- 125 Selected Games by Vasily Smyslov
Smyslov, Vasily. 125 Selected Games. Cadogan Press: 1995.
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127 games, 1935-1982 - 150 Chess Endings
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These games are collected based on an anthology Jan van Reek wrote in which he collected 150 classical games and compositions of 52 different OTB endgame specialists. He explains about the collection here: http://www.endgame.nl/endgame.htm Because compositions cannot be included as normal games, they are listed below with the author's name, the initial position, and the moves of the study. Game 2: Philidor Composition
click for larger view1.Rf8+ Re8 2.Rf7 Re2 3.Rg7 Re1 4.Rb7 Rc1 5.Bb3 Rc3 6.Be6 Rd3+ 7.Bd5 Rc3 8.Rd7+ Kc8 9.Rf7 Kb8 10.Rb7+ Kc8 11.Rb4 Kd8 12.Bc4 Kc8 13.Be6+ Kd8 14.Rb8+ Rc8 15.Rxc8# Game 3: De Labourdonnais Composition
click for larger view1.c8=N+ Ke8 2.Qg6+ Kf8 3.Qf6+ Kg8+ 4.Ne7+ Kh7 5.Qg6+ Kh8 6.Qg8# Game 4: Horwitz & Kling Composition
click for larger view1.Ra4+ Ke5 2.Ra5 c5 3.Rxc5+ Qxc5 4.d4+ Kxd4 5.Ne6+ 1-0 Game 16: Berger Composition
click for larger view1.f4 Kc7 2.fxg5 a5 3.Kg3 a4 4.Kh4 a3 5.g3 a2 1/2-1/2
Game 27: Lasker Composition
click for larger view1.Kb7 Rb2+ 2.Ka7 Rc2 3.Rh5+ Ka4 4.Kb6 Rb2+ 5.Ka6 Rc2 6.Rh4+ Ka3 7.Kb6 Rb2+ 8.Ka5 Rc2 9.Rh3+ Ka2 10.Rxh2 1-0 Game 54: Réti Composition
click for larger view1.h5 Kg7 2.h4 Kf6 3.Kb6 Ke5 4.Kxc6 Kf4 1/2-1/2
Game 55: Réti Composition
click for larger view1.Ke7 g5 2.Kd6 g4 3.e7 Bb5 4.Kc5 Be8 5.Kd4 g3 6.Ke3 g2 7.Kf2 1/2-1/2 Game 56: Réti and Rinck Composition
click for larger view1.Bf5+ Kd8 2.Rd4+ Ke7 3.Re4+ Kd8 4.Bd7 e1=Q 5.Bb5 1-0 Game 75: Botvinnik Composition
click for larger view1.Kf5 Kb6 2.Kf6 Kb7 3.Kf7 Kb8 4.Ke6 Kc7 5.Ke7 Kc6 6.Kd8 Kd6 7.Kc8 Kc6 8.Kb8 Kb6 9.Ka8 1-0 Game 88: Keres Composition
click for larger view1.Kc8 a4 2.Kd7 a3 3.Kxe7 a2 4.Ra7 Kh8 5.h7 Kxh7 6.Ke8+ Kg6 7.e7 Kh5 8.Ra3 Kh4 9.Ra5 Kg4 10.Kf7 Rf1+ 11.Kg6 Re1 12.Ra4+ Kh3 13.Kf6 Rf1+ 14.Kg5 Rg1+ 15.Kh5 Re1 16.Ra3+ Kg2 17.Rxa2+ Kf3 18.Ra7 Re6 19.Kg5 Ke4 20.Rb7 Ke5 21.Rd7 Ke4 22.Rd1 Kf3 23.Rf1+ Kd2 24.Rf7 Ke3 25.Kf5 Game 97: Smyslov Composition
click for larger view1.Bb1 a1=Q+ 2.Kb5 Bg3 3.g7 Bb8 4.g8=B Bf4 5.Ba2 Bxd2 6.f6 Bf4 7.f7 Bd6 8.Kc6 Bf8 9.Kc7 1-0 Game 100: Benko Composition
click for larger view1.Be6 Kg7 2.Kd7 Rd1+ 3.Kc6 Rc1+ 4.Kd5 Rd1+ 5.Ke5 Re1+ 6.Kf5 Rf1+ 7.Kg5 Rg1+ 8.Kh5 1-0 Game 101: Benko Composition
click for larger view1.c4+ Ke5 2.Rg5 Ne2 3.Rh4 Nxc4 4.Rxc4 Kd5 5.Rc1 c4 6.Kd7 Kc5 7.Kc7 Kd4 8.Kb6 Game 138: Timman & van Reek Composition
click for larger view1.Bc3 Bxe5 2.Bxe5 c3+ 3.Kb2 Nd3 4.Rxf5 c2+ 5.Kxc2 Bg6 6.Bh5 Nxe5 7.Kc3 Bxh5 8.Rxe5+ 1-0
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136 games, 1783-2003 - 500 Master Games of Chess I
170 games, 1798-1938 - 500 Master Games of Chess II
18 games, 1858-1935 - 500 Master Games of Chess III
9 games, 1834-1938 - Amsterdam 1950
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In the winter of 1950 Lodewijk Prins, backed by a committee presided over by Hendrik Jan Van Steenis, organized an international chess tournament that was held at the stock exchange in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Invitations went out to all the strongest chess masters of the day, whether they reside in Europe, the Soviet Union, or the Americas. The Soviet Chess Federation declined the invitations sent to their masters (they would refrain from entering international competitions until late 1952), as did Lazslo Szabo. Nevertheless, the eventual line-up was still one of the finest selections to be found of the best, active Western chess masters of the day. The field was notable also for the healthy mix of both early century chess mastery and post-war talent emerging for the next generation. All of the best Dutch masters were present, including former world champion Max Euwe and the recent Hoogovens champion, 23 year old Jan Hein Donner. Another example of the generational split among the players was the presence of Savielly Tartakower, who had played against all the greats of the early 20th century, and his