Chess tournament

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The 35th Chess Olympiad, a chess tournament for teams Sahovska olimpiada Bled 2002 1.JPG
The 35th Chess Olympiad, a chess tournament for teams

A chess tournament is a series of chess games played competitively to determine a winning individual or team. Since the first international chess tournament in London, 1851, chess tournaments have become the standard form of chess competition among multiple serious players.

Contents

Today, the most recognized chess tournaments for individual competition include the Candidates Tournament and the Tata Steel Chess Tournament. The largest team chess tournament is the Chess Olympiad, in which players compete for their country's team in the same fashion as the Olympic Games. Since the 1960s, chess computers have occasionally entered human tournaments, but this is no longer common.

Most chess tournaments are organized and directed according to the World Chess Federation (FIDE) handbook, which offers guidelines and regulations for conducting tournaments. Chess tournaments are mainly held in either round-robin style, Swiss-system style or elimination style to determine a winning party.

A large youth chess tournament in Spain Chess tournament 1.jpg
A large youth chess tournament in Spain

History

Adolf Anderssen And00278.png
Adolf Anderssen

Although modern chess had been established since around 1475, the first tournament (in the sense of structured competitions) was in Leeds in 1841. [1] There was a knockout tournament in London in 1849 and a tournament in Amsterdam in 1851. [2] [3] The first international chess tournament was held in London in 1851. [1] [4] The London 1851 tournament took place during the Great Exhibition, and would serve as a guide for future international chess tournaments that would follow it. The tournament not only showed the need for time controls but it also clearly demonstrated the drawbacks to the knockout elimination tournament format. [5] It was won by Adolf Anderssen of Germany, who became regarded as the world's best chess player as a result. [6] [7]

The number of international chess tournaments increased rapidly afterwards. By the end of the 1850s, chess tournaments had been held in Berlin, Paris, Manchester, New York City, San Francisco, Birmingham, and Vienna. [8] [9] [10] By the end of World War II there were 24 international chess tournaments per year, and by 1990 there were well over a thousand. [11]

Chess Olympiads

Chess Olympiad tournament hall, Torino 2006 Chess Olympiad Torino 2006.jpg
Chess Olympiad tournament hall, Torino 2006

An attempt was made in 1924 to include chess in the Olympic Games. However, because it was very difficult to distinguish between amateur and professional chess players, the event was called off. [12] While the 1924 Summer Olympics was taking place in Paris, the 1st unofficial Chess Olympiad took place separately from the Olympics, but also in Paris. The Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) was formed on the closing day of the first unofficial Chess Olympiad. [13] FIDE organized the first official Chess Olympiad in 1927 in which there were 16 participating countries. [12] By the 29th Chess Olympiad in 1990, there were 127 member countries. [11] The Chess Olympiads were held at irregular intervals by FIDE until 1950; since then, they have been held regularly every two years. [12]

Growth of Chess Olympiads
There were 16 participating nations in the 1st Chess Olympiad, 1927. 1st Chess Olympiad.PNG
There were 16 participating nations in the 1st Chess Olympiad, 1927.
By the 37th Chess Olympiad, 2006, there were 133 participating nations. 37th Chess Olympiad participants.PNG
By the 37th Chess Olympiad, 2006, there were 133 participating nations.

Computers in chess tournaments

A pressure-sensory chess computer with an LCD screen from the 1990s RS Chess Computer.JPG
A pressure-sensory chess computer with an LCD screen from the 1990s

The first chess engine (a chess playing computer program) to beat a person in tournament play was the Mac Hack Six, in 1967. [14] Soon after, tournaments were created just for chess computers. In 1970, the first North American Computer Chess Championship (NACCC) was held in New York City, and in 1974, the first World Computer Chess Championship (WCCC) was held in Stockholm. Kaissa, a chess program of the Soviet Union was named the world's first computer chess champion. [15] [16] In 1995, the first World Computer Speed Chess Championship was held in Paderborn, Germany for blitz chess. For a time, computers competed in human tournaments as well, [17] but computers have become so strong that humans are no longer able to compete with them; players now tend to treat them as analysis tools rather than as opponents. [18] Interest remains in computer chess tournaments, especially the World Computer Chess Championship and Top Chess Engine Championship.

