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Tata Steel Chess Tournament

Annual chess tournament held in the Netherlands

A very large crowd sitting around many tables, playing chess in a large hall — Playing hall of the 80th Tata Steel Tournament, 2018

The Tata Steel Chess Tournament is an annual chess tournament held in January in Wijk aan Zee, the Netherlands. 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, 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.

Top grandmasters compete in the tournament, but regular club players are welcome to play in the lower groups. 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". 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.

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. R Praggnanandhaa is the defending champion after defeating Gukesh in the tiebreaks in 2025.

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. 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.

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. 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.

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.

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.

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.

The winners of the top group were: :{| class="sortable wikitable" |+ ! scope=col |# ! scope=col | Year ! scope=col | Winner(s) ! scope=col | Country ! scope="col" | Score ! scope=col |% |- ! scope=row rowspan="2" |1 |

NED Netherlands

NED Netherlands
! scope=row
1939

| |NED Netherlands |3/3

100.0
! scope=row
1940

| |NED Netherlands |3/3

100.0
! scope=row
1941

| |NED Netherlands |2½/3

83.3
! scope=row
1942

| |NED Netherlands |4½/5

90.0
! scope=row
1943

| |NED Netherlands |5½/7

78.6
! scope=row
1944

| |NED Netherlands |5/7

71.4
! scope=row
1945

| | | |- ! scope=row |8 |1946 | |BEL Belgium |7/9

77.8
! scope=row
1947

| |NED Netherlands |7½/9

83.3
! scope=row
1948

| |NED Netherlands |6½/9

72.2
! scope=row
1949

| |FRA France |6½/9

72.2
! scope=row
1950

| |NED Netherlands |7/9

77.8
! scope=row
1951

| |ARG Argentina |6½/9

72.2
! scope=row
1952

| |NED Netherlands |7½/9

83.3
! scope=row
1953

| |FRA France |9/11

81.8
! scope=row rowspan="2"

NED Netherlands

YUG SFR Yugoslavia
! scope=row
1955

| |YUG SFR Yugoslavia |6½/9

72.2
! scope=row
1956

| |SWE Sweden |6½/9

72.2
! scope=row
1957

| |YUG SFR Yugoslavia |6½/9

72.2
! scope=row rowspan="2"

NED Netherlands

NED Netherlands
! scope=row
1959

| |ISL Iceland |7½/9

83.3
! scope=row rowspan="2"

DEN Denmark

USSR Soviet Union
! scope=row rowspan="2"

DEN Denmark

YUG SFR Yugoslavia
! scope=row
1962

| |YUG SFR Yugoslavia |6/9

66.7
! scope=row
1963

| |NED Netherlands |12/17

70.6
! scope=row rowspan="2"

USSR Soviet Union

USSR Soviet Union
! scope=row rowspan="2"

HUN Hungary

USSR Soviet Union
! scope=row
1966

| |USSR Soviet Union |11½/15

76.6
! scope=row
1967

| |USSR Soviet Union |11/15 |73.3 |}

Hoogovens Wijk aan Zee

The tournament was moved to the Dutch seaside town Wijk aan Zee in 1968. Starting from 1982, the tournament mostly settled to its present number of 14 players. The winners of the top group were: :{| class="sortable wikitable" |+ ! scope=col | # ! scope=col | Year ! scope=col | Winner(s) ! scope=col | Country ! scope="col" | Score ! scope=col | % |- ! scope=row |30 |1968 | |USSR Soviet Union |12/15

80.0
! scope=row rowspan="2"

USSR Soviet Union

USSR Soviet Union
! scope=row
1970

| |USSR Soviet Union |12/15

80.0
! scope=row
1971

| |USSR Soviet Union |10/15

66.7
! scope=row
1972

| |HUN Hungary |10½/15

70.0
! scope=row
1973

| |USSR Soviet Union |10½/15

70.0
! scope=row
1974

| |USA United States |11/15

73.3
! scope=row
1975

| |HUN Hungary |10½/15

70.0
! scope=row rowspan="2"

YUG SFR Yugoslavia

ISL Iceland
! scope=row rowspan="2"

NED Netherlands

USSR Soviet Union
! scope=row
1978

| |HUN Hungary |8/11

72.7
! scope=row
1979

| |USSR Soviet Union |7½/11

68.2
! scope=row rowspan="2"

USA United States

USA United States
! scope=row rowspan="2"

NED Netherlands

NED Netherlands
! scope=row rowspan="2"

UK United Kingdom

USSR Soviet Union
! scope=row
1983

| |SWE Sweden |9/13

69.2
! scope=row rowspan="2"

USSR Soviet Union

SUI Switzerland
! scope=row
1985

| |NED Netherlands |9/13

69.2
! scope=row
1986

| |UK United Kingdom |9½/13

73.1
! scope=row rowspan="2"

UK United Kingdom

SUI Switzerland
! scope=row
1988

| |USSR Soviet Union |9/13

69.2
! scope=row rowspan="4"

IND India

HUN Hungary

HUN Hungary

YUG SFR Yugoslavia
! scope=row
1990

| |UK United Kingdom |8/13

61.5
! scope=row
1991

| |UK United Kingdom |8½/13

65.4
! scope=row rowspan="2"

RUS Russia

BLR Belarus
! scope=row
1993

| |RUS Russia |2½/4 | |- ! scope=row |56 |1994 | |BIH Bosnia and Herzegovina |7/9

