Zurich 1953 was a chess tournament won by Vasily Smyslov. It was a Candidates Tournament for the 1954 World Chess Championship, which led to the match between Smyslov and Mikhail Botvinnik. The tournament is famous for the strength of the players, the high quality of the games, and books on the tournament by David Bronstein and Miguel Najdorf that are regarded as among the best tournament books ever written. In May 2022 Yuri Averbakh died at the age of 100, having been the last living player to have played in the tournament.

The tournament was a double Round-robin event. Players were assigned one point for every win and a half-point for each draw. In later years, Bronstein claimed that the Soviet players were accompanied by KGB agents. According to Bronstein, during the tournament, the KGB handlers started to worry that the American candidate, Samuel Reshevsky, would win, and began pressuring some of the Soviet players to throw their games against Smyslov, who was leading the other Soviet players in points.[1]

#Player123456789101112131415Total
1 Vasily Smyslov (USSR)xx½½11½1½½11½½½0½½½½½½½½1118
2 David Bronstein (USSR)½½xx11½½½0½½½½½½½½01½½½½16
3 Paul Keres (USSR)00xx½½½1½1½½½½½½11½1½½1116
4 Samuel Reshevsky (USA)½000½½xx½½½½½½10½½½1½1½11116
5 Tigran Petrosian (USSR)½½½½½0½½xx½½½½00½½½½11½11115
6 Efim Geller (USSR)00½1½0½½½½xx11½001½½01½101½½14½
7 Miguel Najdorf (Argentina)½½½½½½½½00xx½0½½½½½½1114½
8 Alexander Kotov (USSR)½1½½½½01½½½1xx1000100114
9 Mark Taimanov (USSR)½½½½½½111001xx10½½½½½01114
10 Yuri Averbakh (USSR)½½½½½½½½01xx½½½½110013½
11 Isaac Boleslavsky (USSR)½½½½00½0½½10½½11½½½½xx½0½½½1½½13½
12 László Szabó (Hungary)½½1000½½01½½½½½1xx½½13
13 Svetozar Gligorić (Yugoslavia)½0½0½0½0½½½1½½xx½11112½
14 Max Euwe (Netherlands)00½½½½001000½0½½½0xx11½
15 Gideon Ståhlberg (Sweden)½½0000½½00100011½½00xx8

See also

References

Bronstein, David (1979) [1960], Zurich International chess tournament, 1953 (2nd ed.), Dover Publications, ISBN 0-486-23800-8

  1. Bronstein, David. "Soviet cheating in FIDE competition: Zurich 1953". chess.com. chess.com. Retrieved 16 June 2022.

Moves and Annotations for every game played during the tournament.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.