The purpose was to establish a challenger for the winner of the Karpov - Kasparov World Championship Match (1985), or as it turned out, because of the rematch conditions announced during the event on this page, the winner of the Kasparov - Karpov World Championship Rematch (1986) (which was Garry Kasparov). Four players from each of three Interzonal tournaments (= 12 players) would advance to a Candidates tournament, in which the three or four best players would qualify for Candidates matches. (1) In 1982, 1979 and earlier, the Interzonal players qualified directly for four Candidates quarterfinal matches, whereas a Candidates tournament had not been organized since the Curacao Candidates (1962) (where the winner went directly to the World Championship match). The Interzonals of 1985 were the Tunis Interzonal (1985), the Taxco Interzonal (1985), and the Biel Interzonal (this page). FIDE had also decided that the World Champion should defend his title every second year, (2) meaning that the next set of Interzonal tournaments would be held in 1987.
Qualified from the Zonal tournaments were: Short from Brighton (1984), González from Barcelona (1985), Van der Wiel from Montpellier (1985), Gutman from Beer-Sheva (1985), Jansa from Prague (1985), Quinteros from Corrientes (1985), Li Zunian from the City of Laoag (1985), Sokolov from the USSR Championship (1985), Pétursson from Gausdal (1985), Seirawan from the US Championship (1984), and Rodriguez from Caracas (1985). (3) Vaganian and Polugaevsky were seeded by rating, (3) and so must have been Sax (whose 1984 rating was higher than in July 1985), Andersson and Ljubojevic. Torre was qualified as co-winner of the Toluca Interzonal (1982) in the previous cycle, and Partos represented the host country, after having won a qualification tournament ahead of Andreas Huss and Werner Hug. (3, 4) No less than 22 players (of 3 x 18 = 54 qualified) requested to be allocated to a different, or specific, Interzonal. None was granted, (5) except for Gutman and Saeed-Ahmed Saeed who switched places. (6)
The main organizer was Hans Suri. As in the Biel Interzonal (1976) the games were played in the Biel Congress House (Kongresshaus, Palais de Congrès). (7, 8) A number of notable guests attended the opening ceremony, including the ambassadors of USSR, Israel and Argentina, and other diplomats. Dr. Lim Kok Ann represented FIDE. (9) The total budget, about half a million Swiss francs, was covered by the municipality of Biel and the canton of Bern (100,000 fr. each), a lottery (50,000 fr.), enrollment fees, and gifts. (10) The prize money was 50,000 fr., of which 15,000 fr. would go to the winner. (11) The GM norm was fixed at 11 points. (11) Playing time would be 2-7 pm, and 9-11 pm for adjourned games. July 4, 8, 13, 17, 22 and 24 were reserved for second time adjournments, and July 9 and 18 were rest days. (11) The planned referee was IA Thomas Suri. (11, 12) When Round 1 started, on 1 July, there was a feeling that Biel was the strongest of the three Interzonals. The new FIDE rating list for July had caused the tournament category to rise from 11 to 12. (9)
Photo: http://www.lexpressarchives.ch/Repo...
Former vice-World Champion Viktor Korchnoi predicted that Seirawan, Andersson, Ljubojevic and a Soviet player would qualify. (13) Seirawan had come to Biel a week before the event to work 8-10 hours a day with Korchnoi as his coach. (14, 15) It was whispered behind the scenes that the handsome Seirawan also collaborated with Suzana Maksimovic, (15) who participated in a side event. Seirawan played well and was always among the top four, except after Round 10 when he lost to Polugaevsky. He became the first USA player to advance from an Interzonal since Robert Eugene Byrne. Andersson had been optimistic but could not convert his winning positions in rounds 1, 4 and 6 against Short, Quinteros and González. His 'safety first' style limited him to a modest two wins and 15 draws. (16) Ljubojevic disappointed but had a chance to qualify until his exhausting draw against Pétursson (Round 11). The game lasted almost 15 hours (17) and finished on 22 July, the day before Round 16.
Vaganian, Sokolov and Polugaevsky were helped by Mikhail Beilin and Arshak B Petrosian, (15) and could help each other with adjourned games. Vaganian was the highest rated participant, after victories in Moscow (1982), Hastings (1982/83), Keres Memorial (1983), and Lviv (1984). Most onlookers admired his intuitive and gifted play. Andersson was less impressed, pointing to several games that could have been lost. (16) But it was clear that Vaganian’s style brought him many full points, and his qualification was never in danger. He won his last two games, and the tournament. Sokolov was only 22, but had won the USSR Championship (1984) and placed 4th in the USSR Championship (1985). He had also won a team gold medal at the Olympiad in Thessaloniki (1984), and displayed excellent form in Biel, losing only one game (in Round 8, against the tournament's "surprise player" Van der Wiel). Drawing his last three games sufficed for direct qualification, since Van der Wiel and Torre both lost their last round games. Polugaevsky also had a chance to advance, but suffered losses with White against Gutman (Round 2) and Quinteros (Round 14).
