Introduction

The Wageningen Zonal Tournament took place from 27th October to 27th November 1957. (1). Laszlo Szabo, Fridrik Olafsson and Bent Larsen qualified.

This was one of three Zonal tournaments in 1957 (Dublin and Sofia being the others) which took place to decide on the European participation at Portoroz Interzonal (1958). Wageningen is a university town in the province of Gelderland, in the Netherlands.

The Zonal system

“In the involved system of qualifying events for the World Championship, 1957 is the year of zonal tournaments. These represent the first stage in the arduous climb which continues through the Interzonal next year and, in 1959, to another World Championship Candidates Tournament designed, like those of 1953 and 1956, to produce an official challenger for the world title in 1960." (2)

"Each particular country’s representatives used to compete in the same zonal. So at Prague, one might have three Czechs, three Hungarians, two Bulgarians, three Yugoslavs, etc., competing together, and at Bad Nauheim correspondingly three Germans, three Dutchmen, and so on; bunches of players competing, occasionally on team lines, in an event designed to be an individual one. For instance, suppose, towards the end of the contest, only one of the Czechs remained with any chance to qualify, one can imagine what might happen to a fellow-Czech who managed to destroy his chances by defeating him in the last round." (2)

"This year the various nationalities have been scattered among the three European zonal events, one in Dublin, one in Sofia and now one in Wageningen (Holland). So there has been one Hungarian competitor in each of these tournaments and one Czech; the Yugoslavs have been split between two events. Quite apart from the elimination of intra-national collusion, it has undoubtedly been a godsend to organisers, scraping for the £1,500 or so needed to finance even such a relatively minor event as a zonal, to be able to advertise it as a contest of so many different nationalities." (2)

"In 1960, the three-year cycle will have turned it's full and whilst the successful challenger is engaged in his match, zonal tournaments will be once again underway all around the world. By an inspiration, the European zonal events have been split up this year. I should explain that whilst Portugal, for instance, may put forward one player only for the Zonals, such countries as Hungary and Czechoslovakia, much stronger in chess, may and do enter three or even four. (2)

The Dutch player Roessel qualified for the Zonal but was replaced by Orbann. Similarly, Lindblom was a late replacement for Norway.

"Two changes have been made to the composition of the Zonal chess tournament, commencing in Wageningen on 26th October. The Amsterdammer C. Orbaan will replace Frits Roessel, who has study commitments and for Norway P. Lindblom will take the place of not Johannessen.)" (3)

"The three highest-placed players are entitled to participate in the interzonal tournament. Without a doubt, Larsen, Olafsson, Ivkov, Szabo and Stahlberg are the favourites for one of these three places, although Donner can not be excluded nor the young Englishman Clarke could produce a surprise result. The 21-year-old grandmaster Larsen, after his remarkable success in the Chess Olympiad in Moscow in 1956, will certainly do his best not to disappoint the expectations invested in him. This is all the more so because he performed below average in the recent tournament at Reykjavik. He lost, for example, to the Russian Tal and also to Munoz, a gifted but completely unknown player from Ecuador." (4)

The progress of the tournament

This was a fighting tournament with 94 of the 153 games were decisive (61.4%)

52 - White wins - 34.0%

42 - Black wins - 27.5%

59 - Drawn Games - 38.6%

Szabo led from the start scoring 9½ points from his first ten games, permitting only Alster a draw.

Gideon Stahlberg, Szabo's fellow 1953 Candidate, with 9 points after 13 rounds tailed off into four daws and missed out on qualification.

Olafsson, Donner, Larsen and Wolfgang Uhlmann scrambled for an interzonal place over the last three rounds; Donner and Ulhmann scored three out of three each and Olafsson and Larsen two and a half.

The future World championship candidate Borislav Ivkov, the winner of the inaugural World Junior Chess Championship in 1951 and of the Mar del Plata 1955 and Buenos Aires 1955 tournaments, gave a very disappointing performance. His only three victories were against the tail-enders.

The most popular openings were;

25 x King's Indian (scoring 4 wins and 9 draws for Black)

20 x Sicilian (scoring 6 wins and 10 draws for Black)

15 x French (scoring 5 wins and 6 draws for Black)

13 x Nimzo Indian (scoring 4 wins and 4 draws for Black)