former pupil Miguel Najdorf who journeyed from Argentina to attend the event. Other notable participants both young and old were Samuel Reshevsky from the United States, Swedish champion Gideon Stahlberg, Yugoslavian players Svetozar Gligoric and Vasja Pirc, and Belgium's strongest master Alberic O'Kelly de Galway. All twenty players participated in the round robin event from November 11th to December 9th. G. van Harten served as wedstrijdleider (chief arbiter). The tournament saw some interesting stories and turns as international events before the war often had: Eugenio Szabados attended the event considering it his vacation (a true chess tourist! though his draws against the tournament first and second place were well earned). British champion Harry Golombek was the victim of a practical joke wherein a particular opponent was suspected of ordering Golombek a glass of milk to be delivered before dawn of their encounter. Anecdotes aside, the event was a spectacular run for Najdorf, who won clear first undefeated with 15 points out of 19 rounds. He earned wins against half the field, further cementing his status as one of the best players in the world at the time (there had been controversy surrounding his absence from the 1948 world championship tournament). However, Najdorf only finished one point ahead of clear second place Reshevsky who also finished undefeated, scoring an impressive 9 wins in the process. Stahlberg also had 9 wins, but tragically could not share second place with Reshevsky by a measly half point (a half point he failed to win in his draw with Tartakower where the good doctor blundered a pawn in an opening experiment but then tenaciously defended). Other masters who placed in the top standings were Pirc and Gligoric as shared 4th and Euwe and Herman Pilnik as shared 6th. The brilliancy prize of the tournament went to Nicolas Rossolimo from France in his sixth round win against Dutch player Theo Daniel Van Scheltinga. Rossolimo manuevered for 55 moves in a Caro-Kann, achieving a won endgame with a pushed passed pawn and a temporary queen sac in the finale. The tournament can be seen as a transitional gem, when the austere mastery of the pre-War years would soon give way (but not this year!) to the competitive talents of next generation and the Soviet Chess Machine of the 1950s. The final standings and crosstable:
1st Najdorf 15/19 * ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 2nd Reshevsky 14/19 ½ * ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 3rd Stahlberg 13½/19 0 ½ * ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 =4th Pirc 12/19 ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 0 1 ½ 0 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 =4th Gligoric 12/19 ½ 0 ½ ½ * ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 =6th Euwe 11½/19 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ * 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 ½ =6th Pilnik 11½/19 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 1 * 0 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 8th Rossolimo 11/19 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 * ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 9th Trifunovic 10½/19 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ * ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 0 1 ½ ½ 1 10th O'Kelly de Galway 9½/19 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ * 1 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 =11th Tartakower 8½/19 0 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 0 ½ 0 * 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ =11th Donner 8½/19 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 1 * 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 0 1 1 13th Foltys 8/19 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 * ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ =14th Van Scheltinga 7½/19 ½ 0 0 1 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ * 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ =14th Gudmundsson 7½/19 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 