Tata Steel Chess Tournament

The Tata Steel Chess Tournament is one of the oldest and best-known annual elite chess events. It is held in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, and its history goes back to 1938. The current top section, called the Masters, has fourteen players in a round robin, meaning every participant plays one game against every other participant.

The same tournament lineage has carried different sponsor names. For decades it appeared as Hoogovens, later as Corus, and from 2011 onward as Tata Steel. An older game labeled “Hoogovens Wijk aan Zee” or “Corus Wijk aan Zee” therefore belongs to the history of the event now known as Tata Steel.

Its format differs from the Grand Swiss, which uses Swiss pairings for a much larger field. In its long tradition of inviting the world's strongest players, Tata Steel is more comparable with the historic Linares tournament. The wider festival also includes events for amateur players.