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The 12 Most Shocking Upsets in Chess History

By YPB Team

Ratings say who should win. These are the days the rating list was simply wrong, sometimes by a distance nobody has explained since.

  1. Deep Blue beats Kasparov, 1997 — ranked #11
    Deep Blue beats Kasparov, 1997
    The first reigning world champion beaten by a machine in a full match.
    1000pts
  2. Karjakin leads Carlsen, 2016 — ranked #22
    Karjakin leads Carlsen, 2016
    He went ahead in game eight of a match he was not expected to trouble.
    999pts
  3. Ding beats Nepomniachtchi, 2023 — ranked #33
    Ding beats Nepomniachtchi, 2023
    Ding arrived short of form and left as world champion.
    952pts
  4. Réti beats Capablanca, 1924 — ranked #44
    Réti beats Capablanca, 1924
    Ended an eight-year unbeaten run in a single afternoon in New York.
    952pts
  5. Kasimdzhanov wins the FIDE title, 2004 — ranked #55
    Kasimdzhanov wins the FIDE title, 2004
    An outsider well outside the top ten came through the knockout.
    843pts
  6. Euwe beats Alekhine, 1935 — ranked #66
    Euwe beats Alekhine, 1935
    A part-time player with a day job took the world title.
    714pts
  7. Praggnanandhaa beats Carlsen, 2022 — ranked #77
    Praggnanandhaa beats Carlsen, 2022
    A 16-year-old knocked over the world number one online.
    714pts
  8. Khalifman wins the FIDE title, 1999 — ranked #88
    Khalifman wins the FIDE title, 1999
    Ranked 44th in the world when the tournament began.
    555pts
  9. Fischer beats Taimanov 6-0, 1971 — ranked #99
    Fischer beats Taimanov 6-0, 1971
    A Candidates match won without conceding half a point.
    0pts
  10. Fischer beats Larsen 6-0, 1971 — ranked #1010
    Fischer beats Larsen 6-0, 1971
    He then did exactly the same to the strongest player in the West.
    0pts
  11. Kramnik beats Kasparov, 2000 — ranked #1111
    Kramnik beats Kasparov, 2000
    The favourite played fifteen games and won none of them.
    0pts
  12. Tal beats Botvinnik, 1960 — ranked #1212
    Tal beats Botvinnik, 1960
    A 23-year-old outcalculated the patriarch of Soviet chess.
    0pts

#sports648#chess8#all-time318#upsets3

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