The title doesn't leave much to the imagination! Post the strongest players (ELO/USCF/whichever rating) you've beaten in OTB tournament play. I'll get started:

- some 2400 USCF Armenian kid (Garush someone) on the black side of a Grunfeld in high school Supernationals; the best game I have ever played. I was rated 1900 at the time

- FM (now IM) Ray Robson in the Miami International Open; he was having a rough event, but was still rated some 2390. Positional 2. c3 Sicilian with white. Later beat some 2360 FIDE Serb in the same opening.

- several other 2300+ players in g/30; former US Senior Champ Fabio La Rota is a supersolid FM, but his habit of blundering in my time pressure (!) has given me a 3/4 score.

Hm.. In a live tournament with a normal time control and talking rating, not real "strength" wise, I guess it had to be GM Aloyzas Kveinys, who was rated around 2546 at that time. Have beaten 4 or 5 other GM's, but I think they were all lower rated that Kveinys. Drew a couple too, strongest of them probably was GM Markos who was 2565 at that time. And then somewhere around 20 (that's from the top of the head, might be +- some) wins agains IM's of all strength (some really weak, like old guys with 2250, who used to be decent IM's). If we count online.. Well, the list is far bigger

Beat: I drew against quickfetus in Miami Open

A Russian IM, in 16 moves, with the Black pieces. G/90 OTB

Best I have beaten is a lowly 2334, FM Jack Rudd years ago in the university chess league (but rated games with normal time control).
I beat Matthew Turner in a 5 min game once, rated 2512 now (though not at the time!)

carlsen

Okay, how old was he?

haha it was about 4 years ago so i guess probably 14. also i didnt see the otb stipulation where ofc i would just get played off the board. was some icc 5 min blitz.

In my second OTB tournament, as a 1200 something class player (which probably pretty accurately represented my playing strength), I knocked off a guy who was a little over 1600 in the last round, to take second place in my section and win the only cash prize of my brief chess career. Ah high school memories

When I was 1600 or so I upset a 2250. It was pretty sick, a ton of people were watching. I actually felt really bad. A 650 point upset doesn't happen every day, especially when the favorite is over 2000.

3 IMs:

Yan Teplitsky - he was annihilating me in a sacrificial extravaganza and got carried away
Tom O'donnell - I crushed him with a nice exchange sac with white in the shirov g4 semi slav
Alexis Murillo - I beat him pretty soundly on the white side of the french tarrasch

H. Nakamura (he was only about 8 years old though)!

By winning vs. Igor Novikov when he was 2719, I have the distinction of beating the highest rated player I ever played.

Wow, you beat a 2719? What was your rating at the time? Was he super pissed?

as a 1600 at us amateur team midwest, I beat a 1900, 2000, 2300. good weekend

Was 2200 at the time. I don't think he was pissed. He fell into a prepared line and I think it was more of a wake up call not to play the same thing over and over for 15 years until someone cracks it.

I posted the game in the huge OOT thread.

I never beat players higher than me ever I'm 1750, only once have i defeated a 2000, and it was G/30 and he was floored there. Though, as you may have guessed I'm like 100% vs. people lower than me. Idk why im like this i hear others discuss upsets or being upset all the time, and i'd find it a lot more entertaing. I play like a maniac so ya think I'd have higher variance results but I don't.

what was your novelty, nd5?

the highest guy I've was vs Gennady Zaitcheck, but I didnt even play particularly well he just managed his time really, really poorly

I managed to beat two top Scandinavian players in an invitational some 20+ years ago. Was 2150 at the time and they were 2450 and 2550 respectively.

PyramidScheme,

If you play very aggressively and tactically my guess would be that you're blundering in virtually every game, but the lower-rated players don't catch your blunders and crack under the pressure while the higher-rated players do catch your blunders.

No, it was 18.Rd4.

I found a 1987 Novikov game where a guy played 18.Rfe1, got no compensation, and resigned four moves later. I was really sure he would repeat the line.

What a horrific board color scheme.

Jesus, my eyes are bleeding after looking at that board for 20 seconds! Can someone post a link to Tim's game if you have it? that OOT thread is huge..

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...&postcount=890

when I was young I beat:
1406000 Rasmussen, Allan Stig
Federation Denmark
FIDE title International Master
Rating: 2497

here's a video by him
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9-Go...e=channel_page

I was like 1700 and he might have been ~2000 then. Played the budapest gambit with Ne4->Nc5 and castled long.

lol this is very true imo.

Very nice game Tim.