The Sinquefield Cup: A Complete Guide
A key part of the Grand Chess Tour, the Sinquefield Cup has been the setting for matches between the world’s top grandmasters. Since 2013, the tournament has been a focal point of top-level chess, bringing the drama and brilliance of super grandmaster chess.
Keep reading for everything you need to know about the Sinquefield Cup.
Sinquefield Cup Tournament Structure
The Sinquefield Cup, like many high-level chess tournaments, is closed. This simply means organizers invite players to participate, as opposed to open tournaments. This allows match-ups between the best players in the world and is very common at the highest level of chess.
Originally, the tournament featured only four players and used a double-round robin format. Since 2015, the structure was changed to a single round-robin format and featured ten of the world’s top grandmasters. Like many of the most prestigious chess tournaments, the Sinquefield Cup uses a classical time control.
Related: Rules of Chess: 10 to Know Before Your Next Tournament
Round Robin Chess
Round-robin tournaments are structured so that every player plays every other player at least once. As opposed to elimination tournaments, round-robin tournaments determine the winner through a points system. Today, the Sinquefield Cup employs a single round-robin format, meaning players face each other only once.
This type of structure is popular for closed, invitational tournaments. It ensures that fans get all of the desired match-ups. For players, it is a challenging and diverse event in which they create rivalries and play them out over the board.
Scoring and Tiebreakers
Scoring is quite simple. Players are awarded one point for a win, zero for a loss, and half a point for a draw. Game scores are formatted like this: 1/0, ½ / ½, and 0/1. Organizers represent tournament standings using a cross table like this one.
If there is a tie for the winning position, arbiters use statistics from the tournament to break the tie. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head. This means if one of the two top players wins their game, they are the tournament winner. If the game was a draw, then we go on to the next tiebreaker. In this case, it is whoever has the most overall wins.
In the uncommon event that this does not settle the tie, organizers calculate the winner using the Sonneborn-Berger score. This essentially awards more points to the player who won matches against higher-rated opponents.
Related: Chess Records: A Guide to Reading Games and Tournaments
Classical Chess
Classical chess is the traditional time control for chess in which players have 90 minutes for the first 40 moves and 30 minutes to finish the rest of the game. Sometimes, classical chess includes move increments. In the case of the Sinquefield Cup, the players have a 30-second increment added after every move.
Classical chess allows players to showcase their talents at the highest level. While Rapid and Blitz time controls allow for unusual variations and flashes of brilliance, classical chess is the true test of a grandmaster’s ability. These matches involve deep preparation against specific opponents and marathon periods of calculation, with players spending as much as 30 minutes on a single move.
Sinquefield Cup Prize Fund
Part of the appeal of the Sinquefield Cup is a sizeable prize fund. In 2023, it was $350,000 with a $100,000 prize for the winner. Alireza Firouzja, the French super grandmaster, took the grand prize home on this occasion.
Alongside its prestigious position in the Grand Chess Tour, the prize fund ensures top-level participation and serious competition.
Venue: The Saint Louis Chess Club
The Saint Louis Chess Club in St. Louis, Missouri, was founded by billionaire Rex Sinquefield in 2007, who also gave his name to the club's most famous tournament. The club quickly grew to be a well-known venue in the chess world and has made St Louis something of a chess hub.
The club hosts the Sinquefield Cup every year, but it is also the setting for many other events and chess tournaments. This makes it a popular destination for chess enthusiasts and players.
Sinquefield Cup History and Winners
The tournaments have featured a star-studded cast with winners like Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Ding Liren, and Alireza Firouzja. Each year, thousands of people watch and follow the event, which is bound to include exceptional chess.
Early Years
In 2013, the tournament had only four players. Carlsen clinched the victory as part of his run to become world champion later that year. In 2014, organizers invited 6 players to participate. The player pool was incredibly strong, with the highest average rating of all time. With an incredible performance, Caruana won with 8 ½ out of a possible 10 points. Carlsen trailed in second with 5 ½.
By 2015, the tournament had its full pool of 10 top grandmasters. Levon Aronian managed to take the victory, with Carlsen again taking second place.
Overall, players hotly contested the early years of the Sinquefield Cup. Magnus Carlsen often claimed a top position, but as we’ve seen, a different player often claimed the victory every year.
Notable Moments in the Last Decade
As the tournament has progressed, we have continued to see incredible performances from the very top chess players in the world.
2018 ended in some controversy with a 3-way tie between Carlsen, Caruana, and Aronian. All of the statistic tiebreaks in place still led to a draw, so a tiebreak game was suggested. However, the players couldn’t agree to the conditions and ended up deciding to split first place and the prize money.
2022 was perhaps the most controversial tournament anywhere in recent years, thanks to a major development in the Carlsen–Niemann rivalry.
Hans Niemann was a newcomer and the lowest-ranked player in the tournament, but he managed to beat Carlsen in the third round. Carlsen dropped out of the tournament, which was interpreted by many as an accusation that Niemann was cheating. Niemann later admitted to cheating online, but denied cheating in the game or in any over-the-board match. The drama only grew from there with rivalry between the two taking the form of tense matches, Niemann being banned from chess platforms, and filing a lawsuit.
2022, 2023, and 2024 have all been close contests with dominant performances from Alireza Firouzja and Fabiano Caruana. At the time of writing, we are anticipating another excellent chess tournament in the 2025 Sinquefield Cup, scheduled for August.
Related: The 2024 Sinquefield Cup Commemorative Series Chess Pieces
How to Follow the Sinquefield Cup
As with many major tournaments, you can follow and analyze the games of the Sinquefield Cup on platforms like Chess.com. Chess news outlets like Chessbase will provide cross-tables, matchups, and live updates.
Many of the matches are also live broadcast on the Saint Louis Chess Club YouTube channel. This includes commentary and analysis of the games.
If you are aiming to improve as a chess player or participate in tournaments, watching live chess events like this one is a great practice. Not only can you try your hand at analyzing the games and finding the best moves, but you can also get used to the rules and norms of formal chess tournaments. Not only that, but you get to experience the dramatic world of professional chess firsthand!