2011 in chess

• January 1 – Magnus Carlsen (NOR) reclaims the top position in the FIDE world rankings with an Elo rating of 2814.{{cite web|url=https://ratings.fide.com/toparc.phtml?cod=181 |title=Top 100 Players January 2011 FIDE Top players archive |publisher=Ratings.fide.com |date= |accessdate=2015-08-30}} Viswanathan Anand (IND) falls to second with a rating of 2810. Sergey Karjakin (RUS) has the greatest rating change among the top 10, improving 16 points from 2760 to 2776. Hikaru Nakamura (USA) appears in the world top 10 for the first time with a rating of 2751, displacing Wang Yue (CHN).
• January 5 –
• Deep Sengupta (IND) and Arghyadip Das (IND) split first at the Hastings International Chess Congress.{{cite web|url=http://www.theweekinchess.com/html/twic844.html |title=The Week in Chess 844 |publisher=Theweekinchess.com |date= |accessdate=2015-08-30}}
• Soumya Swaminathan (IND) wins the Indian Women's Championship.
• Yannick Pelletier (SUI) wins the Basel Hilton Open at the Basel Chess Festival.
• January 6 – Vugar Gashimov (AZE) wins the 53rd Reggio Emilia tournament with a score of 6/9.
• January 9 –
• Alexei Shirov (ESP) wins the Paul Keres Memorial Tournament.
• Loek van Wely (NED) wins the Berkeley International.
• January 15 – Stewart Haslinger (ENG) wins the 36th Seville Open with a score of 7.5/9.{{cite web|url=http://www.theweekinchess.com/html/twic845.html |title=The Week in Chess 845 |publisher=Theweekinchess.com |date= |accessdate=2015-08-30}}
• January 16 – Alexander Areshchenko (UKR) wins the 9th Delhi Parsvnath International Open.
• January 20 – The free chess engine Houdini defeats reigning world computer chess champion Rybka in the Thoresen Chess Engines Competition.{{cite news|last1=McClain|first1=Dylan Loeb|title=It Was Houdini Over Rybka in Computer Chess Challenge|url=http://gambit.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/22/it-was-houdini-over-rybka-in-computer-chess-challenge/|accessdate=29 August 2015|work=New York Times|date=January 22, 2011}}
• January 25 – Rafael Leitão (BRA) wins the Antonio Rocha Memorial Tournament with a score of 10/11.
• January 26 – Martyn Kravtsiv (UKR) wins the 3rd Chennai Open Tournament.
• January 30 – Hikaru Nakamura wins the newly renamed{{cite web|title=Corus Chess Tournament is Tata Steel Chess Tournament|url=http://www.tatasteelchess.com/news/view/id/648/c/Corus_Chess_Tournament_wordt_Tata_Steel_Chess_Tournament|website=tatasteelchess.com|publisher=Corus Chess Press|accessdate=28 August 2015}} 73rd Tata Steel Chess Tournament with a score of 9/13, half a point ahead of runner-up Viswanathan Anand.{{cite web|url=http://www.theweekinchess.com/html/twic847.html |title=The Week in Chess 847 |publisher=Theweekinchess.com |date= |accessdate=2015-08-30}} This is Nakamura's first ever win at a super-GM event.
• January 31 – Zhao Zong-Yuan (AUS) qualifies for the Chess World Cup 2011 by winning the Oceana Zonal.{{cite web |url=http://www.newzealandchess.co.nz/Zonal2011/entries.html |title=Oceania Zonal, Rotorua 2011 |publisher=Newzealandchess.co.nz |accessdate=2015-08-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160129034607/http://www.newzealandchess.co.nz/Zonal2011/entries.html |archive-date=2016-01-29 |url-status=dead }}

• February 3 –
• Vassily Ivanchuk wins the Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival with a score of 9/10.{{cite web|url=http://www.theweekinchess.com/html/twic848.html |title=The Week in Chess 848 |publisher=Theweekinchess.com |date= |accessdate=2015-08-30}}
• Archaeologists discover chess pieces that once belonged to James Madison at the President's Montpelier estate.{{cite news|title=James Madison chess pieces unearthed at US estate|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8301887/James-Madison-chess-pieces-unearthed-at-US-estate.html|accessdate=29 August 2015|publisher=The Telegraph|date=February 3, 2011}}
• February 6 – Atanas Kolev (BUL) wins the 33rd Bulgarian Open.
• February 7 – Vladimir Belous, an untitled 18 year old, takes first place at the Moscow Open.
• February 19 – Lê Quang Liêm (VIE) wins the 10th Aeroflot Open in Moscow.{{cite web|url=http://www.theweekinchess.com/html/twic850.html |title=The Week in Chess 850 |publisher=Theweekinchess.com |date= |accessdate=2015-08-30}}
• February 22 – Alexei Fedorov (BLR) wins the 9th Khazar Cup in Iran.
• February 23 – Gawain Jones (ENG) wins the Bunratty Chess Festival.{{cite web|url=http://www.theweekinchess.com/html/twic851.html |title=The Week in Chess 851 |publisher=Theweekinchess.com |date= |accessdate=2015-08-30}}

