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🏆 Palma de Mallorca (1972)

Chessgames.com Chess Event Description
The memorable event this year had been the ... [more]

Player: Istvan Bilek

 page 1 of 1; 15 games  PGN Download 
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. I Bilek vs Panno 0-1851972Palma de MallorcaA10 English
2. W Hug vs I Bilek  ½-½131972Palma de MallorcaA07 King's Indian Attack
3. I Bilek vs Ivkov  ½-½151972Palma de MallorcaE17 Queen's Indian
4. Korchnoi vs I Bilek 1-0431972Palma de MallorcaA10 English
5. I Bilek vs R Calvo Minguez  1-0341972Palma de MallorcaA26 English
6. A Pomar vs I Bilek  ½-½91972Palma de MallorcaA40 Queen's Pawn Game
7. I Bilek vs A Medina Garcia  ½-½131972Palma de MallorcaD34 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch
8. J Bellon Lopez vs I Bilek 0-1611972Palma de MallorcaA01 Nimzovich-Larsen Attack
9. I Bilek vs Ljubojevic  ½-½191972Palma de MallorcaA07 King's Indian Attack
10. Averbakh vs I Bilek  1-0371972Palma de MallorcaE19 Queen's Indian, Old Main line, 9.Qxc3
11. I Bilek vs Polugaevsky 0-1651972Palma de MallorcaD13 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, Exchange Variation
12. Robatsch vs I Bilek  ½-½171972Palma de MallorcaA05 Reti Opening
13. I Bilek vs Andersson  ½-½251972Palma de MallorcaA07 King's Indian Attack
14. Smejkal vs I Bilek 1-0431972Palma de MallorcaA27 English, Three Knights System
15. I Bilek vs Gheorghiu  ½-½171972Palma de MallorcaA36 English
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | Bilek wins | Bilek loses  

Kibitzer's Corner
Jul-23-19  diagonal: Palma de Mallorca invitation tournaments, was one of the leading series around fifty years ago:

Eight editions, annually from 1965 to 1972 (including the FIDE Interzonal from 1970). Twice winners, sole or shared, at Palma de Mallorca are <Bent Larsen>, <Viktor Korchnoi>, and surprising <Oscar Panno>.

All post-war world chess champions (then) did participate at Palma de Mallorca series: <Botvinnik, Smyslov, Tal (winner 1966), Petrosian, Spassky, and Fischer (winner of IZT 1970)>, meaning no less than four world chess champions did play but not win at Palma de Mallorca!

Mikhail Tal triumphed as clear first in 1966, ahead of Pomar and Portisch who shared second place, followed then by Ivkov.

In 1967, Bent Larsen surpassed the two former soviet world champions, Botvinnik and Smyslov, who finished as joint runners-up, followed by some of the usual suspects, Portisch, Gligoric, Ivkov: Palma de Mallorca (1967)

The edition of 1968 saw Petrosian the reigning world champion, Spassky his challenger, Korchnoi, the runner-up of the candidate's final and Larsen the previous winner. Viktor Korchnoi who also took Wijk aan Zee in January the same year, won outright and unbeaten ahead of Larsen and Spassky, Petrosian, Gligoric, Ivkov: Palma de Mallorca (1968)

Bent Larsen won again outright at Palma de Mallorca in 1969, surpassing Petrosian, Korchnoi, Hort, and Spassky, the new crowned world champion: Palma de Mallorca (1969)

The Interzonal in 1970 with 24 players in a round robin, was dominated by Bobby Fischer, he won overwhelmingly at 3.5 points ahead of joint 2.-4. Larsen, Geller, and IM Hübner (Spassky defending world champion, Petrosian, and Korchnoi already qualified for the candidate's matches, thus all absent): Palma de Mallorca Interzonal (1970)

Oscar Panno co-won in 1971, together with Ljubomir Ljubojevic, ahead of joint Portisch and Reshevsky, Larsen sharing sixth place, and won again a year later, as best on tie-break in 1972, surpassing three prominent soviet players, co-winner Korchnoi, top-seeded Polugaevsky, and Averbakh.

The French Wikipedia provides a good overview, summary of the Palma de Mallorca series: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourn...

Jul-23-19  RookFile: Every now and then somebody says: "What if Korchnoi had played Fischer instead?" This tournament gives an objective answer. Put Fischer in this mix and he wins by 3 points minimum.
Jul-23-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: It's funny how insecure some Fischer fans are.
Jul-23-19  Nietzowitsch: <This tournament gives an objective answer.> No it doesn't. But you can make up your fantasy world the way you like it.
Jul-23-19  RookFile: The only fantasy here is to believe that a Fischer in this field wins by fewer than 3 points.
Jul-24-19  diagonal: In the years 1970 to 1972 (in chess a relatively brief period), Bobby Fischer was certainly a class of his own: <Best Challenger, Worst Champion ever>.

People sometimes tend to pick up an anecdote (in chess: tournament / match, even a match who never took part) to generalize it then for a so-called "objective answer" or so.

RJF vs. VK lifetime score: +2=4-2 in classical chess (+1-1 in blitz); games played between 1960 Buenos Aires (1960), warning: this tournament gives not an abjective answer of Fischer's strength: as a Candidate, he finished below 50%, Korchnoi won together with Reshevsky, and 1970.

Jul-24-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: Regrettably, Fischer did not play here--or in a tournament anywhere else--after winning the title. It would have been a positive development for chess had he continued to play after Reykjavik. As matters went, there was nothing for it but to exclaim what was once termed those saddest words of tongue and pen:

<Oh, what might have been!>

With apologies; but I do not recall the name of the author.

Jul-24-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  Retireborn: Whittier.

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