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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 3; games 1-25 of 56  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. P Nikolic vs Timman  1-0361990Tilburg InterpolisE15 Queen's Indian
2. Short vs Andersson  ½-½491990Tilburg InterpolisB27 Sicilian
3. Ivanchuk vs Seirawan 1-0611990Tilburg InterpolisD29 Queen's Gambit Accepted, Classical
4. Kamsky vs Gelfand 1-0321990Tilburg InterpolisB91 Sicilian, Najdorf, Zagreb (Fianchetto) Variation
5. Seirawan vs P Nikolic  ½-½241990Tilburg InterpolisB10 Caro-Kann
6. Andersson vs Ivanchuk  ½-½431990Tilburg InterpolisA04 Reti Opening
7. Kamsky vs Short ½-½431990Tilburg InterpolisC10 French
8. Gelfand vs Timman 0-1471990Tilburg InterpolisE06 Catalan, Closed, 5.Nf3
9. Timman vs Seirawan ½-½631990Tilburg InterpolisB12 Caro-Kann Defense
10. Ivanchuk vs Kamsky ½-½381990Tilburg InterpolisC60 Ruy Lopez
11. P Nikolic vs Andersson  ½-½301990Tilburg InterpolisD12 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav
12. Short vs Gelfand 0-1531990Tilburg InterpolisB93 Sicilian, Najdorf, 6.f4
13. Short vs Ivanchuk  ½-½281990Tilburg InterpolisC18 French, Winawer
14. Kamsky vs P Nikolic 1-0301990Tilburg InterpolisB07 Pirc
15. Gelfand vs Seirawan  ½-½461990Tilburg InterpolisA07 King's Indian Attack
16. Andersson vs Timman ½-½521990Tilburg InterpolisD12 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav
17. Seirawan vs Andersson  ½-½271990Tilburg InterpolisA36 English
18. Ivanchuk vs Gelfand  ½-½441990Tilburg InterpolisD76 Neo-Grunfeld, 6.cd Nxd5, 7.O-O Nb6
19. P Nikolic vs Short 0-1361990Tilburg InterpolisA92 Dutch
20. Timman vs Kamsky 0-1751990Tilburg InterpolisB12 Caro-Kann Defense
21. Timman vs Ivanchuk 0-1481990Tilburg InterpolisE15 Queen's Indian
22. Andersson vs Kamsky 0-1341990Tilburg InterpolisA48 King's Indian
23. Seirawan vs Short  ½-½461990Tilburg InterpolisA84 Dutch
24. P Nikolic vs Gelfand  ½-½501990Tilburg InterpolisE15 Queen's Indian
25. Short vs Timman  1-0431990Tilburg InterpolisC01 French, Exchange
 page 1 of 3; games 1-25 of 56  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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