As a Magnus Carlsen fan, it was a bit disappointing for me to see him finish clear second in Biel 2018, one and half points after Mamedyarov, after starting the tournament with two wins - and it could have been two points - had not the much lower-rated Georgiadis blundered in a drawn endgame. Although not a bad performance per se, I was wondering what were the worst tournament performances of reigning World Champions?
asked Aug 2, 2018 at 18:53
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2 Answers
Looking through this list of strong tournaments, among those that stand out are:
- AVRO 1938, where Alekhine finished 6/8.
- Tillburg, 1996, where Karpov finished 6/12.
- 1st Grand Slam Masters Final (2008), where Anand finished in last (6th) place.
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The Grand Slam Masters Final may just be the worst one overall. I still remember all the "hiding prep" jokes. Commented Aug 3, 2018 at 9:51
For Carlsen that was probably Norway Chess 2017, where he finished second to last on -1.
answered Aug 2, 2018 at 20:53
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1I'd say Norway Chess 2015 was even worse for Carlsen: 3.5/9 (although he finished shared 7th) and losing against Hammer, one of his seconds. Can I edit your answer or should I post it as a new answer? Commented Aug 10, 2018 at 13:44
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I will take Anand's Bilbao 2008 as the worst performance, since he was clear last and at -2. Commented Aug 11, 2018 at 14:05
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