Timman | Netherlands |
2 (1 shared) | 1981, 1985 |
| Veselin Topalov |  Bulgaria |
2 (2 shared) | 2006, 2007 |
| Theo van Scheltinga | Netherlands |
2 | 1944, 1947 |
See also
Notes
- The format and number of games is decided by the number of tied players.
- Due to World War II.[1]
- Edition was held as a single-elimination tournament[1]
