Tata Steel Chess 2022: All The Information

The Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, is one of the most prestigious over-the-board tournaments in all of chess. Held annually in January, the dates for the 2022 tournament are January 15-30.
The 2021 tournament was won by Dutch GM Jorden van Foreest, the first Dutch winner of the tournament since GM Jan Timman in 1985.
Most years there are multiple tournaments held concurrently, although 2021 was an exception. Historically, the winner of the second-level tournament (formerly Group B, now known today as the Challengers) advances to the next year's top division, the Masters (formerly Group A).

Broadcast

You can watch the live broadcast on Chess.com/TV or on our Twitch and YouTube channels. Among our commentators will be GM Daniel Naroditsky, GM Robert Hess, and WIM Fiona Steil-Antoni.

Schedule

The 2022 Tata Steel Chess Tournament runs January 14-30, 2022. Games begin January 15 with rest days on the 19th, 24th, and 27th of the month.
The lower-rated Challengers tournament returns in 2022 after a hiatus in 2021. Other than the Masters and Challengers tournaments, there are no on-site events for 2022.

Location

The tournament is held every year in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, a small resort town on the North Sea.
Wijk aan Zee. Photo: Wikimedia/public domain.

Format

The tournament is a single round-robin. Everyone plays each other once for a total of 13 rounds.
In each game, the players get 100 minutes for the first 40 moves, 50 minutes for the next 20, and 15 minutes for the remainder of the game. There is a 30-second increment throughout.
Any tie for first is broken by two blitz rounds followed, if necessary, by armageddon.

Players

The field consists of 14 players. At least one Dutch player participates every year and GM Anish Giri was the first player to be confirmed for 2022. An additional 12 players were announced on October 26, 2021, with GM Vidit Gujrathi completing the field on November 23. Most years, the winner of the previous Challengers Tournament also plays in the Masters, but there was no Challengers Tournament in 2021.
The complete field is below (rating and ranking from the official January 2022 FIDE list).

The Challengers field is available here.

Prize Fund

The prize fund is not publicly available.

Regulations

Regulations can be found here.

History

The tournament was first played in 1938 as a local Dutch tournament. It has been held every year since except for 1945, during which time it grew into a major international event. Originally played in Beverwijk, it moved to Wijk aan Zee in 1968. The sponsor has also evolved, from Hoogovens in 1938, to Corus in 1999, and finally, Tata Steel starting in 2011.
GM Jan Hein Donner, left, won the tournament in 1950, 1958, and 1963, when it was known as Hoogovens. Here Donner plays GM Bruno Parama in 1963. Photo: F. N. Broers/Dutch National Archives, CC.
From 1938-2021, GM Magnus Carlsen (7) and GM Viswanathan Anand (5) have the most tournament victories. Four players are tied just below them at four wins: GMs Levon Aronian, Max Euwe, Viktor Korchnoi, and Lajos Portisch.
Carlsen won his seventh tournament at Wijk aan Zee in 2019. Here he faces the host nation's top player, Giri, in their game at the tournament. Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.
Every tournament champion since it became known as Tata Steel in 2011 is below. The full list is at the Tata Steel Chess website.