• March 1 – Viswanathan Anand retakes the top spot in the FIDE World Rankings with an Elo rating of 2817.{{cite web|url=https://ratings.fide.com/toparc.phtml?cod=185 |title=Top 100 Players March 2011 FIDE Top players archive |publisher=Ratings.fide.com |date= |accessdate=2015-08-30}} Hikaru Nakamura has the greatest rating increase, gaining 23 points to reach a rating of 2774. Alexander Grischuk (RUS) has the greatest rating decline, losing 26 points and falling to 2747.
• March 5 – Humpy Koneru (IND) wins the 6th FIDE Women's Grand Prix tournament, qualifying for the Women's World Chess Championship match with Hou Yifan (CHN).{{cite web|title=The Week in Chess 852|url=http://www.theweekinchess.com/html/twic852.html#2|website=Theweekinchess.com|accessdate=31 August 2015}}
• March 6 – Jan Smeets (NED) wins the 71st Noteboom Memorial tournament.
• March 7 – Sergei Tiviakov (NED) wins the 19th Fajr Open in Iran.
• March 9 – Gregory Kaidanov (USA) wins the Saint Louis Invitational, qualifying for the 2011 US Championship.{{cite web|title=The Week in Chess 853|url=http://www.theweekinchess.com/html/twic853.html|website=Theweekinchess.com|accessdate=1 September 2015}} Ray Robson (USA) finishes second, also qualifying.
• March 11 – Levon Aronian wins the Amber chess tournament in Monaco.{{cite web|title=The Week in Chess 855|url=http://www.theweekinchess.com/html/twic855.html|website=Theweekinchess.com|accessdate=5 November 2015}}
• March 14 – Irina Chelushkina (SRB) wins the 43rd Belgrade Women's International tournament.
• March 16 – Yuriy Kuzubov (UKR) wins the Reykjavik Open.{{cite web|title=The Week in Chess 854|url=http://www.theweekinchess.com/html/twic854.html#4|website=Theweekinchess.com|accessdate=1 September 2015}}
• March 19 – The chess team from the University of Texas – Dallas competes against six invited Grandmasters. The GM team wins the match by a score of 42.5-29.5.
• March 27 – Tigran L. Petrosian (ARM) wins the 5th George Agzamov Memorial tournament.

• May 1 – Viswanathan Anand remains the world number one.{{cite web|url=https://ratings.fide.com/toparc.phtml?cod=189 |title=Top 100 Players May 2011 FIDE Top players archive |publisher=Ratings.fide.com |date= |accessdate=2015-08-30}} Alexander Grischuk falls out of the top 10, and is replaced by Vugar Gashimov (AZE).

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• July 1 – Magnus Carlsen is again the world number one.{{cite web|url=https://ratings.fide.com/toparc.phtml?cod=193 |title=Top 100 Players July 2011 FIDE Top players archive |publisher=Ratings.fide.com |date= |accessdate=2015-08-30}} Vugar Gashimov falls out of the top 10, and is replaced by Ruslan Ponomariov (UKR).

{{clear}}

• September 1 – Magnus Carlsen remains the world number one.{{cite web|url=https://ratings.fide.com/toparc.phtml?cod=197 |title=Top 100 Players September 2011 FIDE Top players archive |publisher=Ratings.fide.com |date= |accessdate=2015-08-30}} Hikaru Nakamura and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov fall out of the top 10, and are replaced by Alexander Grischuk and Gata Kamsky (USA).

{{clear}}

• November 1 – Magnus Carlsen is again the world number one.{{cite web|url=https://ratings.fide.com/toparc.phtml?cod=201 |title=Top 100 Players November 2011 FIDE Top players archive |publisher=Ratings.fide.com |date= |accessdate=2015-08-30}} Teimour Radjabov (AZE) surges from 13th to 5th with a ratings gain of 29 points. Alexander Morozevich (RUS) also makes a big leap, going from 17th to 9th with a ratings gain of 25 points. Hikaru Nakamura reenters the top 10. Ruslan Ponomariov, Alexander Grischuk, and Gata Kamsky fall out of the top 10.

{{clear}}

• Men's – Robert Hovhannisyan
• Women's – Siranush Andriasian{{cite web|url=http://www.theweekinchess.com/html/twic846.html |title=The Week in Chess 846 |publisher=Theweekinchess.com |date= |accessdate=2015-08-30}}

• Men's – Nidjat Mamedov

• Men's – Andrey Zhigalko
• Women's – Anna Sharevich{{cite web|url=http://www.theweekinchess.com/html/twic849.html |title=The Week in Chess 849 |publisher=Theweekinchess.com |date= |accessdate=2015-08-30}}

• Women's – Darena Sikova

• Men's – Alvaro Valdes Escobar

• Men's – Ante Brkić
• Women's – Borka Franciskovic

• Women's – Maia Lomineishvili

• Men's – Mateusz Bartel
• Women's – Jolante Zawadzka

• Men's – Constantin Lupulescu
• Women's – Cristina Adela Foișor

• Men's – Ivan Ivanišević

• Men's – Emre Can

• Men's – Gata Kamsky{{cite news|last1=Klein|first1=Mike|title=Kamsky Reigns Supreme, Women Head to Tiebreak|url=http://saintlouischessclub.org/news/2011-04-28/kamsky-reigns-supreme-women-head-tiebreak|accessdate=30 August 2015|publisher=St. Louis Chess Club & Scholastic Center|date=April 28, 2011}}
• Women's – Anna Zatonskih{{cite news|last1=Ungar-Sargon|first1=Batya|title=A Passionate Rivalry Between Two Women – On the Chess Board and Everywhere Else|url=http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/150595/chess-rivalry-jewish-women|accessdate=30 August 2015|publisher=Tablet Magazine|date=October 30, 2013}}

• February 12 – Mato Damjanović, Croatian and Yugoslav Grandmaster, dies at the age of 83.{{cite web|title=Grandmaster Mato Damjanović dies at 83|url=http://www.chessvibes.com/?q=reports/grandmaster-mato-damjanovic-dies-at-83|publisher=Chess Vibes|accessdate=30 August 2015}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

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Category:21st century in chess

Category:Chess by year