1 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 * 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 16th Van den Berg 7/19 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 * ½ ½ 1 0 17th Kottnauer 6/19 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ * 1 ½ ½ =18th Szabados 5½/19 ½ ½ 0 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 * 0 ½ =18th Kramer 5½/19 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 * ½ =18th Golombek 5½/19 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ * *Thanks go to <nescio> who inspired this collection and was invaluable to its completion.
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190 games, 1950 - Amsterdam 1976
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On the occasion of Max Euwe's 75th birthday in 1976 a chess tournament was organized to celebrate. Four grandmasters, including the world champion, were invited to Amsterdam to participate in the double round robin event, dubbed the "Euwe Jubilee." The whole affair was organized by Literary Cafe on Tour, the Vincent Van Gogh Museum, and the city of Amsterdam. The participants were (in order of ELO): Anatoli Karpov (2695) from the Soviet Union; Walter Shawn Browne (2585) from the United States; Fridrik Olafsson (2550) from Iceland; and Jan Timman (2550) from the Netherlands. The combined ratings of the players qualified the tournament as a category XIV event. A tent was erected on the Museumplein where spectators could follow the games, and the grandmasters played on the fourth floor of the museum. Ten year old chess prodigy Nigel Short was also in attendance and gave an exhibition while there. Games were played from May 14th to the 21st with rest days coming after the third and fifth rounds. Adjourned games were complete on rest days. Karpov picked up the lead in the first round and never relinquished it, finishing the event undefeated with a full point ahead of second place Browne. Karpov got to celebrate his victory with the former world champion, FIDE President and birthday boy as he was in attendance as well. The final standings and crosstable are as follows: 1 Karpov 4/6 ** 1½ ½½ ½1
2 Browne 3/6 0½ ** 01 ½1
3 Timman 2½/6 ½½ 10 ** 0½
4 Olafsson 2½/6 ½0 ½0 1½ **
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12 games, 1976 - Amsterdam IBM 1976
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The grandmaster section of the sixteenth annual IBM international chess tournament was a category X event held at Amsterdam, The Netherlands in 1976. Sixteen grandmasters and top masters were invited to participate in the round robin event, including (in order of ELO): Viktor Korchnoi (2670), Fridrik Olafsson (2550), Aivars Gipslis (2535), Gyula Sax (2530), Gudmundur Sigurjonsson (2530), Bojan Kurajica (2525), Laszlo Szabo (2525), Dragoljub Velimirovic (2525), Borislav Ivkov (2520), Anthony Miles (2510), Jan Hein Donner (2475), Kick Langeweg (2450), Hans Bohm (2425), Ivan Farago (2420), Hans Ree (2420), and Gert Ligterink (2400). While Korchnoi's and Miles' shared victory was newsworthy itself, the real story of the tournament was Korchnoi's defection from the Soviet Union after the tournament's completion. During the award ceremony, Korchnoi asked his colleague and fellow co-winner Miles how to write "asylum" and then surrendered himself to the Dutch embassy the following day. In the wake of Korchnoi's action the Soviet Union responded publicly by boycotting any events in which Korchnoi was invited to take part. This would also add to the incredibly tense atmoshpere in the following two world championships in which Korchnoi would face the Soviet World Champion Anatoli Karpov. Though Korchnoi initially resided in The Netherlands after his defection, he eventually found a home and settled in Switzerland, where he continues to live and play to this day. The final standings and crosstable are as follows: 1 Korchnoi 9.5/15 * ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 0 ½ ½ 1 1 1
2 Miles 9.5/15 ½ * 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½
