The Greatest Chess Tournaments of All Time: A CAPS Score Analysis
The quest to determine the greatest chess tournament performance of all time has always been a topic of debate among chess enthusiasts. From Emanuel Lasker’s perfect 13-0 in New York in 1893 to Bobby Fischer’s famous 11-0 U.S. Championship in 1963, and the modern-day brilliance of Garry Kasparov and Magnus Carlsen, there have been numerous outstanding performances throughout history.
To settle this debate, Chess.com introduced the Computer Aggregated Precision Score (CAPS), a tool that evaluates the quality of moves in any chess game or series of games. CAPS ranks performances between 0 (blunders nearly every move) and 100 (perfect chess), allowing for a fair comparison across different eras of chess.
After evaluating some of the most famous tournament victories ever achieved, including Lasker’s and Fischer’s historic performances, as well as modern-day champions like Kasparov and Carlsen, the top five greatest tournament performances were identified based on their CAPS scores.
Veselin Topalov’s dominant display in the 2005 FIDE World Championship secured the fifth spot on the list, followed by Anatoly Karpov’s impressive performance in Linares, 1994, at number four. Garry Kasparov’s exceptional showing in Linares, 2001, claimed the third spot, showcasing his unparalleled skill and dominance in the chess world.
However, it was the young American prodigy Hans Niemann who surprised everyone with his stellar performance in the 2023 Tournament of Peace, earning him the second spot on the list. Niemann’s remarkable display of chess mastery and strategic brilliance solidified his place among the greatest tournament performances in history.
Ultimately, it was Magnus Carlsen’s flawless performance in the Croatian leg of the 2019 Grand Chess Tour that claimed the top spot. Carlsen’s unmatched accuracy and strategic brilliance against some of the world’s best players solidified his reputation as one of the greatest chess players of all time.
As the debate continues among chess fans and enthusiasts, one thing remains clear – the pursuit of perfection and brilliance in chess tournaments will always be a source of inspiration and admiration for players and fans alike.