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TOURNAMENT STANDINGS
Tilburg Interpolis Tournament

Gata Kamsky8.5/14(+5 -2 =7)[games]
Vasyl Ivanchuk8.5/14(+5 -2 =7)[games]
Boris Gelfand8/14(+5 -3 =6)[games]
Nigel Short7.5/14(+5 -4 =5)[games]
Jan Timman6.5/14(+4 -5 =5)[games]
Ulf Andersson6.5/14(+2 -3 =9)[games]
Predrag Nikolic6/14(+1 -3 =10)[games]
Yasser Seirawan4.5/14(+0 -5 =9)[games]
*

Chessgames.com Chess Event Description
Tilburg Interpolis (1990)

"With the exception of Judit Polgar and Joel Lautier this year's Interpolis tournament at Tilburg witnessed a line-up of the young hopefuls most likely to constitute a future challenge to the hegemony of Kasparov and Karpov. The result was a sensation in that the 16-year-old Soviet defector Gata Kamsky (currently awaiting the more lucrative offer from either the USA or France before he decides on his eventual domicile) almost ran away with first place. Only a relative collapse towards the end when the teenager seemed nervous and tired robbed him of perhaps the most stunning outright victory ever achieved by a player of his age. Vassily Ivanchuk seized his chance to tie first by scoring some important victories towards the end, specifically in the last round with black against Nikolic. ... Nigel Short's performance towards the end was tremendous, and until the dying moments of the tournament he had prospects of tying for first. A win in the last round would have achieved this desired goal. Instead, he went down tragically to Timman in a game where our top ranked player seemed suddenly and sadly bereft of form." (Keene)

The 14th Interpolis tournament was a Category XVI event (Elo average 2643). Chief arbiter Geurt Gijssen was assisted by Constant Orbaan.

Tilburg, the Netherlands, 7-24 September 1990

Age Elo* 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 ————————————————————————————————————————————————— =1 Kamsky 16 2650 •• ½1 1½ ½0 10 1½ 1½ ½½ 8½ =1 Ivanchuk 21 2680 ½0 •• ½0 ½1 11 ½½ ½1 1½ 8½ 3 Gelfand 22 2680 0½ ½1 •• 10 0½ 11 ½½ ½1 8 4 Short 25 2610 ½1 ½0 01 •• 10 ½0 1½ ½1 7½ =5 Timman 38 2660 01 00 1½ 01 •• ½½ 0½ ½1 6½ =5 Andersson 39 2630 0½ ½½ 00 ½1 ½½ •• ½½ ½1 6½ 7 Nikolic 30 2600 0½ ½0 ½½ 0½ 1½ ½½ •• ½½ 6 8 Seirawan 30 2635 ½½ 0½ ½0 ½0 ½0 ½0 ½½ •• 4½ —————————————————————————————————————————————————

Fourteen rounds in 18 days, starting on Friday 7 September (56 games). Rest days 11, 15, 19 & 23 September. Kamsky and Ivanchuk tied for first with 8.5/14. Kamsky took his third and final GM norm and confirmed his rating.

Sources
*FIDE rating list July 1990 (https://web.archive.org/web/2022112...)
Game Collection: Tilburg Interpolis 1990 (by User: suenteus po 147)
Chess Life, 1/1991, pp. 33-34, 39 (https://uscf1-nyc1.aodhosting.com/C...)
Sakkélet, 11-12/1990, pp. 325-329 (https://adt.arcanum.com/en/view/Sak...)
Tidskrift för Schack, 8/1990, pp. 328-332 (https://tfsarkiv.schack.se/pdf/1990...)
Jaque 295, 15 November 1990, pp. 774-780 (https://www.olimpbase.org/leagueES/...)
Raymond Keene in The Spectator, 29 September 1990 (https://archive.spectator.co.uk/art...)
School Mates, January/February 1991, p. 4 (https://uscf1-nyc1.aodhosting.com/C...)
Dutch newspapers (available at https://www.delpher.nl/nl/kranten)