Rules

FIDE publishes a handbook giving rules for chess tournaments. [19] This includes sections giving the rules of the game, but there are also sections specifying how tournaments are organized and regulated.

The chess clock

A typical analog chess clock. Note the two separate timers. Sah sahovska ura.png
A typical analog chess clock. Note the two separate timers.

A chess clock is a clock with two separate time displays of which only one display can be running at a time. The player with the black pieces will initiate their opponent's timer at the start of the game. Thus the player with the white pieces will have their timer running first, and will make the first move. The player or the arbiter may end the game at any time after the player's opponent has overstepped their time limit. If a timed-out clock remains unnoticed, the game will continue as normal. If the game needs to be interrupted, the arbiter shall stop the clock.

Due to most tournaments having increment or delay as well as digital clocks being more precise, digital chess clocks are the preferred choice of equipment in tournaments.

Digital clock DGT 2010 digital chess clock.ajb.jpg
Digital clock

Irregularities

If it is found that the starting position of the pieces was incorrect, the game must be cancelled and restarted. If it is found that an illegal move has been made, the game must return to the position directly before the irregularity. For the first illegal move by a player, the arbiter shall give two minutes extra time to his opponent. If a player makes a second illegal move in the same game, the arbiter shall declare the game lost by the offending player. If a game begins with the piece colors reversed, the game should be stopped and restarted unless an arbiter rules otherwise. If a player displaces any pieces, they should place them in the correct locations on their own time.

The recording of moves

A chess score sheet of a 1909 match between Jose Raul Capablanca and Louis Eisenberg, in descriptive notation Planilha Eisenberg e Capablanca.jpg
A chess score sheet of a 1909 match between José Raúl Capablanca and Louis Eisenberg, in descriptive notation

In games with long time controls, each player is required to record all moves of the game in algebraic chess notation. If, however, a player reaches less than five minutes on their clock, and does not have an increment of thirty seconds or more, they are excused from recording the remaining game moves until the game has been completed. At the conclusion of the game, both players must sign each other's score sheets and turn them to the event organizer if instructed to do so. In fast chess games, players are not required to record moves, as it would take away from important thinking time. The score sheets must be visible to the arbiter at all times.

The drawn game

A player must make their own move before offering a draw, and must not stop their own clock and start their opponent's clock before they have made the offer. If a player does not make a move before offering a draw, the opponent can request a move before considering the draw offer (which cannot be retracted). No conditions may be attached to a draw offer. If a player claims a draw according to the rules of chess, the player is allowed to stop both clocks and record the draw claim as long as their opponent agrees to the claim. [20] If the opponent disputes the draw claim, the director may be called to come to a conclusion. If the claim is found to be correct, the game is drawn. Once a player has made a move from a position eligible for a draw, they lose their rights to claim a draw in that position. [21] [22]

Quickplay finish

The quickplay finish is the phase of the game when all remaining moves must be made in a limited time. If a player has two minutes or less left on their clock, they may ask the arbiter to adjudicate a draw. The arbiter must decide if the player's opponent is making any attempt to win the game by normal means, or if the position can be won in any way. If the arbiter decides against a draw, the player's opponent will be awarded two extra minutes of time. Otherwise, the game is drawn, and the decision of the arbiter is final.

Scoring

SymbolScore
1–0 White wins
0–1 Black wins
½–½ drawn game

Players are granted one point (1) for a win, a half point (½) for a draw, and no points (0) for a loss toward their tournament score. A minority of tournaments use alternative scoring systems such as "football scoring" (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw), but they are treated the same as regular scoring for the purposes of Elo rating. Full-point byes are received when a player is excluded from a round because of an extra player. Thus, in tournaments with an odd number of players, a different player will receive a full-point each round. A full-point bye is equal in points to a normal win. Half-point byes can be requested by a player who will be unavailable for a round. If accepted, the player will receive a half-point, as if they had drawn the game. [23] A player who wins by forfeit or default will also be granted one point.