3 Sax 9/15 ½ 1 * ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 0 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1
4 Farago 8.5/15 ½ ½ ½ * 0 1 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 ½
5 Velimirovic 8.5/15 0 0 1 1 * 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 0 6 Szabo 8/15 ½ ½ ½ 0 1 * ½ ½ 1 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 0 1
7 Gipslis 7.5/15 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½
8 Kurajica 7.5/15 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ * ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½
9 Sigurjonsson 7.5/15 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ * 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 10 Bohm 7.5/15 0 ½ 1 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 * 1 ½ 1 1 1 1
11 Olafsson 7/15 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 * ½ ½ 0 ½ 1
12 Ivkov 7/15 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ ½
13 Ree 6.5/15 ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ * 1 1 1
14 Langeweg 6/15 0 0 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 1 ½ 0 * 0 1
15 Ligterink 5.5/15 0 0 ½ 1 0 1 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 0 1 * 0
16 Donner 5/15 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 0 ½ 0 0 1 *
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120 games, 1976 - Amsterdam VSB 1987
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The first Max Euwe Memorial Chess Tournament was organized by the Verenigde Spaarbank in Amsterdam, the Netherlands from May 7th to the 14th, 1987. The format for the tournament followed that of the Euwe Jubilee played in Amsterdam a decade earlier, where four of the world top grandmasters were invited to play a double round robin, with rest days coming after the third and fifth rounds. Adjourned games were completed on rest days. The playing hall for the memorial was Singel 548, which was the main building of the bank. The participants of the inaugural event were (in order of ELO): former world champion Anatoli Karpov (2710); Swiss grandmaster Viktor Korchnoi (2625); Dutch grandmaster Jan Timman (2590); and Dutch grandmaster John Van der Wiel (2590). The average of the combined ratings of the players ranked this event as a category XVI tournament. Just as he had a decade earlier in the Euwe Jubilee, Karpov dominated easily, though this time he was joined by undeniable Dutch talent Timman at the final. The final standings and crosstable are as follows: 1 Karpov 4/6 ** ½½ ½1 1½
2 Timman 4/6 ½½ ** ½½ 11
3 Korchnoi 2.5/6 ½0 ½½ ** ½½
4 Van der Wiel 1.5/6 0½ 00 ½½ **
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12 games, 1987 - Amsterdam VSB 1988
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The second Max Euwe Memorial Chess Tournament was held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands from March 11th to the 17th. As it was last year, this year's event was organized by the Verenigde Spaarbank (VSB) according to the format of the inaugural year. Four of the world's best grandmasters were invited to participate, including (in order of ELO): former world champion and previous year's Euwe memorial co-winner Anatoli Karpov (2715); previous year's Euwe memorial co-winner Jan Timman (2675); British grandmaster Nigel Short (2630); and Yugoslavian grandmaster Ljubomir Ljubojevic (2610). The combined rating average of the four participants qualified the event as category XVII, one of the strongest to be played that year. Short got off to a bad start losing his second round game to Karpov, but he bounced back by winning three games in a row and securing clear first place against the former world champion. The final standings and crosstable are as follows: 1 Short 4/6 ** 0½ ½1 11
2 Karpov 3.5/6 1½ ** 0½ ½1
3 Ljubojevic 3.5/6 ½0 1½ ** ½1
4 Timman 1/6 00 ½0 ½0 **
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12 games, 1988 - Amsterdam VSB 1989
