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TOURNAMENT STANDINGS
2nd AVRO Tournament

Efim Geller9.5/14(+6 -1 =7)[games]
Laszlo Szabo9.5/14(+6 -1 =7)[games]
Ljubomir Ljubojevic8.5/14(+4 -1 =9)[games]
Ulf Andersson6.5/14(+0 -1 =13)[games]
Gyula Sax6/14(+2 -4 =8)[games]
Borislav Ivkov6/14(+1 -3 =10)[games]
Lev Polugaevsky6/14(+2 -4 =8)[games]
Jan Timman4/14(+1 -7 =6)[games]
*

Chessgames.com Chess Event Description
2nd AVRO (1973)

The second AVRO tournament in June 1973 was held to commemorate 50 years' existence of sponsor AVRO (a broadcasting society) and 100 years of organizer KNSB (the Royal Dutch Chess Association). The same formula (eight players, double rounds) was used as in AVRO (1938), but only one location in Hilversum, where AVRO is settled, was used. Of the players in 1938, only Paul Keres and Samuel Reshevsky were still active. Keres was actually invited for the second AVRO, but declined the invitation because of "intense preparation for the Petropolis Interzonal (1973) and health problems."(1) Reshevsky was apparently not invited. De Telegraaf (25th May 1973) also say that Unzicker was invited, but withdrew at the last minute. Szabo and Ivkov were replacements for Unzicker and Keres respectively.(2) The Leningrad Interzonal (1973), also played in June, made it impossible for some other strong players to participate.

The tournament took the form of a trial of strength between the older generation (Szabó, who had won in Hastings (1938/39), Geller, Ivkov and Polugaevsky) and the young whippersnappers (Andersson, Ljubojevic, Sax and Timman). The older players won. Polugaevsky who with 2645 was equal third (with Tigran Petrosian) on the July 1972 ELO list, made blunders against Sax and Timman in the first cycle which he could not overcome. He would recover a month later in Petropolis, qualifying for the 1974 Candidates after a playoff.

Hilversum, Netherlands, 12-29 June 1973

=1 Geller ** 01 ½½ ½½ 1½ 1½ 1½ 11 9½ =1 Szabo 10 ** 1½ ½½ ½1 1½ ½1 1½ 9½ 3 Ljubojevic ½½ 0½ ** ½1 ½1 ½½ ½½ 11 8½ 4 Andersson ½½ ½½ ½0 ** ½½ ½½ ½½ ½½ 6½ =5 Sax 0½ ½0 ½0 ½½ ** ½½ 10 ½1 6 =5 Ivkov 0½ 0½ ½½ ½½ ½½ ** 0½ 1½ 6 =5 Polugaevsky 0½ ½0 ½½ ½½ 01 1½ ** 0½ 6 8 Timman 00 0½ 00 ½½ ½0 0½ 1½ ** 4

Original collection: Game Collection: Hilversum 1973 - the second AVRO tournament, by User: sneaky pete.

(1) Tubantia, 25th May 1973.

(2) https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=...

 page 2 of 3; games 26-50 of 56  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
26. Geller vs Sax  1-03819732nd AVROE97 King's Indian
27. Ivkov vs Timman  1-04219732nd AVROD86 Grunfeld, Exchange
28. Andersson vs Szabo  ½-½1219732nd AVROA29 English, Four Knights, Kingside Fianchetto
29. Andersson vs Timman  ½-½1019732nd AVROA16 English
30. Polugaevsky vs Sax  1-02719732nd AVROA16 English
31. Ivkov vs Ljubojevic  ½-½2319732nd AVROA46 Queen's Pawn Game
32. Geller vs Szabo 1-03019732nd AVROB08 Pirc, Classical
33. Ivkov vs Polugaevsky  ½-½4119732nd AVROE17 Queen's Indian
34. Szabo vs Sax 1-03419732nd AVROA10 English
35. Timman vs Geller 0-13619732nd AVROD59 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tartakower
36. Ljubojevic vs Andersson  1-07419732nd AVROC16 French, Winawer
37. Andersson vs Ivkov  ½-½1519732nd AVROA07 King's Indian Attack
38. Geller vs Ljubojevic  ½-½3519732nd AVROA30 English, Symmetrical
39. Polugaevsky vs Szabo 0-16019732nd AVROE80 King's Indian, Samisch Variation
40. Sax vs Timman 1-02919732nd AVROB08 Pirc, Classical
41. Ljubojevic vs Sax 1-02419732nd AVROC84 Ruy Lopez, Closed
42. Ivkov vs Geller  ½-½4119732nd AVROE92 King's Indian
43. Timman vs Szabo  ½-½3219732nd AVROA05 Reti Opening
44. Andersson vs Polugaevsky  ½-½3619732nd AVROA16 English
45. Polugaevsky vs Timman  ½-½2119732nd AVROB36 Sicilian, Accelerated Fianchetto
46. Geller vs Andersson ½-½4119732nd AVROB07 Pirc
47. Szabo vs Ljubojevic  ½-½2619732nd AVROA15 English
48. Sax vs Ivkov ½-½6719732nd AVROC07 French, Tarrasch
49. Ljubojevic vs Timman  1-04119732nd AVROA07 King's Indian Attack
50. Ivkov vs Szabo  ½-½1419732nd AVROA43 Old Benoni
 page 2 of 3; games 26-50 of 56  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2)  

Kibitzer's Corner
May-08-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: Over forty years on, it is more than slightly surprising to view the crosstable of this event and see Polugaevsky finishing minus.
May-09-15  RookFile: Agreed, perfidious. I guess he just had a bad tournament.

Imagine if Keres or Reshevsky had shown up for this. That would have been really something.

May-09-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: Before now I thought of this tournament as <Hilversum 1973>, because that's how it was generally identified in cites to this theoretical classic. Timman vs Geller, 1973

Nice to know that it was a second AVRO tournament.

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