# Zurich Chess Challenge

The Zurich Chess Challenge (ZCC) is one of the major recurring international chess tournaments, combining rapid chess with classical or blitz chess. Zurich shows an exhibition type of tournament, similar at the former Amber chess tournament ambience, which explains some laxness and a comparatively brief duration of the whole event. It takes place in Zurich, Switzerland. The main sponsor is Russian businessman Oleg Skvortsov.

## Winners

    #YearChallenge winner 12012Two-players match resulted with draw 22013 Fabiano Caruana (Italy) 32014 Magnus Carlsen (Norway) 42015 Hikaru Nakamura (United States) 52016 Hikaru Nakamura (United States) 62017 Hikaru Nakamura (United States)

## Zurich Chess Challenge 2012

The Zurich Chess Challenge 2012 was a six-game chess match between Vladimir Kramnik (Russia) and Levon Aronian (Armenia) from 21 to 28 April 2012. Each player won one game and there were four draws.
    Rating123456TotalRating change  Vladimir Kramnik (Russia)2801 0½1½½½3+2  Levon Aronian (Armenia)2820 1½0½½½3−2

## Zurich Chess Challenge 2013

Italy's Fabiano Caruana won the Zurich Chess Challenge 2013 which took place from 23 February to 1 March 2013.
    NoPlayerRating1234PointsRating change 1 Fabiano Caruana (ITA)2757Does not appear½ 1½ ½½ 14+12 2 Viswanathan Anand (IND)2780½ 0Does not appear½ 1½ ½3−1 3 Vladimir Kramnik (RUS)2810½ ½½ 0Does not appear½ ½2½−9 4 Boris Gelfand (ISR)2740½ 0½ ½½ ½Does not appear2½−1

## Zurich Chess Challenge 2014

The Zurich Chess Challenge 2014 took place from 29 January to 4 February 2014. The average rating of its participants is 2801, the highest ever at the time, and it is also the first category 23 tournament ever. Magnus Carlsen won the tournament.
The opening day included five rounds of blitz to decide the draw, which was won by Carlsen. The main tournament consists of five rounds of classical chess and finally five rounds of rapid chess on the closure day.

### Blitz results

    NoPlayerBlitz Elo rating123456PointsSB 1 Magnus Carlsen (NOR)2837Does not appear½101½37.25 2 Levon Aronian (ARM)2863½Does not appear0½1136.75 3 Hikaru Nakamura (USA)287901Does not appear1½02½6.75 4 Fabiano Caruana (ITA)26971½0Does not appear012½6 5 Viswanathan Anand (IND)282700½1Does not appear12½5.25 6 Boris Gelfand (ISR)2719½0100Does not appear1½4

### Classical results

    NoPlayerFIDE rankingElo rating123456PointsRating change 1 Magnus Carlsen (NOR)12872Does not appear½11½18+9 2 Levon Aronian (ARM)22812½Does not appear011½6+4 3 Fabiano Caruana (ITA)6278201Does not appear½½½5+2 4 Hikaru Nakamura (USA)3278900½Does not appear1½4−4 5 Viswanathan Anand (IND)92773½0½0Does not appear14−3 6 Boris Gelfand (ISR)827770½½½0Does not appear3−8
For games that ended in a draw in under 40 moves, a subsequent rapid game between the two players was mandatory, although these particular rapid games had no relevance to the tournament standings. Two such games were played: Gelfand–Aronian (0–1) in the third round and Gelfand–Nakamura (1–0) in the fifth round.

### Rapid results

    NoPlayerRapid Elo rating123456PointsRating change 1 Fabiano Caruana (ITA)2812Does not appear1½1½14+28 2 Hikaru Nakamura (USA)28260Does not appear1½113½+15 3 Levon Aronian (ARM)2770½0Does not appear1½13+15 4 Magnus Carlsen (NOR)28450½0Does not appear1½2−18 5 Boris Gelfand (ISR)2735½0½0Does not appear½1½−10 6 Viswanathan Anand (IND)2800000½½Does not appear1−30