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The third Max Euwe Memorial Chess Tournament was organized by the Verenigde Spaarbank (VSB) and held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands from March 16th to the 23rd, 1989. Following the pre-established format, four of the world's best grandmasters were invited to complete in the double round robin event. This year's participants included (in order of ELO): British grandmaster and winner of the previous year's memorial tournament Nigel Short (2650); Soviet grandmaster and former Soviet champion Valery Salov (2630); Icelandic grandmaster Johann Hjartarson (2615); and Dutch grandmaster and co-winner of the inaugural memorial tournament Jan Timman (2610). The average of the combined ratings of the four players made this year's event category XVI. Despite the top competition, Timman won this tournament beautifully due in large part to a three game winning streak begun in the second round. Salov fought desperately to upset the sole leader in the final round, but Timman held him off. It was vindication for the Dutch grandmaster after his abyssmal showing at the previous year's event. The final standings and crosstable are as follows: 1 Timman 4.5/6 ** ½1 1½ 1½
2 Short 4/6 ½0 ** ½1 11
3 Salov 3/6 0½ ½0 ** 11
4 Hjartarson .5/6 0½ 00 00 **
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12 games, 1989 - Amsterdam VSB 1992
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The sixth Max Euwe Memorial Chess Tournament was organized by the Verenigde Spaarbank in Amsterdam, the Netherlands from May 14th to the 21st, 1992. Four top grandsmasters were invited to participate in the double round robin event, including (in order of ELO): British grandmaster and previous Euwe memorial co-winner Nigel Short (2685); Indian grandmaster sensation Vishwanathan Anand (2670); Dutch grandmaster and former Euwe memorial champion Jan Timman (2620); and US grandmaster Yasser Seirawan (2600). The average of the combined ratings of the players ranked this event as a category XVI tournament. Because of the many initial draws chess fans were drawn to incidents of errors in time trouble and Anand getting lost on his way to the playing hall. Eventually, some late wins by Short and Anand secured their tie for first place at the final. The final standings and crosstable are as follows: 1 Short 3.5/6 ** ½½ 01 ½1
2 Anand 3.5/6 ½½ ** ½1 ½½
3 Seirawan 2.5/6 10 ½0 ** ½½
4 Timman 2.5/6 ½0 ½½ ½½ **
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12 games, 1992 - Amsterdam VSB 1993
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The seventh Max Euwe Memorial Chess Tournament was organized by the Verenigde Spaarbank (VSB) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands from May 6th to the 13th, 1993. Lies Muller acted as director and Geurt Gijssen served as arbiter. Four of the world's best grandmasters were invited to participate in the double round robin event, including (in order of ELO): Indian grandmaster and previous year's memorial co-winner Vishwanathan Anand (2710); Russian grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik (2685); British grandmaster and previous year's memorial co-winner Nigel Short (2655); and Dutch grandmaster Jeroen Piket (2590). The average of the combined ratings of the players ranked this event as category XVII. The event was quite exciting as the tournament lead switched hands a couple of times over the ensuing rounds. Short and Kramnik swapped points, with Kramnik confessing afterwards he was stupid to resign to Short in the fourth round. Anand gained two points off Piket, but then fell to Short in the final round. At the final three of the four participants shared first place, each with 3.5/6. The final standings and crosstable are as follows: 1 Short 3.5/6 ** 01 ½1 ½½
2 Kramnik 3.5/6 10 ** ½½ ½1
3 Anand 3.5/6 ½0 ½½ ** 11
4 Piket 1.5/6 ½½ ½0 00 **
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12 games, 1993 - Amsterdam VSB 1994
