Super tournament: elite invitational chess
Super tournament
Definition
A super tournament is an elite, invitational chess event featuring a very small field of the world’s highest-rated grandmasters, typically played as a single- or double-round-robin. The term is informal (not an official FIDE label) but is widely used in chess journalism and commentary to denote tournaments at or near the pinnacle of competitive strength.
Historically, “super tournament” often correlates with a very high FIDE category—computed from the average rating of participants in 25-point bands. For reference: Category 20 equals an average rating of 2726–2750, Category 21 is 2751–2775, Category 22 is 2776–2800, and Category 23 is 2801–2825. While there is no strict cutoff, events with an average rating around Category 21+ are commonly described as super tournaments.
Usage
Players, commentators, and organizers use “super tournament” to distinguish a top-tier, closed event from open tournaments. Typical usage includes:
- “This year’s Norway Chess is a super tournament: eight of the top ten are playing.”
- “Her invitation to a super tournament marks her debut at the absolute elite level.”
- “A Category 22 field makes this one of the strongest super tournaments ever held.”
The related phrase “super-GM” refers to an individual player generally rated 2700+, and a “super-GM tournament” emphasizes that the field consists almost entirely of such players.
Strategic and historical significance
Super tournaments shape opening theory, competitive norms, and the chess calendar:
- Opening laboratories: Elite fields are where novelties are tested and trends formed (e.g., deep Catalan, Berlin, Najdorf and Sveshnikov refinements appearing in elite practice).
- Rating and prestige: Results heavily influence world rankings and invitations to the next cycle of elite events.
- Format innovations: Experiments like the Sofia Rule (discouraging early draw offers), “Bilbao scoring” (3 points for a win, 1 for a draw), and Armageddon tiebreak add-ons have often premiered or stabilized in super tournaments.
- Historical lineage: Long before formal rating categories, legendary all-play-all events like New York 1924, Nottingham 1936, and AVRO 1938 gathered the era’s very best—prototypes of today’s super tournaments.
Notable examples and anecdotes
- New York 1924: Emanuel Lasker won ahead of José Capablanca and Alexander Alekhine. Richard Réti famously ended Capablanca’s long unbeaten streak—an iconic upset at a “proto–super tournament.”
- Nottingham 1936: Featured multiple world champions (Lasker, Capablanca, Alekhine, Euwe) and future champion Botvinnik; Capablanca and Botvinnik tied for first.
- AVRO 1938: Arguably the strongest pre-war event, designed to help identify a challenger for Alekhine; Reuben Fine and Paul Keres tied for first in a field that included Botvinnik, Capablanca, Euwe, and Reshevsky.
- Linares (1980s–2000s): Nicknamed the “Wimbledon of Chess.” In 1994, Anatoly Karpov scored 11/13 with a performance around 2985—often cited as one of the greatest tournament performances ever.
- Tata Steel Masters (Wijk aan Zee): A long-running tradition where elite stars meet rising talents. Garry Kasparov’s “Immortal” versus Veselin Topalov (Wijk aan Zee 1999) is a celebrated brilliancy:
- Sinquefield Cup 2014 (St. Louis): Widely billed as the strongest ever at the time (Category 23, ~2802 average). Fabiano Caruana began with a historic 7/7, including a win over Magnus Carlsen, and finished 8.5/10.
- Bilbao Masters (late 2000s): Popularized 3-1-0 “football scoring” and often used draw-restriction rules, influencing elite event formats.
- Norway Chess (2013–): A modern super tournament that has experimented with Armageddon games after drawn classical encounters.
How to recognize a super tournament
- Field: Mostly top-10 or top-20 grandmasters; many rated 2700+.
- Format: Closed round-robin (single or double); occasionally short elite knockout or small double round-robin.
- Category: Very high FIDE category average (often Cat. 21+).
- Time control: Usually classical, though some elite rapid/blitz events are informally called super tournaments too.
- Coverage: Extensive media attention, live commentary, and deep engine-assisted preparation.
Interesting facts
- Invitation balance: Some super tournaments include one local “wild card” to encourage national interest and give promising players experience against the elite.
- Norms and difficulty: Because the field is so strong and compact, norms are rare and every half-point is hard-earned; even a 50% score can gain rating.
- Cultural identity: Linares was dubbed the “Wimbledon of Chess,” while Wijk aan Zee is often called the “chess pilgrimage” for its unique blend of elite and festival sections.