The playing conditions were troubled by a heatwave, and sweat could be seen rolling down the faces of the players, despite the organizers maintaining that the temperature never exceeded 26°C. Unable to bear the discomfort, Short put on a t-shirt and shorts for his Round 10 game with Sax, (18) and incurred the wrath of Florencio Campomanes, who was visiting the event. FIDE’s dress code sought more impeccable standards from the players, with the aim of impressing current and prospective sponsors. (9) Seirawan was consulted by Eric Schiller for his opinion. Always among the smartly dressed, Seirawan was nonetheless surprised by the complaint, and said he might copy Short in the next round if the heat persisted. (18) Short’s second, Murray Chandler, said that Campomanes had no right to complain; after all, the players did not receive any appearance fee. A chorus of players soon took up Chandler’s line of reasoning as dress standards continued to fall. Ultimately, cooling off with evening beers was the only remedy. There was no air-conditioning, and just as the heatwave started, the swimming pool was closed. (18)
After 12 rounds the scores were: Vaganian 9, Seirawan, Van der Wiel and Torre 8, Sokolov 7.5, Ljubojevic 7 + one adjourned game (against Pétursson), Short and Polugaevsky 6.5, Andersson and Jansa 6. (19) July 18 was a rest day, and to recharge batteries, the players were invited by the organizer to enjoy a mini-cruise with breakfast on board the boat "Stadt Biel" (photo: http://www.lacdebienne.ch/pictures/...). (20) Short had won in Round 11, made a draw in Round 12 with the French Defense, and continued after the boat trip with wins in rounds 13, 15 and 17. While some of the leaders were settling for draws he embarked on a run that gained him 5.5 points from his final 7 games. (9) As the last round started, it still seemed unlikely that he would advance. Not only did he need to beat Van der Wiel, but Torre also had to lose to Sax. (21) In the end, fortune favored the Englishman. Torre (who was assisted by Lubomir Kavalek (15)) put up a Berlin Defense, but blundered before the time control, and Van der Wiel (who was assisted by Gert Ligterink (22)) could not resist Short's attack. Short, Van der Wiel and Torre ended =4th, and went on to contest a playoff for the last qualification spot. This was won by Short (see below).
Other notables in Biel were Sax's second Laszlo Hazai, (15) Rodriguez's second Reynaldo Vera (15) and Pétursson's two seconds Jon Loftur Arnason and Bragi Kristjansson. (23) Pétursson was the first Icelander in an Interzonal since Fridrik Olafsson in the Stockholm Interzonal (1962). He gained the nickname The Marathon Man as he adjourned many games, some more than once, and set a record for number of moves played in an Interzonal. (18) The Spanish champion González had completed two months of rigorous training before the event. He was assisted by Jose Luis Fernandez Garcia. (24)
Biel/Bienne, Switzerland, 1-25 July 1985
Elo* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pts S-B# CHF (11)
1 GM Vaganian 2625 * ½ ½ 1 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 12½ 15000
2 GM Seirawan 2570 ½ * ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 11½ 10000
3 GM Sokolov 2555 ½ ½ * ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 11 7000
=4 GM Short 2575 0 ½ ½ * 1 1 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 10½ 83.75 4000
=4 GM Van der Wiel 2520 0 ½ 1 0 * 0 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 10½ 81.25 4000
=4 GM Torre 2535 ½ ½ ½ 0 1 * ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 1 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 10½ 80.50 4000
=7 GM Polugaevsky 2600 ½ 1 ½ 1 0 ½ * 1 ½ 1 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 1 9½ 79.00 2000
=7 GM Ljubojevic 2615 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 0 * ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 9½ 78.25 2000
=7 GM Andersson 2590 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 9½ 77.00 2000
=10 GM Rodríguez 2505 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ * ½ 1 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 8 63.75
=10 GM Sax 2535 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 1 1 ½ ½ ½ * 0 0 1 0 ½ 1 1 8 62.50
=12 GM Jansa 2480 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 1 * 1 ½ 0 0 1 1 7½ 57.75
=12 GM Quinteros 2525 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 ½ ½ 0 1 0 * 1 1 1 1 ½ 7½ 52.25
14 IM Pétursson 2550 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 * 1 1 ½ ½ 7
15 IM Gutman 2485 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 1 ½ 0 1 1 1 0 0 * 1 ½ 0 6½
16 IM Li Zunian 2465 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 0 0 0 * ½ ½ 6
17 IM Partos 2425 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ * 1 4
18 IM González 2430 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 * 3½
E Torre vs Quinteros, 1985 (Round 1) was postponed and played on the adjournment day 4 July. (9)
Playoff in Biel 29 July - 6 August 1985 (see Biel Interzonal Playoff (1985) for games):
1 Short 2575 *** 0½0 111 3½
2 Van der Wiel 2520 1½1 *** ½0½ 3½
3 Torre 2535 000 ½1½ *** 2
Short had a better tie-break score than Van der Wiel in the Interzonal, and advanced together with Vaganian, Seirawan and Sokolov to the Montpellier Candidates (1985). Van der Wiel earned a spot in the London Candidates Reserve Playoff (1985), along with the other fifth place finishers from the two other Interzonals, Viktor Gavrikov and Jonathan Speelman. The London Reserve event was held in order to select a reserve player in case any of the Montpellier candidates should withdraw or be unable to attend.