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The eighth Max Euwe Memorial Chess Tournament was organized by the Verenigde Spaarbank (VSB) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands from May 12th to the 19th, 1994. In the wake of Kasparov and Short's split from FIDE and the two world championships, the organizers invited the contenders from both world championships to attend their double round robin event. Anatoli Karpov, though he had participated in previous editions of the tournament, was not amused by this year's list of invitations and thus declined. The participants, then, were (in order of ELO): PCA World Champion Garry Kasparov (2805); Ukranian grandmaster and replacement for Karpov, Vassily Ivanchuk (2710); PCA World Vice-Champion Nigel Short (2655); and FIDE World Vice-Champion Jan Timman (2620). The average of the combined ratings of the players ranked this event as a category XVIII tournament, making it one of the strongest of the year. Kasparov played his usual dominating chess until his encounter with Ivanchuk in the fourth round and was beaten! Things got worse for Kasparov as he and Ivanchuk both won in the fifth round making them tied for first going into the final round. Fortunately for Kasparov, Ivanchuk lost to Timman and left the mighty Gazza as clear first at the final. Kasparov was sure to express his gratitude to Timman at the award's ceremony, not only for the two losses that boosted Kasparov's score, but for knocking Ivanchuk out of the running. The final standings and crosstable are as follows: 1 Kasparov 4/6 ** ½0 11 1½
2 Ivanchuk 3.5/6 ½1 ** ½0 ½1
3 Timman 2.5/6 00 ½1 ** 01
4 Short 2/6 0½ ½0 10 **
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12 games, 1994 - Amsterdam VSB 1995
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The ninth Max Euwe Memorial Chess Tournament was organized by the Verenigde Spaarbank (VSB) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands from May 12th to the 18th, 1995. Following the format of previous editions of the tournament, four of the world's top grandmasters, including the world champion, were invited to participate in the double round robin event. They were (in order of ELO), Garry Kasparov (2805), Jeroen Piket (2670), Joel Lautier (2655), and Veselin Topalov (2630). The average of the combined ratings of the players ranked this event as a category XVIII tournament. In shocker ending, Kasparov did not finish first even though he scored more wins than any of the other three players. Two surprise losses devastated the world champion and kept him from winning his second consecutive Euwe memorial. Instead it was Lautier who finished clear first having completed the tournament undefeated with wins over Kasparov and Piket. The final standings and crosstable are as follows: 1 Lautier 4/6 ** ½1 ½½ 1½
2 Kasparov 3.5/6 ½0 ** 11 10
3 Topalov 2.5/6 ½½ 00 ** 1½
4 Piket 2/6 0½ 01 0½ **
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12 games, 1995 - Astana 2001
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In 2001, during the celebration of the 10th anniversary of Kazakhstan's independence in the wake of the Soviet Union's dissolution, a double round robin chess tournament was held in the capital city of Astana. Six of the world's best players, including the world champion, participated in the category XX event. The participants were (in order of ELO): Garry Kasparov (2835), Vladimir Kramnik (2797), Alexander Morozevich (2749), Alexey Shirov (2722), Boris Gelfand (2712) and Kazakhstan's number one player Darmen Sadvakhasov (2585). Kasparov made it nine tournament wins in a row on his streak to ten with his undefeated victory here, in sole first place with 7/10. The final standings and crosstable follow: 1 Kasparov 7/10 ** ½1 ½½ 11 1½ ½½
2 Kramnik 6½/10 ½0 ** 1½ ½½ 1½ 11
3 Gelfand 5½/10 ½½ 0½ ** ½½ 1½ 1½
4 Shirov 4½/10 00 ½½ ½½ ** 10 ½1
5 Morozevich 4½/10 0½ 0½ 0½ 01 ** 11
6 Sadvakasov 2/10 ½½ 00 0½ ½0 00 **
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30 games, 2001 - Bad Nauheim 1936