Player conduct

Players are not allowed to take any action that will bring the game into disrepute. For example, deliberate attempts at cheating by sneaking a captured piece back on to the board can be punished by this rule, rather than the rules dealing with illegal moves. [24]

Players can not make any use of any outside information. This includes advice, notes, and analysis of another chess board. During play, a player is forbidden to have a mobile phone or any other electronic means of communication in the playing venue; failure to comply with this may result in a forfeit. Chess score sheets may be used for recording matters relevant to the game. Players should not distract or annoy their competitor in any way. Once a player has finished their game, they are considered a spectator. Refusal of a player to comply with the rules may result in penalty, up to and including forfeiture of the game or even disqualification of the player. If two opponents both refuse to obey the rules, the game may be considered lost by both players. In 1976, smoking was banned in a major tournament for the first time (the National Open, Las Vegas). [25]

The role of the arbiter

The arbiter must see that the Laws of Chess are observed and make decisions in the best interest of the competition, but must not interfere with the game otherwise. If a rule is broken, the arbiter may choose from a number of penalties including the following:

The arbiter may also expel offending spectators from the venue. Spectators are also forbidden to use mobile phones at any time in the playing area, and may be expelled for it. Member federations are allowed to ask FIDE authorities to give an official decision about problems relating to the Laws of Chess.

Formats

Most chess tournaments are held in either round-robin style, Swiss-system style or single-elimination style.

Round-robin

In round-robin tournaments, each participant plays every other participant an equal number of times. [26] Round-robin tournaments involving four participants are known as "quads" or "foursome". Round-robin tournaments are often used for small groups because the element of luck is reduced when every player plays everyone else. [27] Rating categories are sometimes used to separate players of different levels into different round-robin groups. The World Chess Federation, the Australian Chess Federation and the United States Chess Federation all use different categorization scales to distinguish player ability. [28]

Most round robin tournaments use the traditional 1-½-0 scoring system. In recent years, however, a few tournaments, such as Bilbao and London, have experimented with the football 3-1-0 scoring system to encourage players to go for wins.

Swiss system

A tournament that has too many participants for a round-robin format is commonly conducted as a Swiss-system tournament. [29] This is the most common format for amateur events, and is also common at professional level. In the Swiss style, players are paired as far as possible with opponents having same or similar scores. [30] Pairing players for Swiss-system tournaments is often quite complicated due to some nontrivial constraints:

Swiss tournament pairings were traditionally done by hand using cards. Today, tournament organizers usually use software.

Due to the high percentage of draws and the small granularity of the scoring system which is entirely based on final results, it is common for players to have the same score as the tournament finishes. Although it is often not an issue, as the tied players often split prizes equally, in case of necessity (for trophies, qualifications to other tournaments, etc.), there are a few ways to achieve tiebreak. In no particular order:

Tournament organizers specify the tie-breaking rules (if any) on the entry form.

Elimination

A 16-player single-elimination tournament bracket SixteenPlayerSingleEliminationTournamentBracket.svg
A 16-player single-elimination tournament bracket

Single-elimination style or knock-out style are also sometimes used for chess tournaments. In fact, the first international chess tournament was held in single-elimination style. [31] In single-elimination tournaments, the loser of a game is immediately eliminated from winning the first prize. [32] [33] In most single-elimination chess tournaments there is a chance for players to compete for positions other than first. Players are normally given seeds based on their rating in order to prevent the highest ranked players from facing each other early in the competition. Double-elimination tournaments work in the same way as single-elimination tournaments except that a player loses eligibility to take first prize after two losses. [34]

Since chess is believed to have a first move advantage for white, to ensure fairness, the players have to face each other in an equal number of white and black games. For example, in the Chess World Cup, players face off each other in two games, except the final with four games. Resolving ties is absolutely crucial in this format, with the modern rule generally following:

1. The players play a number of rapid games (2 or 4) until ties are broken.

2. If the players are tied, they keep playing pairs of blitz games until ties are broken, or until a set number of pairs are played (usually 1 or 2 pairs, although it can be up to 5 pairs).

