List of highest chess Tournament Performance Ratings

In chess a player's strength is measured by the Elo rating system, which reflects a player's past results. A Tournament Performance Rating (TPR) measures a player's performance level in an individual event, and is calculated from the percentage scored and the average Elo rating of the opponents. This article includes some of the best TPRs achieved during matches and tournaments since the introduction of the Elo system.

Understanding and assumptions

• The Elo rating calculation is not appropriate for perfect scores (theoretically not ending curve). To give more weight to the most outstanding performances the strengths of the opponents are taken into account to ensure world level.
• The FIDE uses a rule when the opponent is more than 400 Elo points lower placed, the Elo rating will be set on (Elo rating -/- 400) for rating calculation only.
• This overview will use the same rule but the other way around. When a perfect score is realized, 400 Elo points are added on the average opponent Elo rating.
• The minimum threshold for a TPR record is set on 2900.
• The minimum # of games for a perfect score is 6 during a match or tournament.
• Standard game time control need to be the common time control during that era/period.
• The average Elo of the top 100 players from its beginning (1970) until now grew from 2538 (1970) to 2703 (2014) i.e. 6,5% in total.
• Since 1970, the world population doubled, the number of GM's grew with more than 1000% and registered FIDE ratingholders exploded. We now can use better and more efficient training programs, computer support, health, assistance, therefore it is not that easy to prove if inflation occurs and if so for how much. (e.g. the article AbOUT inflation uses a fixed number of top listed players instead of a % of the population). (It is obvious that e.g. GM Kasimdzhanov is a very good chess player but if you teleport him to 1970 it might be that he indeed is the 2nd listed chess player due to the tremendous ProgresS in chess development over the last decades ?!). See also the section "Ratings inflation and deflation" at Elo rating points.
• This overview only covers the outstanding performances since 1963 as Elo ratings are (made) available. See further in external links section.

Legend

• Res = result
• #G = number of games
• % = percentage of points/games
• Winn = Elo rating of the winner
• Wopp = weakest opponent
• Sopp = strongest opponent
• >W = points of Winn higher than weakest (negative values indicates that the Elo is lower).
• >S = points of Winn higher than strongest
• >A = points of Winn higher than average
• Elo T = according TPR table
• Elo A = average opponents
• Elo M = Elo added for TPR
• Elo L = with limitations as described (+400 rule and based on Elo table for exact calculations)

Overview of the top TPRs during tournaments since 1970

(calculations based on exact rating tabel, each digit rounded which can cause minor differences).

Overview of the top TPRs during matches since 1970

Other notable TPRs

See also

• Comparison of top chess players throughout history
• Chess rating systems
• List of FIDE chess world number ones

External links

• All Time Rankings, includes "Top 10 lists from 1970 to 1997"
• FIDE historical ratings (1970–2000)
• History of Elo ratings 1971–2001 (the 1970 and January 1971 lists are unofficial)
• World Top Chess players (from FIDE, includes archive of FIDE Top Lists from July 2000 to the present)
• The other Chess performance calculation
• Tons of information about chess
• Chess players highest performance rating ever
• Rome Tournament 1989
• Guinness records in Chess
• Facts and figures: Magnus Carlsen's performance in Nanjing