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.
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page 2 of 5; games 26-50 of 120 |
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Game |
| Result | Moves |
Year | Event/Locale | Opening |
26. Bronstein vs Gligoric |
 | 1-0 | 79 | 1956 | Alekhine Memorial | C97 Ruy Lopez, Closed, Chigorin |
27. Smyslov vs Keres |
| ½-½ | 41 | 1956 | Alekhine Memorial | A07 King's Indian Attack |
28. Najdorf vs Sliwa |
| 1-0 | 27 | 1956 | Alekhine Memorial | D41 Queen's Gambit Declined, Semi-Tarrasch |
29. Szabo vs Golombek |
 | ½-½ | 49 | 1956 | Alekhine Memorial | D15 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav |
30. Unzicker vs Taimanov |
 | ½-½ | 18 | 1956 | Alekhine Memorial | C70 Ruy Lopez |
31. V Ciocaltea vs Uhlmann |
 | 0-1 | 32 | 1956 | Alekhine Memorial | C02 French, Advance |
32. N Padevsky vs Stahlberg |
| ½-½ | 20 | 1956 | Alekhine Memorial | D37 Queen's Gambit Declined |
33. Botvinnik vs Bronstein |
| ½-½ | 19 | 1956 | Alekhine Memorial | D32 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch |
34. Keres vs V Ciocaltea |
| ½-½ | 21 | 1956 | Alekhine Memorial | B68 Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer Attack, 7...a6 Defense, 9...Be7 |
35. Stahlberg vs Najdorf |
 | ½-½ | 35 | 1956 | Alekhine Memorial | A37 English, Symmetrical |
36. Uhlmann vs Pachman |
| ½-½ | 25 | 1956 | Alekhine Memorial | D43 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav |
37. Golombek vs Smyslov |
 | 0-1 | 33 | 1956 | Alekhine Memorial | E00 Queen's Pawn Game |
38. Taimanov vs Szabo |
| ½-½ | 24 | 1956 | Alekhine Memorial | D54 Queen's Gambit Declined, Anti-Neo-Orthodox Variation |
39. Sliwa vs Unzicker |
| 1-0 | 86 | 1956 | Alekhine Memorial | A16 English |
40. Gligoric vs N Padevsky |
 | 1-0 | 41 | 1956 | Alekhine Memorial | D06 Queen's Gambit Declined |
41. N Padevsky vs Botvinnik |
  | 0-1 | 25 | 1956 | Alekhine Memorial | B89 Sicilian |
42. Bronstein vs Uhlmann |
 | 1-0 | 41 | 1956 | Alekhine Memorial | C05 French, Tarrasch |
43. Pachman vs Keres |
 | 0-1 | 36 | 1956 | Alekhine Memorial | A28 English |
44. Najdorf vs Gligoric |
| ½-½ | 28 | 1956 | Alekhine Memorial | E64 King's Indian, Fianchetto, Yugoslav System |
45. Szabo vs Smyslov |
  | 0-1 | 36 | 1956 | Alekhine Memorial | E29 Nimzo-Indian, Samisch |
46. Taimanov vs Sliwa |
 | 1-0 | 28 | 1956 | Alekhine Memorial | E58 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Main line with 8...Bxc3 |
47. V Ciocaltea vs Golombek |
| ½-½ | 48 | 1956 | Alekhine Memorial | B12 Caro-Kann Defense |
48. Unzicker vs Stahlberg |
 | 1-0 | 41 | 1956 | Alekhine Memorial | B64 Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer Attack |
49. Botvinnik vs Najdorf |
  | 1-0 | 73 | 1956 | Alekhine Memorial | E42 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 c5, 5.Ne2 (Rubinstein) |
50. Keres vs Bronstein |
| ½-½ | 23 | 1956 | Alekhine Memorial | C05 French, Tarrasch |
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page 2 of 5; games 26-50 of 120 |
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