3. If the players are still tied, a single deciding game (Armageddon) will be used, with Black receiving draw odds (draw count as a win) in exchange for White having time advantage (typically 5 vs 4 minutes).

Scheveningen system

The Scheveningen system, first used in Scheveningen, Netherlands in 1923, involves two teams, each member of one team playing against each member of the other team. Typically each team has between 6 and 12 players, and both individual and team prizes may be awarded. [21] [35]

Reporting results

Results are reported using a crosstable . A crosstable is an arrangement of the results of every game in a tournament in the form of a table. The result of each individual game is recorded in the appropriate cell.

Round-robin tournaments

Rows contain the player's name and a number indicating their finishing position; individual games can be looked up using these numbers as co-ordinates. Wins are indicated by 1, draws by ½ and losses by 0. For example, the following cross table shows the result of the Hastings 1895 chess tournament:

Hastings 1895
#Player12345678910111213141516171819202122Total
1Flag of the United States.svg  Harry Pillsbury  (United States)X00111110½½111111½111116½
2Romanov Flag.svg  Mikhail Chigorin  (Russian Empire)1X11001111½0111½½11½1116
3Flag of the German Empire.svg  Emanuel Lasker  (German Empire)10X011011011½111½11½1115½
4Flag of the German Empire.svg  Siegbert Tarrasch  (German Empire)001X11½0½11101½1110½1114
5Flag of the United States.svg  William Steinitz  (United States)0100X11½½1101½10110½1113
6Romanov Flag.svg  Emanuel Schiffers  (Russian Empire)01000X½½0111½½110½1½1112
7Flag of the German Empire.svg  Curt von Bardeleben  (German Empire)001½0½X½½00½111½½1110111½
8Flag of the German Empire.svg  Richard Teichmann  (German Empire)0001½½½X½00½1101½1½11111½
9Flag of the Habsburg Monarchy.svg  Carl Schlechter  (Austria)100½½1½½X½½011½½½½½½1011
10Flag of England.svg  Joseph Henry Blackburne  (England)½0100011½X01010½10101110½
11Flag of the German Empire.svg  Carl August Walbrodt  (German Empire)½½000011½1X0½0½½0½½11110
12Flag of France.svg  David Janowski  (France)010010½½101X½00½01½101
13Flag of England.svg  James Mason  (England)00½10½0001½½X101½01101
14Flag of England.svg  Amos Burn  (England)0000½½0000110X0½111111
15Flag of England.svg  Isidor Gunsberg  (England)000½0001½1½111X01½01009
16Flag of England.svg  Henry Bird  (England)0½0010½0½½½½0½1X1½0½½19
17Flag of Romania.svg  Adolf Albin  (Romania)0½½001½½½011½000X0011½
18Flag of the Habsburg Monarchy.svg  Georg Marco  (Austria)½0000½00½1½010½½1X110½
19Canadian Red Ensign (1868-1921).svg  William Pollock  (Canada)0001100½½0½½001110X0018
20Flag of the German Empire.svg  Jacques Mieses  (German Empire)0½½½½½00½100000½001X11
21Flag of England.svg  Samuel Tinsley  (England)000000100001101½0110X1
22Flag of Italy (1861-1946).svg  Beniamino Vergani  (Italy)0000000010000010½½000X3

From this table, it can be seen that tournament winner Pillsbury lost to Chigorin, Lasker and Schlechter; drew with Blackburne, Walbrodt and Marco; and won his remaining 15 games.

