The 45th Hastings Christmas Chess Festival was held between Monday December 29th 1969 and Wednesday January 7th 1970. The premier event of ten players included: Svetozar Gligoric, Lajos Portisch, former world champion Vasily Smyslov, and the promising 17 year old Dutch player Jan Timman. It was a tournament with a large number of past winners:
Unzicker, champion in 1950/51
Gligorić, five times champion - 1951/52, 1956/57, 1959/60, 1960/61, 1962/63 (jointly)
Medina Garcia, champion in 1952/53 (jointly)
Smyslov, twice champion - 1954/55 (jointly), 1968/69
The British representatives included the promising 1969 British U18 champion Martyn Corden, who had also come equal second in the 1969 British Championship. John Littlewood had played three times before in the Hastings Premier tournament and had represented England at the Varna Olympiad (1962). He had also come second equal in the 1969 British Championship. David Levy had represented Scotland at the Lugano Olympiad (1968) and had come 5th at the Praia da Rocha Zonal Tournament (1969) with 11.5/17.
The chess editor of The Times, Harry Golombek, had the task of judging the Premier games. He gave Medina Garcia the brilliancy prize for D Levy vs A Medina Garcia, 1969, and Gligoric the prize for the best-played ending (double bishops) (A Medina Garcia vs Gligoric, 1970). Portisch and Gligoric won a prize for playing the best draw (Portisch vs Gligoric, 1970). Other notable games were Littlewood's win over Corden, M Corden vs J Littlewood, 1970 (which was in contention for the brilliancy prize), and Drimer's demolitions of Littlewood (D Drimer vs J Littlewood, 1970) and Levy (D Drimer vs D Levy, 1970). The chief-organizer L. A. J. Gluyde would have been pleased with the "fighting spirit which pervaded and inspired the players from the top to the bottom of the list" (Golombek). Of the 45 games, 17 were drawn.
Smyslov failed to repeat his previous tournament victory at Hastings; this would have given him the golden knight trophy. He appeared to be nervous and his surprise loss to the young British player Corden (M Corden vs Smyslov, 1970) was put down to trying to win too hard. "Having watched both players from a ringside seat, I am sure that Smyslov lost this game because he had the fixed idea that he had to win at all costs to keep in the running for the first prize" (Bernard Cafferty in Birmingham Mail).
Portisch was the undefeated winner on 7 points/+5, with Unzicker a fraction behind on 6.5/+4.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
1 GM Portisch * ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1 7
2 GM Unzicker ½ * 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ ½ 6½
3 GM Gligoric ½ 0 * ½ 1 1 1 1 ½ ½ 6
4 GM Smyslov ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ 0 1 1 1 5½
5 IM Timman ½ ½ 0 ½ * 0 1 1 ½ 1 5
6 IM Drimer 0 0 0 ½ 1 * ½ 0 1 1 4
7 Corden 0 0 0 1 0 ½ * ½ 1 0 3
8 IM Medina 0 0 0 0 0 1 ½ * 1 ½ 3
9 IM Levy 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 0 0 * 1 2½
10 Littlewood 0 ½ ½ 0 0 0 1 ½ 0 * 2½
British Pathe news filmed the opening speech by Lieutenant-General Sir John Bagot Glubb and the players in round one: http://www.britishpathe.com/video/h...Previous edition: Hastings (1968/69). Next: Hastings (1970/71).
Original collection: Game Collection: Hastings 1969/70 (1970) by User: Chessical.
Introductory material and round details taken from Chess Magazine, Vol. 35, nos. 597-8, February 1970.
Kibitzing