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In 1936, the bath resort of Bad Nauheim, Germany was host to the second of three international chess tournaments organized over three years. Ten chess masters, including the former world champion Alexander Alekhine and the former world challenger Efim Bogoljubov, were invited to participate in the round robin event. The remaining participants included top Yugoslavian chess master Milan Vidmar, Swedish champion Gideon Ståhlberg, the new Estonian champion Paul Keres, the Dutch match player Johannes Van den Bosch, and four German chess masters: Karl Ahues, Herbert Heinicke, Ludwig Rellstab, and Gerhard Weissgerber. The tournament was yet another in a series of victories Alekhine collected on his way to the rematch with Max Euwe for the world crown. However, this tournament is notable also as young Keres' first international win as he tied for first with Alekhine at the final. It signalled his arrival on the international chess scene, upon which he would be one of the world's best players for almost forty years. The final standings and crosstable:
=1st Alekhine 6½/9 * ½ 1 1 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1
=1st Keres 6½/9 ½ * ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1
3rd Ahues 5½/9 0 ½ * 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1
=4th Bogoljubov 5/9 0 ½ 0 * ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1
=4th Rellstab 5/9 0 ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ 1 1
=6th Heinicke 4½/9 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ * 1 ½ ½ 0
=6th Ståhlberg 4½/9 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 * ½ 1 1
8th Vidmar 3½/9 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ * 0 1
=9th Van den Bosch 2/9 ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 1 * 0
=9th Weissgerber 2/9 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 *
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45 games, 1936 - Bad Nauheim-Stuttgart-Garmisch 1937
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Following the organization of Bad Nauheim 1936, a double round robin was organized to be played in three cities from July 18th to the 27th, 1937. Four players were invited to participate, including the world champion Max Euwe, former world champion and current vice-champion Alexander Alekhine, former world vice-champion Efim Bogoljubov, and German chess champion Friedrich Sämisch. The first two rounds were played in the bath resort of Bad Nauheim, the third and fourth rounds were played in the city of Stuttgart, and the fifth and final rounds were played in the city of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. In the two years between world championships, Alekhine had been earning a number of victories as part of his campaign for a rematch with Euwe, but in this instance the world champion held Alekhine off for a tournament win of his own. Despite dropping a game to shared second Bogoljubov (who went on a winning streak in the second half, winning all three of his games), Euwe managed to finish clear first a half point ahead of second, picking up a win against Alekhine in the process. Alekhine would shortly go on to win his revenge as not long after this event he would win the rematch for the world championship against Euwe. The final standings and crosstable:
1st Euwe 4/6 ** ½0 1½ 11
=2nd Bogoljubov 3½/6 ½1 ** 01 01
=2nd Alekhine 3½/6 0½ 10 ** 11
4th Sämisch 1/6 00 10 00 **
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12 games, 1936-1937 - Bad Niendorf 1927
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Eight players traveled to Bad Niendorf in 1927 to compete in a small round robin tournament. They were Aron Nimzowitsch, Savielly Tartakower, Edgar Colle, Hans Kmoch, Borislav Kostic, Alfred Brinckmann, Karl Ahues, and Lajos Steiner. Nimzowitsch and Tartakower shared first place, both having gone undefeated. The final standings and crosstable:
=1st Nimzowitsch 5.5/7 * ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1
=1st Tartakower 5.5/7 ½ * ½ ½ 1 1 1 1
3rd Colle 4/7 ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ ½ 1
=4th Kostic 3.5/7 ½ ½ ½ * ½ 0 1 ½
=4th Ahues 3.5/7 0 0 ½ ½ * ½ 1 1
6th Brinckmann 3/7 0 0 ½ 1 ½ * 0 1
7th Kmoch 2/7 0 0 ½ 0 0 1 * ½
8th Steiner 1/7 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ *
This collection could not have been possible without the help of Phony Benoni, who has my eternal gratitude.