77.8
! scope=row
1995

| |RUS Russia |2½/4 | |- ! scope=row |58 |1996 | |UKR Ukraine |9/13

69.2
! scope=row
1997

| |RUS Russia |8½/13

65.4
! scope=row rowspan="2"

IND India

RUS Russia
! scope=row
1999

| |RUS Russia |10/13 |76.9 |}

Corus tournament

From 2000, the formal name for the tournament was changed to the "Corus Chess Tournament". The winners of the A-group were: :{| class="sortable wikitable" |+ ! scope=col | # ! scope=col | Year ! scope=col | Winner(s) ! scope=col | Country ! scope="col" | Score ! scope="col | % |- ! scope=row |62 |2000 | |RUS Russia |9½/13

73.1
! scope=row
2001

| |RUS Russia |9/13

69.2
! scope=row
2002

| |RUS Russia |9/13

69.2
! scope=row
2003

| |IND India |8½/13

65.4
! scope=row
2004

| |IND India |8½/13

65.4
! scope=row
2005

| |HUNHungary |8½/13

65.4
! scope=row rowspan="2"

IND India

BUL Bulgaria
! scope=row rowspan="3"

ARM Armenia

AZE Azerbaijan

BUL Bulgaria
! scope=row rowspan="2"

ARM Armenia

NOR Norway
! scope=row
2009

| |RUSRussia |8/13

61.5
! scope=row
2010

| |NOR Norway |8½/13 |65.4 |}

Tata Steel tournament

From 2011, the formal name changed to the "Tata Steel Chess Tournament". The winners of the Masters section were: :{| class="sortable wikitable" |+ ! scope=col | # ! scope=col | Year ! scope=col | Winner ! scope=col | Country ! scope=col" |Score ! scope=col |% |- ! scope=row |73 |2011 | |USA United States |9/13

69.2
! scope=row
2012

| |ARM Armenia |9/13

69.2
! scope=row
2013

| |NOR Norway |10/13

76.9
! scope=row
2014

| |ARM Armenia |8/11

72.7
! scope=row
2015

| |NOR Norway |9/13

69.2
! scope=row
2016

| |NOR Norway |9/13

69.2
! scope=row
2017

| |USA United States |9/13

69.2
! scope=row
2018

| |NOR Norway |9/13

69.2
! scope=row
2019

| |NOR Norway |9/13

69.2
! scope=row
2020

| |USA United States |10/13

76.9
! scope=row
2021

| |NED Netherlands |8½/13

65.4
! scope=row
2022

| |NOR Norway |9½/13

73.1
! scope=row
2023

| |NED Netherlands |8½/13

65.4
! scope=row
2024

| |CHN China |8½/13

65.4
! scope=row
2025

| |IND India |8½/13 |65.4 |}

Multiple winners

The following players have won the tournament more than once; years where they shared the title are bolded.

Player	Country	Wins
NOR Norway	8 (1 shared)	2008, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2022
IND India	5 (3 shared)	1989, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2006
NED Netherlands	4 (1 shared)	1940, 1942, 1952, 1958
ARM Armenia	4 (2 shared)	2007, 2008, 2012, 2014
USSR Soviet Union
SUI Switzerland	4 (2 shared)	1968, 1971, 1984, 1987
HUN Hungary	4 (1 shared)	1965, 1972, 1975, 1978
NED Netherlands	3 (1 shared)	1950, 1958, 1963
USSR Soviet Union	3 (3 shared)	1965, 1969, 1977
RUS Russia	3	1999, 2000, 2001
GBR United Kingdom	3 (1 shared)	1982, 1990, 1991
USA United States	2 (1 shared)	1974, 1980
USSR Soviet Union
RUS Russia	2	1988, 1993
DEN Denmark	2 (2 shared)	1960, 1961
YUG SFR Yugoslavia
BIH Bosnia and Herzegovina	2 (1 shared)	1989, 1994
ISL Iceland	2 (1 shared)	1959, 1976
USSR Soviet Union	2	1966, 1979
RUS Russia	2 (1 shared)	1992, 1997
NED Netherlands	2 (2 shared)	1977, 1981
GBR United Kingdom	2 (1 shared)	1986, 1987
NED Netherlands	2 (1 shared)	1981, 1985
BUL Bulgaria	2 (2 shared)	2006, 2007
NED Netherlands	2	1944, 1947

Notes

References

(1 February 2007). "India media upbeat on Tata's win".
(18 January 2025). "Masters & Challengers".
Ahmed, Shahid. (2 February 2025). "Gukesh or Praggnanandhaa - Who will win 87th Tata Steel Masters?".
Frey, Eduard. (13 January 2023). "Ten Trivia about the Tata Steel Tournament series, the Wimbledon of Chess".
Barden, Leonard. (12 January 2018). "Magnus Carlsen aims for strong showing at 'Wimbledon of chess' event".
(29 January 2018). "Magnus Carlsen wins Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2018".
"Format".
(25 August 2005). "The Batsford Book of Chess Records". [[Batsford Books]].
Golombek, Harry. (1977). "Golombek's Encyclopedia of Chess". [[Crown Publishers]].
"All-time Tournaments – Tata Steel Chess".
"Former Champions".
Green, Nathaniel. (26 August 2024). "Tata Steel Chess: A Photo Retrospective".

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