The Biel Chess Festival also included: Masters Open I (1-10 July, 92 players), won by Ian Rogers, Anthony Miles and Florin Gheorghiu with 7/9 (Rogers' performance brought him his GM title), (9) Masters Open II (about 13-24 July, 136 players), won by Alon Greenfeld (9/11) ahead of Dragan Barlov (2nd), Gheorghiu and Eric Lobron (=3rd), (25, 26) Veteran's Open, won by Dragoljub Janosevic, (27) and Women's Open, won by Suzana Maksimovic. (27). Plus a World Open, a Junior Open, and other events, (11) with about 900 participants in all. (18)
Notes
(1) Tidskrift för Schack, August 1985, p. 208. Three players if Anatoly Karpov won, four players if Garry Kasparov won.
(2) Roland Bannerman in The Times, 25 May 1985, p. 14.
(3) Mark Weeks at http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/zon....
(4) Nouvelliste et Feuille d'Avis du Valais, 5 January 1985, p. 3.
(5) British Chess Magazine, June 1985, p. 245.
(6) Based on lists by Helgi Olafsson in NT (Iceland), 20 April 1985, p. 12.
(7) Le Matin (Lausanne), 2 July 1985, p. 6.
(8) Photo 2011: http://www.memreg.ch/backend/memreg...
(9) British Chess Magazine, September 1985, pp. 369-374.
(10) FAN L'Express (Neuchâtel), 20 June 1985, p. 23.
(11) Charles Partos in Le Matin, 11 May 1985, p. 24. CHF = prizes in Swiss francs.
(12) Thomas Suri became an International Arbiter in 1983: http://ratings.fide.com/card.phtml?....
(13) Nouvelliste et Feuille d'Avis du Valais, 10 July 1985, p. 2.
(14) Oregonian (Portland USA), 27 June 1985, p. 50.
(15) Nouvelliste et Feuille d'Avis du Valais, 17 July 1985, p. 2 (http://doc.rero.ch/record/196777/fi...).
(16) Tidskrift för Schack, August 1985, p. 225.
(17) FAN l'Express, 23 July 1985, p. 4.
(18) Eric Schiller in CHESS, September 1985, pp. 154-160.
(19) User: zanzibar at Zan Chess (https://zanchess.wordpress.com/2015...).
(20) Marylin Grosjean in Le Matin, 19 July 1985, p. 9.
(21) John Nunn in British Chess Magazine, October 1985, p. 418.
(22) De Waarheid, 26 July 1985, p. 4.
(23) Dagblaðið Vísir, 29 June 1985, p. 10.
(24) El Mundo Deportivo, 1 July 1985, p. 46.
(25) L'Impartial (Neuchâtel), 9 August 1985, p. 11.
(26) Jaque 180, p. 456.
(27) Jaque 179, p. 419.
*FIDE Rating List July 1985 (http://www.olimpbase.org/Elo/Elo198...).
#Sonneborn-Berger scores from Mark Weeks at http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/858...
Original collections: Game Collection: Biel Interzonal 1985 by User: suenteus po 147 and Game Collection: Biel Interzonal 1985 by User: Tabanus. Round dates from Dutch and Swiss newspapers confirmed the schedule. Thanks to User: Paint My Dragon for paraphrased information from CHESS and BCM, and for improving the English.
Kibitzing