Previous: Tilburg Interpolis (1989). Next: Tilburg Interpolis (1991)

 page 1 of 2; games 1-25 of 29  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. Short vs Andersson  ½-½491990Tilburg InterpolisB27 Sicilian
2. Andersson vs Ivanchuk  ½-½431990Tilburg InterpolisA04 Reti Opening
3. Seirawan vs P Nikolic  ½-½241990Tilburg InterpolisB10 Caro-Kann
4. Kamsky vs Short ½-½431990Tilburg InterpolisC10 French
5. P Nikolic vs Andersson  ½-½301990Tilburg InterpolisD12 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav
6. Timman vs Seirawan ½-½631990Tilburg InterpolisB12 Caro-Kann Defense
7. Ivanchuk vs Kamsky ½-½381990Tilburg InterpolisC60 Ruy Lopez
8. Gelfand vs Seirawan  ½-½461990Tilburg InterpolisA07 King's Indian Attack
9. Short vs Ivanchuk  ½-½281990Tilburg InterpolisC18 French, Winawer
10. Andersson vs Timman ½-½521990Tilburg InterpolisD12 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav
11. Seirawan vs Andersson  ½-½271990Tilburg InterpolisA36 English
12. Ivanchuk vs Gelfand  ½-½441990Tilburg InterpolisD76 Neo-Grunfeld, 6.cd Nxd5, 7.O-O Nb6
13. Seirawan vs Short  ½-½461990Tilburg InterpolisA84 Dutch
14. P Nikolic vs Gelfand  ½-½501990Tilburg InterpolisE15 Queen's Indian
15. Kamsky vs Seirawan  ½-½321990Tilburg InterpolisC16 French, Winawer
16. Ivanchuk vs P Nikolic  ½-½341990Tilburg InterpolisB08 Pirc, Classical
17. Gelfand vs Kamsky  ½-½361990Tilburg InterpolisD85 Grunfeld
18. Timman vs P Nikolic  ½-½641990Tilburg InterpolisC92 Ruy Lopez, Closed
19. Seirawan vs Ivanchuk  ½-½321990Tilburg InterpolisA28 English
20. Timman vs Gelfand  ½-½661990Tilburg InterpolisC67 Ruy Lopez
21. P Nikolic vs Seirawan  ½-½351990Tilburg InterpolisD20 Queen's Gambit Accepted
22. Ivanchuk vs Andersson  ½-½371990Tilburg InterpolisB32 Sicilian
23. Andersson vs P Nikolic  ½-½391990Tilburg InterpolisD20 Queen's Gambit Accepted
24. P Nikolic vs Kamsky  ½-½281990Tilburg InterpolisE60 King's Indian Defense
25. Timman vs Andersson  ½-½581990Tilburg InterpolisD50 Queen's Gambit Declined
 page 1 of 2; games 1-25 of 29  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2)  

Kibitzer's Corner
Nov-05-23  notyetagm: First!
Dec-16-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  Tabanus: Second!
Dec-17-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  Open Defence: I remember being stunned by Kamsky's rise, within a year of becoming a GM he was competing with the elites
Dec-17-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  Troller: <Open Defence: I remember being stunned by Kamsky's rise, within a year of becoming a GM he was competing with the elites>

I am quite sure he was not a GM in this tournament, not even an IM. I have some old newspaper clippings at home; IIRC he was #8 on the rating list but had no title. This event was seen as a kind of test if he really was that good, and he certainly proved himself.

Dec-17-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  Open Defence: <Troller> wow! that's amazing. His bio says he became a GM in 1990, but not the month, it would be interesting to know
Dec-17-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  Open Defence: <Eight quite young GMs competed in a double round robin (all-play-all) format> says the bio of this tournament but it would be good to know for certain,

I think Seirawan would have been very disappointed with his results here

Jun-10-25
Premium Chessgames Member
  Troller: The July 1990 rating list linked to in the above <sources> shows Kamsky as an FM rated 2650. Given the slower workings of ratings and titles back then, it would be surprising if there was a conference during August to have him appointed.

Also <Tidskrift för Schack> confirms this: <...inte ens IM!...> meaning <not even an IM!>.

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