Swiss-system tournaments

In Swiss-system tournaments, results are usually displayed on a round by round basis. There are variants to the way Swiss tournaments are displayed, such as listing wins by the letter "W", losses by the letter "L" and draws by the letter "D". Additional symbols may also be used, such as indicating wins by forfeit with "X", losses by forfeit with "F", half point byes (i.e. byes requested by the player) with "H", full point byes (unpaired due to odd number of players) with "B" etc. [36] The following table shows the result of the 1991 Women's Interzonal Tournament in Subotica, Serbia, a qualifying event for the 1993 Women's World Championship.

1991 Women's Interzonal Tournament
Player12345678910111213PointsTie break
1Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Nona Gaprindashvili  (Soviet Union)+14=28+2+17+21-9=3=5=7+12=4+6=10967.75
2Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Peng Zhaoqin  (China)=26+33-1+20+27=5=16+9+3=4=6+7=12963.75
3Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Nana Ioseliani  (Soviet Union)+27=17+9=5=6+21=1=7-2=8+24+11=461.25
4Flag of the United States.svg  Irina Levitina  (USA)-25=24-33+34+15+10=6+14+16=2=1+9=359.25
5Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Wang Pin  (China)=32+12+7=3=16=2+9=1+8=18=11-10=13860.00
6Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Qin Kanying  (China)+13=11+32=26=3-8=4+21=17+16=2-1+9855.50
7Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Ketevan Arakhamia  (Soviet Union)=18=20-5+33+32+17+8=3=1-9+14-2+19852.75
8Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Svetlana Matveeva  (Soviet Union)=28=14+15=9+10+6-7=16-5=3=12=18+2953.25
9Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Alisa Galliamova  (Soviet Union)+29+16-3=8+26+1-5-2+21+7+18-4-652.25
10Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Ketino Kachiani  (Soviet Union)=31=26+18=16-8-4-15+33+20+25=13+5=149.00
11Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Marta Litinskaya-Shul  (Soviet Union)+22=6-21=32+25-16=27+20=15+17=5-3+1848.50
12Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Aynur Sofiyeva  (Soviet Union)=20-5-26-29+35+34+31+27+24-1=8+14=242.00
13Flag of Hungary.svg  Ildikó Mádl  (Hungary)-6+29=20-21+23=25-14-22+30+28=10+25=5744.00
14Flag of Romania.svg  Cristina Adela Foișor  (Romania)-1=8=29=19+31=18+13-4+32+15-7-12+22743.75
15Flag of Romania.svg  Daniela Nuțu-Gajić  (Romania)-16+22-8+35-4=20+10+32=11-14+33-19+26739.00
16Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Julia Demina  (Soviet Union)+15-9+25=10=5+11=2=8-4-6=22=29=2445.50
17Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Margarita Voyska  (Bulgaria)+30=3+23-1=18-7=25=19=6-11=27+33=2041.00
18Flag of Hungary.svg  Zsuzsa Verőci-Petronic  (Hungary)=7+34-10+28=17=14=21=24+25=5-9=8-1140.25
19Flag of Hungary.svg  Tünde Csonkics  (Hungary)=34-23=31=14=28+33=32=17=22-24+26+15-737.75
20Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg  Vesna Bašagić  (Yugoslavia)=12=7=13-2=24=15+30-11-10bye=23+28=1736.00
21Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg  Sanja Vuksanović  (Yugoslavia)+24=25+11+13-1-3=18-6-9-26+34=23bye33.25
22Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg  Gordana Marković  (Yugoslavia)-11-15+30=31=29-32+28+13=19=23=16=27-14637.25
23Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg  Mirjana Marić  (Yugoslavia)=33+19-17-27-13=28+29=31=26=22=20=21=30636.25
24Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Irina Chelushkina  (Soviet Union)-21=4+34-25=20+29+26=18-12+19-3-13=16636.00
25Flag of Greece.svg  Anna-Maria Botsari  (Greece)+4=21-16+24-11=13=17+26-18-10-28+35=27636.00
26Flag of the United States.svg  Beatriz MacArthur  (USA)=2=10+12=6-9+27-24-25=23+21-19bye-15635.25
27Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg  Nataša Bojković  (Yugoslavia)-3+30=28+23-2-26=11-12=31+34=17=22=25634.25
28Flag of Germany.svg  Constanze Jahn  (Germany)=8=1=27-18=19=23-22=35bye-13+25-20+33629.75
29Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg  Suzana Maksimović  (Yugoslavia)-9-13=14+12=22-24-23bye=34+35+30=16-8627.50
30Flag of Finland.svg  Johanna Paasikangas  (Finland)-17-27-22bye=33+35-20+34-13+32-29+31=23622.00
31Flag of England.svg  Sheila Jackson  (England)=10-32=19=22-14bye-12=23=27-33+35-30+34
32Flag of Argentina.svg  Claudia Amura  (Argentina)=5+31-6=11-7+22=19-15-14-30bye=35-34524.25
33Flag of Vietnam.svg  Khương Thị Hồng Nhung  (Vietnam) [37] =23-2+4-7=30-19bye-10+35+31-15-17-28522.50
34Flag of Finland.svg  Niina Koskela  (Finland)=19-18-24-4bye-12+35-30=29-27-21=32-31
35Flag of Nigeria.svg  Sylvia Chidi  (Nigeria)FF*FF*bye-15-12-30-34=28-33-29-31-25+32

