This article covers 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 (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 or 'big reputation' players who took part, and 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 1850–1859 Year Tournament Location Winner 1851 London 1851 chess tournament London Adolf Anderssen London Club Adolf Anderssen 1857 Manchester Johann Löwenthal American Chess Congress New York Paul Morphy 1858 Birmingham Johann Löwenthal

1860–1869 Year Tournament Location Winner 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 Adolf Anderssen

1870–1879 Year Tournament Location Winner 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 Wilhelm Steinitz 1874 American Chess Congress Chicago George Henry Mackenzie 1876 New York George Henry Mackenzie American Chess Congress Philadelphia James Mason Clipper New York James Mason 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 Year Tournament Location Winner(s) 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 BCA Congress London Joseph Henry Blackburne 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

Year Tournament Location Winner(s) 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 Emanuel Lasker 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 Saint 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 Charousek 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

Year Tournament Location Winner(s) 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 Saint 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 Year Tournament Location Winner(s) 1910 DSB Congress Hamburg Carl Schlechter 1910/11 Vienna Carl Schlechter 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 Year Tournament Location Winner(s) 1920 Amsterdam Richard Réti Gothenburg Richard Réti Berlin Gyula Breyer 1921 Kiel Efim Bogoljubov Triberg Alexander Alekhine Budapest Alexander Alekhine The Hague Alexander Alekhine Triberg (2) Akiba Rubinstein 1922 Bad Pistyan Piešťany Efim Bogoljubov London José Raúl Capablanca Vienna Akiba Rubinstein Teplitz-Schönau Hastings Alexander Alekhine 1922/23 Hastings International Chess Congress Akiba Rubinstein 1923 Margate Ernst Grünfeld Liverpool 1923 chess tournament Liverpool Jacques Mieses Carlsbad 1923 chess tournament Carlsbad Vienna Savielly Tartakower Moravská Ostrava 1923 chess tournament Ostrava Emanuel Lasker Copenhagen Aron Nimzowitsch 1924 New York 1924 chess tournament New York Emanuel Lasker Meran Ernst Grünfeld USSR Chess Championship Moscow Efim Bogoljubov 1924/25 Hastings 1925 Debrecen Hans Kmoch Baden-Baden Alexander Alekhine Paris Alexander Alekhine DSB Congress Breslau Efim Bogoljubov Marienbad Moscow 1925 chess tournament Moscow Efim Bogoljubov USSR Chess Championship Leningrad Efim Bogoljubov 1925/26 Hastings 1926 Hannover Aron Nimzowitsch Budapest Semmering Rudolf Spielmann Lake Hopatcong José Raúl Capablanca Chicago Frank Marshall Dresden Aron Nimzowitsch Berlin Efim Bogoljubov 1927 London Kecskemét Alexander Alekhine Bad Homburg Efim Bogoljubov DSB Congress Magdeburg Rudolf Spielmann New York 1927 chess tournament New York José Raúl Capablanca 1928 Budapest José Raúl Capablanca Vienna Richard Réti Dortmund Friedrich Sämisch Bad Kissingen 1928 chess tournament Bad Kissingen Efim Bogoljubov Berlin José Raúl Capablanca BSG Aron Nimzowitsch 1929 Carlsbad 1929 chess tournament Carlsbad Aron Nimzowitsch Bradley Beach Alexander Alekhine Budapest José Raúl Capablanca Barcelona José Raúl Capablanca Rogaska Slatina Akiba Rubinstein 1929/30 Hastings José Raúl Capablanca

1930–1939 Year Tournament Location Winner(s) 1930 Frankfurt Aron Nimzowitsch Stockholm Isaac Kashdan San Remo 1930 chess tournament Sanremo Alexander Alekhine Scarborough Edgar Colle Amsterdam Henri Weenink Liège Savielly Tartakower 1930/31 Hastings Max Euwe 1931 New York 1931 chess tournament New York José Raúl Capablanca Rotterdam Salo Landau Bled 1931 chess tournament Bled Alexander Alekhine 1931/32 Hastings Salo Flohr 1932 Bad Sliač London Alexander Alekhine Pasadena Alexander Alekhine Bern Alexander Alekhine Mexico City 1932/33 Hastings Salo Flohr 1933 Paris Alexander Alekhine Scheveningen Salo Flohr 1933/34 Hastings Salo Flohr 1934 Syracuse Samuel Reshevsky Zurich Alexander Alekhine Ujpest Andor Lilienthal Leningrad Mikhail Botvinnik 1934/35 Hastings 1935 Moscow Margate Samuel Reshevsky 1935/36 Hastings Reuben Fine 1936 Margate Salo Flohr U.S. Chess Championship New York Samuel Reshevsky Bad Nauheim Zandvoort Reuben Fine Amsterdam Dresden Alexander Alekhine Moscow José Raúl Capablanca Nottingham 1936 chess tournament Nottingham Poděbrady Salo Flohr 1936/37 Hastings Alexander Alekhine 1937 Kemeri 1937 chess tournament Kemeri Pärnu Paul Felix Schmidt Margate Ostend Bad Nauheim, Stuttgart, Garmisch Max Euwe Semmering/Baden Paul Keres Moscow Reuben Fine 1937/38 Hastings Samuel Reshevsky 1938 Noordwijk Erich Eliskases U.S. Chess Championship New York Samuel Reshevsky AVRO 1938 chess tournament Netherlands 1938/39 Hastings László Szabó 1939 Amsterdam VARA Leningrad, Moscow Salo Flohr U.S. Open Chess Championship New York Reuben Fine Margate Paul Keres Stuttgart Efim Bogoljubov Bournemouth Max Euwe USSR Chess Championship Leningrad Mikhail Botvinnik

1940–1949 Year Tournament Location Winner(s) 1940 U.S. Chess Championship New York Samuel Reshevsky USSR Chess Championship Moscow 1941 USSR Absolute Championship Leningrad, Moscow Mikhail Botvinnik Mar del Plata Gideon Ståhlberg Munich 1941 chess tournament Munich Gösta Stoltz General Government chess tournament Kraków, Warsaw 1942 Mar del Plata chess tournament Mar del Plata Miguel Najdorf Salzburg 1942 chess tournament Salzburg Alexander Alekhine 1942 European Individual Chess Championship Munich Alexander Alekhine Prague 1943 Mar del Plata Miguel Najdorf Sverdlovsk Mikhail Botvinnik Baku Salo Flohr Prague Alexander Alekhine Salzburg 1944 Mar del Plata La Plata Miguel Najdorf Kyiv Salo Flohr USSR Chess Championship Moscow Mikhail Botvinnik 1945 Hollywood Samuel Reshevsky Mar del Plata Miguel Najdorf Buenos Aires Miguel Najdorf USSR Chess Championship Moscow Mikhail Botvinnik 1946 Mar del Plata Miguel Najdorf Groningen 1946 chess tournament Groningen Mikhail Botvinnik 1947 Moscow Mikhail Botvinnik Pärnu Paul Keres Warsaw Svetozar Gligorić Mar del Plata Miguel Najdorf Buenos Aires, La Plata Gideon Ståhlberg USSR Chess Championship Leningrad Paul Keres 1948 Mar del Plata Erich Eliskases Buenos Aires, La Plata Venice Miguel Najdorf World Chess Championship 1948 The Hague, Moscow Mikhail Botvinnik Interzonal Tournament Saltsjöbaden David Bronstein USSR Chess Championship Moscow 1948/49 New York Reuben Fine 1949 USSR Chess Championship Moscow

1950–1959