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28 games, 1927 - Bad Pistyan 1922
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One of the pioneers of the hypermodern school of chess, Gyula Breyer, died of heart failure at the comparatively early age of 28 in early November 1921. Not long before his death, he had written to his friend Dr Vecsey, then Secretary of the Kosice Chess Club, suggesting that a strong international tournament should be arranged in the Spa town of Pistyan, thus carrying on the tradition started in 1912 when the town had hosted a strong international tournament. The idea was received enthusiastically in many quarters, including the management of the Spa. It was also strongly supported by some highly placed members of the Government of the newly created Czech Republic. The Kosice Chess Club decided to proceed with the idea and at the same time to honour Breyer's memory by designating the event as the Gyula Breyer Memorial Tournament. Invitations were sent out to most of the prominent chess masters. Oldrich Duras, Emanuel Lasker, Aron Nimzowitsch and Richard Teichmann did not reply. Akiba Rubinstein accepted, but had to withdraw before the tournament began because of illness. In spite of these absences the event had a very good entry of 19 strong competitors, these included Alexander Alekhine, Efim Bogoljubov, Max Euwe, Ernst Grünfeld, Richard Réti, Friedrich Sämisch, Rudolf Spielmann, Siegbert Tarrasch and Savielly Tartakower. The rest of the field was made up of strong masters from Austria, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Hungary and Poland. The organisers agreed to designate seven prizes for the "A" tournament and many more special prizes were donated by prominent persons in the Czech Republic. Alekhine, Vecsey, Ladislav Prokes and Tarrasch were appointed as the Tournament Directors. Coincidently with the main event, a "B" tournament with twelve entrants was also arranged. On the evening of the 6th of April, the tournament was formally opened with the drawing of the pairing numbers. This was followed by a banquet and speeches from a number of officials from the Spa management and by a Minister of the Czechoslovakian Government. Play in both tournaments began at 9 a.m. on the following day and continued until the event officially ended on the 29th of April. The tournament was closely contested and the final result was still in doubt until the last round. At the end of the penultimate round Alekhine and Bogoljubov were equal on 14 points. In the final Alekhine could only manage to draw with Reti, whereas Bogoljubow won his game against Euwe and hence the tournament. The final places of the prize winners were: Bogoljubov first on 15 points, Alekhine and Spielmann in joint second and third place with 14½ points, Grunfeld fourth on 11 points, Reti fifth on 10½, with Samisch and Wolf in joint sixth and seventh place on 9½. Alekhine went through the tournament with only one loss (against Tartakower) and five draws. He drew his games with both Bogoljubov and Spielmann. Three special brilliancy prizes were given by the President of the Czech Republic, Tomas Masaryk. One of these was won by Alekhine for his game against Wolf. He also won a special prize contributed by the Prague City Councillor, Dr Dusek, an old and well known chess master, for his game against Tarrasch. Although Alekhine did not succeed in achieving the first prize, he had, according to most standards, enhanced his reputation as one of the strongest players of the present time. Special thanks goes to Paul Morten for his research and to Skinner and Verhoeven for the text used in this collection. The final standings and crosstable:
1st Bogoljubov 15/18 * ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 =2nd Spielmann 14½/18 ½ * ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 =2nd Alekhine 14½/18 ½ ½ * 1 ½ 1 1 0 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4th Grünfeld 11/18 0 0 0 * 0 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 5th Réti 10½/18 ½ ½ ½ 1 * ½ 0 ½ 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 =6th Sämisch 9½/18 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ 1 0 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 0 ½ =6th Wolf 9½/18 0 0 0 0 1 ½ * 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 8th Tartakower 9/18 1 0 1 0 ½ ½ 1 * 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 0 ½ =9th Tarrasch 8½/18 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 * 0 1 1 ½ 1 0 0 ½ ½ 1 =9th Euwe 8½/18 0 0 ½ 0 1 0 ½ ½ 1 * ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ =9th Johner 8½/18 0 0 0 ½ 0 1 ½ 1 0 ½ * 1 1 ½ 0 1 0 ½ 1 =12th von Balla 8/18 0 0 ½ 0 1 0 0 1 0 ½ 0 * ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 =12th Treybal 8/18 0 0 0 0 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 0 ½ * ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 =14th Selezniev 7/18 ½ ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ =14th Hromadka 7/18 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ * 0 ½ 1 0 =16th Prokes 6/18 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 ½ ½ 1 * ½ 1 ½ =16th Przepiorka 6/18 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ 18th Marco 5½/18 0 0 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 ½ * ½ 19th Opocensky 4½/18 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ *
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171 games, 1922
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