Sylvia Chidi of Nigeria didn't enter the tournament until after the first two rounds were played, so her first two games are listed as forfeited.

Relaying moves and broadcasting

Relaying moves formerly required another person to copy the moves of the players on a large demonstration board behind the players, and then transmit them via radio or telegram. Advancements in camera technology allowed zooming clearly at the players' board, although relaying moves was still done manually. In the early 2000s, autosensory boards were introduced, allowing moves to be relayed instantaneously, but are not commonly used due to their cost.

In elite tournaments, besides cameras on the players' boards, there are also chess commentators – strong chess players who comment on the game and explain the thought processes and plans of the game. Advances in chess engines also allow for casual viewers to evaluate the position in real time; for this reason tournament broadcasts commonly include a 30-minute delay.

Disabled players

FIDE has rules for disabled players, with the aim of facilitating competition on an equal footing with able-bodied players. [38]

Although the Blind Chess Olympiad is the most significant chess event for the blind and visually impaired, players in either group can participate at most standard tournaments including international ones. [39] [40] In some cases, specially designed chessboards with raised squares and pegs are used to aid the visually handicapped, while a tournament assistant can be used to help players with other physical handicaps. [41]

Tournament categories

FIDE uses tournament results to determine whether a player has qualified for a title, such as Grandmaster. For a number of years, starting in 1970, FIDE classified tournaments in categories according to the average Elo rating of the participants, as part of the calculation of whether a particular tournament result could count towards a particular title. The starting category for master-level tournaments was category I, which applied to a tournament whose participants had an average rating from 2251 to 2275. From 2276 to 2300 it was a category II tournament, and so on with a further category every 25 points. Categories are no longer used in these calculations, but informally, strong tournaments are sometimes described by category. Through 2005, the strongest tournaments had been classified category XXI. [42] [43] The Zurich Chess Challenge 2014, held from 29 January to 4 February 2014, was the first ever category XXIII tournament, with an average Elo rating of 2801. The 2014 Sinquefield Cup, held from 27 August to 7 September, was the second category XXIII tournament, with an average Elo rating of 2802.

Cat.Elo range
I2251–2275
II2276–2300
III2301–2325
IV2326–2350
V2351–2375
VI2376–2400
VII2401–2425
 VIII 2426–2450
Cat.Elo range
IX2451–2475
X2476–2500
XI2501–2525
XII2526–2550
 XIII 2551–2575
XIV2576–2600
XV2601–2625
XVI2626–2650
Cat.Elo range
XVII2651–2675
 XVIII 2676–2700
XIX2701–2725
XX2726–2750
XXI2751–2775
XXII2776–2800
XXIII2801–2825

Tournament classes

To gauge tournaments held before 1970, Jeff Sonas devised an unofficial class system, intended to roughly correspond to categories. This is simply based on the presence or absence of the world's ten highest-ranked players at the time, and does not involve rating numbers. [44]

According to this system, the Vienna 1882 chess tournament would compare in strength to Linares 1993. [44]

Time controls

A time control is a mechanism in tournament play that allows each round of the match to finish in a timely fashion so that the tournament can proceed. The three main types of time controls used in chess tournaments are blitz, standard, and compensation.