### Combined final results

The combined final score for the tournament was calculated by scoring each game in the classical competition on a 2–1–0 basis and each game in the rapid competition on a 1–½–0 basis.
    NoPlayerPoints 1 Magnus Carlsen (NOR)10 2 Fabiano Caruana (ITA)9 3 Levon Aronian (ARM)9 4 Hikaru Nakamura (USA)7½ 5 Viswanathan Anand (IND)5 6 Boris Gelfand (ISR)4½

## Zurich Chess Challenge 2015

The 2015 tournament featured Fabiano Caruana, Viswanathan Anand, Vladimir Kramnik, Levon Aronian, Sergey Karjakin and Hikaru Nakamura. The tournament was held from 13-19 February 2015 at the Hotel Savoy Baur en Ville in Zurich.
A Blitz Tournament determined the colors distribution on the first day of the tournament (Friday, February 13, 2015). After the opening, 5 classical games were played following by another 5 rapid games on the last day of the tournament. The rules stated that wins (2 points) and draws (1) count double for classical games, with a draw before move 40 “punished” by an extra rapid game.
Vishy Anand and Hikaru Nakamura ended up with 9 points. For determining the winner, although it was said before that the previous games between two must decide the result, they changed the rules midway and asked the players to play an armageddon game in which Hikaru Nakamura won with the black and ended up as the tournament winner.

### Blitz results

    NoPlayerBlitz Elo rating123456PointsSB 1 Levon Aronian (ARM)2777Does not appear½11½148.75 2 Fabiano Caruana (ITA)2811½Does not appear½½113.56.75 3 Viswanathan Anand (IND)27970½Does not appear1113.55.75 4 Hikaru Nakamura (USA)27760½0Does not appear½123.25 5 Vladimir Kramnik (RUS)2783½00½Does not appear013 6 Sergey Karjakin (RUS)276000001Does not appear11

### Classical results

    NoPlayerElo rating123456PointsSB 1 Viswanathan Anand (IND)2797Does not appear21112716.5 2 Hikaru Nakamura (USA)27760Does not appear1221612.5 3 Vladimir Kramnik (RUS)278311Does not appear111512.5 4 Sergey Karjakin (RUS)2760101Does not appear11410 5 Fabiano Caruana (ITA)28111011Does not appear1410 6 Levon Aronian (ARM)277701111Does not appear49.5

### Rapid results

    NoPlayerRapid Elo rating123456PointsSB 1 Vladimir Kramnik (RUS)2783Does not appear110½13.57.75 2 Levon Aronian (ARM)27770Does not appear½11½36.25 3 Hikaru Nakamura (USA)27760½Does not appear½1136 4 Sergey Karjakin (RUS)276010½Does not appear½026 5 Viswanathan Anand (IND)2797½00½Does not appear124.25 6 Fabiano Caruana (ITA)28110½010Does not appear1.52.5

### Tiebreak

After the games Nakamura and Anand were the leaders with 9 point. An Armageddon tiebreak game between the two tied leaders, Anand and Nakamura. White was given five minutes, black four. White had to win in order to win the tournament. Hikaru Nakamura won as black making him the winner of the tournament.

### Combined final results

The combined final score for the tournament was calculated by scoring each game in the classical competition on a 2–1–0 basis and each game in the rapid competition on a 1–½–0 basis.
    NoPlayerPoints 1 Hikaru Nakamura (USA)9.0 2 Viswanathan Anand (IND)9.0 3 Vladimir Kramnik (RUS)8.5 4 Levon Aronian (ARM)7.0 5 Sergey Karjakin (RUS)6.0 6 Fabiano Caruana (ITA)5.5

## Zurich Chess Challenge 2016

In the 2016 tournament, held from 12–15 February 2016, starting on a Friday and already ending on the following Monday, players were awarded two points for a win and one point for a draw in the rapid section, and one point for a win and half a point for a draw in the blitz section. No classical chess was played. Hikaru Nakamura won the blitz section on tiebreaks and tied with Viswanathan Anand in the rapid section. Nakamura won the overall event.
The tournament was also held alongside a match between Alexander Morozevich and Boris Gelfand.

