Sinquefield Cup

The crown jewel of American chess. Founded by billionaire Rex Sinquefield, the Sinquefield Cup has become one of the strongest and most prestigious tournaments in the world, anchored at the St. Louis Chess Club.

The 2014 Miracle

The second edition of the Sinquefield Cup, in 2014, produced the greatest tournament performance in chess history. Fabiano Caruana started the event 7-0 against a field that included World Champion Magnus Carlsen, Levon Aronian, Veselin Topalov, Hikaru Nakamura, and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Seven wins, zero draws, zero losses against the very best players in the world.

His performance rating for the tournament was 3103, the highest ever recorded. He finished with 8.5/10, three points clear of Carlsen. The achievement is often compared to Bobby Fischer's 19/22 at the 1970 Interzonal, but Caruana's was against a stronger field relative to the era. It may never be surpassed.

Rex Sinquefield and St. Louis

Rex Sinquefield, a retired financier and philanthropist, has invested tens of millions of dollars in making St. Louis the chess capital of the United States. The St. Louis Chess Club, which he founded, is widely regarded as the finest chess facility in the country. The World Chess Hall of Fame is across the street. Together, they have created a chess campus that attracts players and fans from around the world.

The Sinquefield Cup is the centerpiece of this investment. Since joining the Grand Chess Tour in 2015, it has consistently attracted the strongest fields of any annual American tournament. It represents the rebirth of American elite chess, a tradition that stretches back to Morphy and Fischer but had lain dormant for decades.