Blitz

In blitz chess (also known as sudden death chess) each player starts with a fixed amount of time for all their moves of the game. [45] The FIDE Handbook designates the following common blitz time controls: [46]

Blitz time controls increase the odds that a player would "lose on time", meaning forfeiture of the game due to expiration of their clock time. Blitz tournaments are often documented with the notation "G/5" or "G/15", meaning "game in 5" and "game in 15", respectively. [45]

Standard

In standard time controls (STCs) a player has a set amount of time to complete a specified number of moves. If the specified number of moves is met, the player's time will rejuvenate. The first standard time controls, introduced in 1861, were 24 moves in two hours, with the average game lasting five hours. [47] In the mid-1980s, a new format, 40 moves in two hours, proved popular because few games lasted over 60 moves. [47]

Compensation

There are two main forms that provide compensation for both the time lost in physically making a move and ensuring that a player can avoid having an ever-decreasing amount of time remaining.

Prizes

The winners of chess tournaments are often rewarded with monetary prizes. Often, the chess tournament draws its prizes from a prize fund, dispensing rewards for all the winners in each section. For example, the 2008 World Open chess tournament had a prize fund of $400,000. The winner of the open section was rewarded $30,000, while the winners of lesser sections were rewarded subsequently smaller amounts. [48] Other chess tournaments, such as the World Chess Championship, also reward the winners with a title, such as "World Chess Champion". [49] Lesser tournaments sometimes replace monetary rewards with book prizes or trophies. [50]

See also

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A time control is a mechanism in the tournament play of almost all two-player board games so that each round of the match can finish in a timely way and the tournament can proceed.

This glossary of chess explains commonly used terms in chess, in alphabetical order. Some of these terms have their own pages, like fork and pin. For a list of unorthodox chess pieces, see Fairy chess piece; for a list of terms specific to chess problems, see Glossary of chess problems; for a list of named opening lines, see List of chess openings; for a list of chess-related games, see List of chess variants; for a list of terms general to board games, see Glossary of board games.

In chess, there are a number of ways that a game can end in a draw, neither player winning. Draws are codified by various rules of chess including stalemate, threefold repetition, and the fifty-move rule. Under the standard FIDE rules, a draw also occurs in a dead position, most commonly when neither player has sufficient material to checkmate the opponent.

In chess, the threefold repetition rule states that a player may claim a draw if the same position occurs three times during the game. The rule is also known as repetition of position and, in the USCF rules, as triple occurrence of position. Two positions are by definition "the same" if the same types of pieces occupy the same squares, the same player has the move, the remaining castling rights are the same and the possibility to capture en passant is the same. The repeated positions need not occur in succession. The reasoning behind the rule is that if the position occurs three times, no real progress is being made and the game could hypothetically continue indefinitely.

A game of chess can end in a draw by agreement. A player may offer a draw at any stage of a game; if the opponent accepts, the game is a draw. In some competitions, draws by agreement are restricted; for example draw offers may be subject to the discretion of the arbiter, or may be forbidden before move 30 or 40, or even forbidden altogether. The majority of draws in chess are by agreement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fast chess</span> Chess variant with little move time allowed

Fast chess, also known as speed chess, is a type of chess in which each player is given less time to consider their moves than classical chess time controls allow. Fast chess is subdivided, by decreasing time controls, into rapid chess, blitz chess, and bullet chess. Armageddon chess is a particular variation of fast chess in which different rules apply for each of the two players.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">37th Chess Olympiad</span> 2006 chess tournament in Turin, Italy

The 37th Chess Olympiad, organized by FIDE and comprising an open and a women's tournament, as well as several other events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between May 20 and June 4, 2006, in Turin, Italy. There were 148 teams in the open event and 103 in the women's event. In total, 1307 players were registered.