### Rapid results

    NoPlayerRapid Elo rating123456PointsSB 1 Viswanathan Anand (IND)2777Does not appear11212715 2 Hikaru Nakamura (USA)28421Does not appear1221715 3 Vladimir Kramnik (RUS)279311Does not appear112613.5 4 Levon Aronian (ARM)2746001Does not appear2147.5 5 Alexei Shirov (LAT)26821010Does not appear138 6 Anish Giri (NED)275601011Does not appear37

### Blitz results

    NoPlayerBlitz Elo rating123456PointsSB 1 Hikaru Nakamura (USA)2884Does not appear½½11½3.57.75 2 Viswanathan Anand (IND)2764½Does not appear½½113.56.75 3 Vladimir Kramnik (RUS)2817½½Does not appear½113.56.75 4 Anish Giri (NED)27930½½Does not appear½12.54.75 5 Levon Aronian (ARM)2814000½Does not appear11.51.75 6 Alexei Shirov (LAT)2682½0000Does not appear0.51.75

### Combined final results

    NoPlayerPointsSB 1 Hikaru Nakamura (USA)10.522.75 2 Viswanathan Anand (IND)10.521.75 3 Vladimir Kramnik (RUS)9.520.25 4 Anish Giri (NED)5.511.75 5 Levon Aronian (ARM)5.59.25 6 Alexei Shirov (LAT)3.59.75

### Exhibition match results

A two-game exhibition match was played between Alexander Morozevich and Boris Gelfand, in the same time control as the Rapid portion of the main tournament. Boris Gelfand won the mini-match.
    PlayerFIDE Rating12Points 1 Boris Gelfand (ISR)2735½11½ 2 Alexander Morozevich (RUS)2683½0½

## Zurich Chess Challenge 2017

American Hikaru Nakamura won the total standings by winning a blitz tournament half a point ahead of the Indian Viswanathan Anand and a full point ahead of Ian Nepomniachtchi.

### Rapid result

| No | Player | Classical Elo rating | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Points |
| 1 | Hikaru Nakamura (USA) | 2793 | Does not appear | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 2 | Ian Nepomniachtchi (RUS) | 2751 | 0 | Does not appear | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 3 | Viswanathan Anand (IND) | 2786 | 1 | 0 | Does not appear | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| 4 | Vladimir Kramnik (RUS) | 2811 | 1 | 1 | 2 | Does not appear | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 5 | Peter Svidler (RUS) | 2747 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Does not appear | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
| 6 | Boris Gelfand (ISR) | 2724 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Does not appear | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 7 | Yannick Pelletier (SUI) | 2541 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Does not appear | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | Grigoriy Oparin (RUS) | 2604 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Does not appear | 3 |

### Blitz result

| No | Player | Classical Elo rating | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Points |
| 1 | Hikaru Nakamura (USA) | 2793 | Does not appear | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 2 | Viswanathan Anand (IND) | 2786 | ½ | Does not appear | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 4½ |
| 3 | Ian Nepomniachtchi (RUS) | 2751 | ½ | ½ | Does not appear | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 4 | Peter Svidler (RUS) | 2747 | ½ | ½ | ½ | Does not appear | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 5 | Boris Gelfand (ISR) | 2724 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | Does not appear | 1 | ½ | 1 | 4 |
| 6 | Vladimir Kramnik (RUS) | 2811 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | Does not appear | 1 | ½ | 3 |
| 7 | Grigoriy Oparin (RUS) | 2604 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | Does not appear | ½ | 2½ |
| 8 | Yannick Pelletier (SUI) | 2541 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | Does not appear | 1 |

### Combined final results

| No | Player | Classical Elo rating | Points |
| 1 | Hikaru Nakamura (USA) | 2793 | 15.0 |
| 2 | Ian Nepomniachtchi (RUS) | 2751 | 14.0 |
| 3 | Viswanathan Anand (IND) | 2786 | 13.5 |
| 4 | Peter Svidler (RUS) | 2747 | 12.0 |
| 5 | Vladimir Kramnik (RUS) | 2811 | 11.0 |
| 6 | Boris Gelfand (ISR) | 2724 | 9.0 |
| 7 | Grigoriy Oparin (RUS) | 2604 | 5.5 |
| 8 | Yannick Pelletier (SUI) | 2541 | 4.0 |