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TOURNAMENT STANDINGS
Moscow Tournament

Mikhail Botvinnik11/15(+8 -1 =6)[games]
Viacheslav Ragozin10.5/15(+8 -2 =5)[games]
Isaac Boleslavsky10/15(+6 -1 =8)[games]
Vasily Smyslov10/15(+6 -1 =8)[games]
Alexander Kotov9.5/15(+6 -2 =7)[games]
Paul Keres9/15(+6 -3 =6)[games]
Nikolay Novotelnov9/15(+6 -3 =6)[games]
Ludek Pachman8.5/15(+5 -3 =7)[games]
Petar Trifunovic8/15(+3 -2 =10)[games]
Svetozar Gligoric7.5/15(+4 -4 =7)[games]
Igor Bondarevsky6.5/15(+3 -5 =7)[games]
Ratmir Kholmov5.5/15(+3 -7 =5)[games]
Cenek Kottnauer5/15(+1 -6 =8)[games]
Kazimierz Plater4/15(+1 -8 =6)[games]
Alexey Sokolsky4/15(+1 -8 =6)[games]
Alexandar Tsvetkov2/15(+0 -11 =4)[games]
*

Chessgames.com Chess Event Description
Moscow (1947)

The second Mikhail Chigorin Memorial international tournament was held in the winter of 1947 in the Soviet capital of Moscow.

Moscow, Soviet Union (Russia), 25 November - 23 December 1947 (1)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Pts 1 Botvinnik * 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1 11 2 Ragozin 0 * 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 10½ =3 Boleslavsky ½ 1 * ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 1 10 =3 Smyslov ½ ½ ½ * 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 10 5 Kotov ½ ½ ½ 1 * 0 1 ½ ½ 1 0 ½ ½ 1 1 1 9½ =6 Keres 0 0 1 ½ 1 * 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 9 =6 Novotelnov 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 1 * ½ 0 1 ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 9 8 Pachman 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ * 0 1 ½ 1 0 ½ 1 1 8½ 9 Trifunovic ½ 0 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 * ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 8 10 Gligoric ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 0 ½ * ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 7½ 11 Bondarevsky ½ 0 0 0 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ * 0 ½ 1 0 1 6½ 12 Kholmov 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 0 ½ 0 1 * ½ 1 ½ 1 5½ 13 Kottnauer 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 0 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ * 0 ½ ½ 5 =14 Plater 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 0 0 1 * ½ ½ 4 =14 Sokolsky 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ * ½ 4 16 Tsvetkov 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ * 2

Ten of the USSR's best chess masters were pitted against six strong masters from Eastern Europe in what would be one of the strongest post-war tournaments leading up to the 1948 World Championship. Mikhail Botvinnik finished clear first with an impressive 11/15. He was joined by six fellow soviets at the top of the table. Of the foreign masters, only Pachman (Czechoslovakia) and Trifunović (Yugoslavia) managed to score more than 50%, finishing in the middle of the pack. Gligorić (Yugoslavia) finished 10th; Kottnauer (Czechoslovakia) 13th, Plater (Poland) shared 14th; and Tsvetkov (Bulgaria) ended up in 16th and last place.

This event was also notable in that it revived a series that had languished for almost half a century. The first Chigorin Memorial international tournament had been held in St. Petersburg (1909), a year after Chigorin's death.

[1) [rusbase-1] ; Edward Winter ed., "World Chess Champions" (Pergamon Press 1981), p. 149.

Original collection: Game Collection: Moscow 1947, by User: suenteus po 147.

 page 1 of 5; games 1-25 of 120  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. Bondarevsky vs Botvinnik ½-½361947MoscowD30 Queen's Gambit Declined
2. Keres vs K Plater ½-½411947MoscowB81 Sicilian, Scheveningen, Keres Attack
3. Smyslov vs Kotov 0-1511947MoscowA07 King's Indian Attack
4. Pachman vs A Tsvetkov 1-0371947MoscowE89 King's Indian, Samisch, Orthodox Main line
5. Ragozin vs Kholmov 1-0221947MoscowB10 Caro-Kann
6. P Trifunovic vs N Novotelnov  1-0321947MoscowE22 Nimzo-Indian, Spielmann Variation
7. C Kottnauer vs Gligoric 0-1331947MoscowA46 Queen's Pawn Game
8. Boleslavsky vs A Sokolsky  1-0901947MoscowE32 Nimzo-Indian, Classical
9. Botvinnik vs C Kottnauer 1-0601947MoscowD13 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, Exchange Variation
10. A Tsvetkov vs Keres 0-1511947MoscowC91 Ruy Lopez, Closed
11. Kotov vs Gligoric 1-0421947MoscowD58 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tartakower (Makagonov-Bondarevsky) Syst
12. A Sokolsky vs Pachman 0-1721947MoscowD43 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav
13. Smyslov vs Ragozin ½-½421947MoscowD71 Neo-Grunfeld
14. N Novotelnov vs Bondarevsky ½-½881947MoscowE23 Nimzo-Indian, Spielmann
15. Kholmov vs Boleslavsky 0-1301947MoscowA48 King's Indian
16. K Plater vs P Trifunovic  ½-½411947MoscowB45 Sicilian, Taimanov
17. Gligoric vs Botvinnik  ½-½411947MoscowD95 Grunfeld
18. Keres vs A Sokolsky 1-0891947MoscowC71 Ruy Lopez
19. Ragozin vs Kotov  ½-½301947MoscowD63 Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense
20. Pachman vs Kholmov 1-0311947MoscowD50 Queen's Gambit Declined
21. Boleslavsky vs Smyslov  ½-½331947MoscowC77 Ruy Lopez
22. C Kottnauer vs N Novotelnov 0-1261947MoscowD98 Grunfeld, Russian
23. Bondarevsky vs K Plater 1-0411947MoscowE06 Catalan, Closed, 5.Nf3
24. P Trifunovic vs A Tsvetkov  ½-½541947MoscowA15 English
25. Kotov vs Botvinnik ½-½581947MoscowA84 Dutch
 page 1 of 5; games 1-25 of 120  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2)  

Kibitzer's Corner
Mar-02-18  Saniyat24: Four straight losses in the opening four matches for Ratmir Kholmov...were the players too strong, or was Kholmov not at his best form?
Mar-02-18  morfishine: <Saniyat24> Well, Kholmov was "only" 22 years old at this tournament and he didn't earn the GM title for another 13 years. Perhaps, he just wasn't fully developed yet as as world class player

Plus, those first 4 opponents were powerful indeed: Ragozin, Boleslavsky, Pachman & Paul Keres! What a formidable lineup to start a tournament with!

*****

Mar-02-18  Saniyat24: thanks <morfishine> didn't know that Kholmov was only 22 in 1947, must have been an amazing experience though, facing the calibre of players he faced...
Mar-03-18  hemy: In 1946 Ratmir Kholmov moved from Arkhangesk (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkha...) to Grodno, Belarus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grodno). In 1946 he took first place in the Belarus republic, 1st category players, (one bellow master-candidate) tournament. In 1947 he won Soviet Union 1st category tournament in Minsk and later Soviet Union master-candidate tournament in Yaroslavl, before Rashid Gibiatovich Nezhmetdinov, Georgy Bastrikov and Yakov Estrin

Invitation to the second Mikhail Chigorin Memorial international (Moscow (1947)) tournament was a real surprise for Kholmov. He was invited to represent the Belarus. It was the 1st time Kholmov played with foreign chess players and 1st time he won against GM (Igor Bondarevsky).

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