Cheating in chess is a deliberate violation of the rules of chess or other behaviour that is intended to give an unfair advantage to a player or team. Cheating can occur in many forms and can take place before, during, or after a game. Commonly cited instances of cheating include: collusion with spectators or other players, use of chess engines during play, rating manipulation, and violations of the touch-move rule. Many suspiciously motivated practices are not comprehensively covered by the rules of chess.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fabiano Caruana</span> Italian-American chess grandmaster (born 1992)

Fabiano Luigi Caruana is an Italian and American chess grandmaster who is the reigning three-time United States Chess Champion. With a peak rating of 2844, Caruana is the third-highest-rated player in history.

The Women's World Chess Championship 2008 took place from August 28, 2008 to September 18 in Nalchik, Russia. It was won by Alexandra Kosteniuk, who beat Hou Yifan in the final by 2½ to 1½.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">39th Chess Olympiad</span> 2010 chess tournament in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia

The 39th Chess Olympiad, organised by FIDE and comprising an open and a women's tournament, as well as several other events designed to promote the game of chess, took place from September 19 to October 4, 2010, in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. There were 148 teams in the open event and 115 in the women's event. In total, 1306 players were registered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FIDE titles</span> Title for chess players awarded by FIDE

FIDE titles are awarded by the international chess governing body FIDE for outstanding performance. The highest such title is Grandmaster (GM). Titles generally require a combination of Elo rating and norms. Once awarded, titles are held for life except in cases of fraud or cheating. Open titles may be earned by all players, while women's titles are restricted to female players. Many strong female players hold both open and women's titles. FIDE also awards titles for arbiters, organizers and trainers. Titles for correspondence chess, chess problem composition and chess problem solving are no longer administered by FIDE.

In chess played with a time control, time trouble, time pressure, or its German translation Zeitnot, is the situation where a player has little time to complete the required moves. When forced to play quickly, the probability of making blunders is increased, so handling the clock is an important aspect of chess playing. The last move of the time control is especially prone to blunders if players only have a few seconds to play it, and many games have been lost due to poor time management in time pressure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">40th Chess Olympiad</span> 2012 chess tournament in Istanbul, Turkey

The 40th Chess Olympiad, organised by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, was an international team chess event that took place in Istanbul, Turkey, from 27 August to 10 September 2012. The city also hosted the event in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">42nd Chess Olympiad</span> 2016 chess tournament in Baku, Azerbaijan

The 42nd Chess Olympiad, organised by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) and comprising an open and women's tournaments, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, was an international team chess event held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 1 to 14 September 2016. It was the first time that the Chess Olympiad had been hosted in Azerbaijan, the birthplace of former world champion Garry Kasparov; however, Azerbaijan had previously hosted strong tournaments, including the annual Shamkir Chess super-tournament in memory of Vugar Gashimov (1986–2014) and the Chess World Cup 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chess World Cup 2017</span> Chess tournament

The Chess World Cup 2017 was a 128-player single-elimination chess tournament, held in Tbilisi, Georgia, from 2 to 27 September 2017. It was won by Armenian grandmaster Levon Aronian. This was the second time he had won the Chess World Cup, 12 years after his first win in 2005. It was the 7th edition of the Chess World Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chess World Cup 2019</span> Chess tournament

The Chess World Cup 2019 was a 128-player single-elimination chess tournament that took place in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, from 9 September to 4 October 2019. It was won by Azerbaijani grandmaster Teimour Radjabov. He and the runner-up, Ding Liren, both qualified for the Candidates Tournament for the World Chess Championship 2021. It was the 8th edition of the Chess World Cup.

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