12 x Ruy Lopez

11 x Queen's Gambits

                 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 
1   Szabo      g x ½ ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1  13½
2   Olafsson   m ½ x 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ½ 1 1  13
3   Larsen     g ½ 1 x 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1  12½
4   Donner     m 0 ½ 1 x 0 ½ 0 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1  12½
5   Uhlmann    m 0 ½ ½ 1 x ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 0 1 1 1 1  12
6   Trifunovic g ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ x ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1  11
7   Stahlberg  g ½ ½ 0 1 0 ½ x ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1  11
8   Teschner   m 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ x ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1   9
9   Ivkov      g 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ x ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1   8  
10  Niephaus     ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ x 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 1 1 ½   7½  
11  Troianescu m 0 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 x 1 1 1 0 1 ½ ½   7½
12  Kolarov    m ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 0 ½ x ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 1   7 
13  Alster       ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 0 ½ x ½ 1 0 1 1   7   
14 Dueckstein  m 0 0 0 0 1 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ x 0 1 ½ 1   6½
15  Clarke       0 0 1 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ 0 1 x ½ ½ 0   5½
16  Hanninen     0 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 1 0 ½ x ½ ½   3½ 
17  Orbaan       0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ x 1   3½ 
18  Lindblom     0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 0 1 ½ 0 x   2½

Szabo       1  2  3  4  5  5½  6½  7½  8½  9½  10  11  11½  12   12½  13   13½
Olafsson    ½  1½ 2  3  3½ 3½  4½  5½  6½  7½  8½  9½  10   10½  11½  12   13
Larsen      1  1½ 2  3  4  5   6   7   7   8   8½  8½  9½   10   11   12   12½
Donner      1  1  2  3  3  4   5   6   6   7   7½  8½  9    9½   10½  11½  12½
Uhlmann     1  2  3  3  3  4   5   6   6½  7   7½  8   8½   9    10   11   12
Trifunovic  ½  1  1½ 2½ 3  3½  4½  5½  6½  7   7½  8   8½   9    10   10½  11
Stahlberg   0  ½  1  1½ 2½ 3½  4½  4½  5½  6½  7   8   9    9½   10   10½  11
Teschner    ½  ½  1  2  2½ 3½  3½  3½  4   4   5   6   7    7½   8    8½   9
Ivkov       ½  1  1½ 1½ 1½ 2½  3   4   4½  4½  5   5   5½   6½   7    7½   8
Niephaus    ½  1  1½ 1½ 1½ 1½  1½  2   2½  3½  4½  5   5½   5½   6    6½   7½
Troianescu  0  ½  ½  ½  1½ 2½  2½  2½  3½  4½  5½  6   6    6    6½   7    7½
Kolarov     0  ½  1  1½ 2½ 3   3   3½  3½  3½  4½  5   5½   6    6    6½   7
Alster      1  2  2  2  2  2½  3   3   3½  3½  4   4½  4½   5½   5½   6    7
Dueckstein  1  2  2  2½ 3½ 3½  4   4   4   5   5   5   5½   6    6    6½   6½
Clarke      0  0  1  1½ 2  2   2½  2½  3½  3½  3½  4   4    5    5½   5½   5½
Hanninen    ½  1  1½ 2  2½ 2½  2½  3½  3½  3½  3½  3½  3½   3½   3½   3½   3½
Orbaan      0  0  0  ½  1  1   1   1   1   1   1   1   1½   2½   3    3½   3½
Lindblom    0  0  ½  ½  ½  ½   ½   ½   1   1   1   1½  2½   2½   2½   2½   2½ 

J H Donner vs O Troianescu, 1957

O Troianescu vs Larsen, 1957

J H Donner vs Larsen, 1957

Larsen vs P Clarke, 1957

F Olafsson vs Larsen, 1957

Stahlberg vs J H Donner, 1957

P Clarke vs Niephaus, 1957

.

The play-off:

The last place for the Interzonal was shared by Donner and Larsen. Although Donner had more wins, he had an inferior Sonneborn–Berger score, the tie was to be resolved by a match.

"Because Donner and Larsen are now tied in third place a tie-breaking match will be required, which according to the regulations must be of four games unless FIDE agrees with the request of the Royal Dutch Chess Federation to also award four players places from this zonal tournament ...". (5)

This took place in The Hague, April 1958, Donner - Larsen Zonal Playoff (1958) and was won by Larsen who progressed to the Interzonal.

Tournament Book:

"Zonenturnier Wageningen 1957", Hans Bouwmeester. Published by W ten Have Verlag, Amsterdam, 1960

"The publishing company W. ten Have NV in Amsterdam has just published: "Das Zonenturnier Wageningen 1957", by Hans Bouwmeester, International Master. The theoretical section was provided by the International Master Th.D. van Scheltinga, whilst the photographs were taken by Teschner. A well-designed tournament book, with detailed analysis, many diagrams, all kinds of statistical data, (edited by H.J.J Slavekoorde) and a review of each round (by B.J Withuis)". (6)

Notes:

(1) - "De waarheid", 25th September, 1957.

(2) - "Illustrated London News", 30th November 1957, author Baruch Wood.

(3) - "Leeuwarder courant", 21st October 1957.

(4) - "Trouw", 5th October 1957.

(5) - "Het Vrije Volk", 27th November 1957.

(6) - Book review in the "Leeuwarder Courant", 18th June 1960.

User: Chessical - original text and compilation.

A total of 87 games were added to the database to complete this tournament record.