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TOURNAMENT STANDINGS
Alekhine Memorial Tournament

Mikhail Botvinnik11/15(+8 -1 =6)[games]
Vasily Smyslov11/15(+7 -0 =8)[games]
Mark Taimanov10.5/15(+6 -0 =9)[games]
Svetozar Gligoric10/15(+6 -1 =8)[games]
David Bronstein9.5/15(+5 -1 =9)[games]
Miguel Najdorf9/15(+5 -2 =8)[games]
Paul Keres8.5/15(+4 -2 =9)[games]
Ludek Pachman8.5/15(+3 -1 =11)[games]
Wolfgang Unzicker8/15(+4 -3 =8)[games]
Gideon Stahlberg8/15(+4 -3 =8)[games]
Laszlo Szabo6/15(+1 -4 =10)[games]
Nikola Padevsky5.5/15(+1 -5 =9)[games]
Wolfgang Uhlmann5.5/15(+2 -6 =7)[games]
Victor Ciocaltea3.5/15(+1 -9 =5)[games]
Bogdan Sliwa3/15(+2 -11 =2)[games]
Harry Golombek2.5/15(+0 -10 =5)[games]
*

Chessgames.com Chess Event Description
Alekhine Memorial (1956)

For a quarter-century after he fled the Soviet Union, Alexander Alekhine was treated as a traitor and an enemy of the people. This attitude softened within a decade of his death, and in 1956 the Soviet Union held an important international event in his memory. Earlier that year, in April, a Soviet delegation, including Smyslov, Keres, Bronstein, Geller and Petrosian, had marked the tenth anniversary of his death at a ceremony, organised by FIDE, in the Montparnasse cemetery in Paris.

The Alekhine Memorial was held in Moscow from October 9-November 2, 1956, and featured a star-studded field including World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik and his usual challenger at the time, Vasily Smyslov. They, along with reigning Soviet Champion Mark Taimanov, forged into the lead around the half-way point and stayed one step up on the field the rest of the way.

It was Botvinnik who broke the logjam with a spurt of 4.5 points from rounds 10-14, taking a full point lead into the last round. His opponent was an out-of-form Paul Keres, who nevertheless pulled himself together to administer a stunning defeat (Keres vs Botvinnik, 1956). Taimanov settled for a short last-round draw, but Smyslov ground out a win over Gideon Ståhlberg to tie for first place.

Moscow, Soviet Union (Russia), 9 October - 2 November 1956

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 Botvinnik * ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 0 ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11.0 2 Smyslov ½ * ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11.0 3 Taimanov ½ ½ * ½ 1 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 10.5 4 Gligoric ½ ½ ½ * 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1 10.0 5 Bronstein ½ ½ 0 1 * ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 9.5 6 Najdorf 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ * ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 9.0 7 Keres 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ * 1 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 8.5 8 Pachman ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 * ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 8.5 9 Unzicker ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 1 ½ * 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 0 1 8.0 10 Ståhlberg 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 * ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 8.0 11 Szabo 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 6.0 12 Padevsky 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ * 0 ½ 1 ½ 5.5 13 Uhlmann 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 * 1 ½ ½ 5.5 14 Ciocaltea 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 * 1 ½ 3.5 15 Sliwa 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 ½ 0 * ½ 3.0 16 Golombek 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ * 2.5

Original collection: Game Collection: Alekhine Memorial International Tournament, 1956, by User: Resignation Trap.

 page 1 of 2; games 1-25 of 37  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. Botvinnik vs Golombek 1-0451956Alekhine MemorialB14 Caro-Kann, Panov-Botvinnik Attack
2. Stahlberg vs V Ciocaltea  1-0451956Alekhine MemorialE63 King's Indian, Fianchetto, Panno Variation
3. Taimanov vs Bronstein 1-0411956Alekhine MemorialE73 King's Indian
4. Najdorf vs Unzicker  1-0641956Alekhine MemorialA30 English, Symmetrical
5. Bronstein vs Sliwa 1-0291956Alekhine MemorialC75 Ruy Lopez, Modern Steinitz Defense
6. Szabo vs Keres 1-0771956Alekhine MemorialA23 English, Bremen System, Keres Variation
7. Botvinnik vs V Ciocaltea 1-0361956Alekhine MemorialC75 Ruy Lopez, Modern Steinitz Defense
8. Taimanov vs Najdorf 1-0391956Alekhine MemorialA16 English
9. Keres vs Golombek  1-0451956Alekhine MemorialB18 Caro-Kann, Classical
10. Najdorf vs Sliwa  1-0271956Alekhine MemorialD41 Queen's Gambit Declined, Semi-Tarrasch
11. Bronstein vs Gligoric 1-0791956Alekhine MemorialC97 Ruy Lopez, Closed, Chigorin
12. Sliwa vs Unzicker  1-0861956Alekhine MemorialA16 English
13. Gligoric vs N Padevsky 1-0411956Alekhine MemorialD06 Queen's Gambit Declined
14. Bronstein vs Uhlmann 1-0411956Alekhine MemorialC05 French, Tarrasch
15. Unzicker vs Stahlberg 1-0411956Alekhine MemorialB64 Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer Attack
16. Taimanov vs Sliwa 1-0281956Alekhine MemorialE58 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Main line with 8...Bxc3
17. Uhlmann vs N Padevsky 1-0461956Alekhine MemorialE66 King's Indian, Fianchetto, Yugoslav Panno
18. Smyslov vs V Ciocaltea 1-0421956Alekhine MemorialB58 Sicilian
19. Sliwa vs Szabo  1-0411956Alekhine MemorialA10 English
20. Gligoric vs Unzicker 1-0411956Alekhine MemorialE55 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System, Bronstein Variation
21. Botvinnik vs Najdorf 1-0731956Alekhine MemorialE42 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 c5, 5.Ne2 (Rubinstein)
22. Bronstein vs Golombek 1-0351956Alekhine MemorialE21 Nimzo-Indian, Three Knights
23. Najdorf vs Uhlmann 1-0371956Alekhine MemorialE98 King's Indian, Orthodox, Taimanov, 9.Ne1
24. Gligoric vs Sliwa 1-0431956Alekhine MemorialC76 Ruy Lopez, Modern Steinitz Defense, Fianchetto Variation
25. Unzicker vs Keres 1-0391956Alekhine MemorialC99 Ruy Lopez, Closed, Chigorin, 12...cd
 page 1 of 2; games 1-25 of 37  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2)  

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