50th Jubilee Tournament, Moscow 1967

[Nick Burrows]

Footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcKouHIVIvI

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?tid=79435

Moscow, Soviet Union (Russia), 21 May - 16 June 1967 (1)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pts
1 Stein * ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 1 ½ 1 1 1 11
=2 Smyslov ½ * ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 1 10
=2 Bobotsov ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 10
=2 Gipslis ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 10
=2 Tal ½ ½ ½ ½ * 0 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 10
=6 Portisch 0 0 ½ ½ 1 * ½ 1 0 ½ 1 1 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 9½
=6 Bronstein ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ * ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ ½ 9½
=6 Spassky ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ * 0 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 9½
=9 Geller ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 * 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 8½
=9 Najdorf ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 1 * ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 8½
=9 Keres 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 8½
=9 Petrosian ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ * 1 0 1 ½ ½ ½ 8½
13 Gheorghiu 1 0 0 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 * ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 8
14 Gligoric 0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ * ½ 1 ½ ½ 7½
=15 Pachman ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ 6
=15 Filip 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ * ½ 0 6
=15 Bilek 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ * ½ 6
=15 Uhlmann 0 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ * 6

[Matt Mackenzie]

To state the obvious, what an incredibly strong event - a player as good as Uhlmann coming bottom says it all.

Dare one suggest it, quite a high draw percentage though?

[John Moore]

Strong tournaments in those days did tend to produce a high percentage of draws and, from what I can remember of that event, quite a lot didn't last too long.

[Kevin Thurlow]

"Strong tournaments in those days did tend to produce a high percentage of draws and, from what I can remember of that event, quite a lot didn't last too long."

Quick draws were the fashion then. Also, Petrosian was world champion and he tended to get level positions and draw. Ordinary mortals tended to be influenced by world champions. Nowadays, you have the Carlsen idea of getting level positions and trying to win, also since covid, you have had loads of new players that have played online, where you tend not to agree draws. 20 years ago, lower-rated juniors would be frantically offering draws every couple of moves out of the opening, now they try to win.

[Colin Patterson]

Also, many of the tournaments were very long affairs, this one being 17 rounds, and the Soviet Championships typically 19 or 21 rounds. It must have sapped their stamina somewhat, so I can imagine a quick draw would have been a welcome way to ease the tension and preserve some brain power.

[Colin Patterson]

Some interesting notes about this event:

The official tournament title was the “International Tournament to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Great October Revolution”. The first in a succession of high profile events (some women’s, some junior) held in 1967. The tournament comprised entirely of Grandmasters and was considered one of the strongest of all time. It could have been even stronger, but Korchnoi played Leningrad, Larsen declined the invitation, Fischer and Reshevsky did not have their conditions met (no play on Fridays or Saturdays) and Botvinnik had (scientific work) commitments. A contradictory account is given in Chess Life, and indicates that it was not truly ‘international’, but rather ‘worldwide communist’. In other words, no westerners were welcome. Coming from Polish origins, Najdorf apparently just ‘scraped in’. Pal Benko claimed he had tried to get an invite but was told he was ‘persona non grata’.

[Matt Mackenzie]

Apart from Najdorf all entrants were indeed from the USSR and satellite countries (Pachman's break with the regime came the following year)

[NickFaulks]

Apart from Najdorf all entrants were indeed from the USSR and satellite countries (Pachman's break with the regime came the following year)

Yugoslavia was hardly a satellite, but I see what you mean.

[Matt Mackenzie]

Of course you are correct about that, should have been more precise.

[Roger de Coverly]

Apart from Najdorf all entrants were indeed from the USSR and satellite countries

In 1967 outside of the USSR, the Eastern European satellites and Yugoslavia, there weren't many players strong enough to credibly take part in such an event. That's if Fischer, Reshevsky and Larsen are ruled out.

[JustinHorton]

How strong would Larry Evans have been?

[Roger de Coverly]

How strong would Larry Evans have been?

Elo was running a shadow unofficial rating list of top players and events. Olimpbase has copies.
https://www.olimpbase.org/Elo/Elo196706e.html

According to the June 1967 list, Evans was in equal 31st with Averbakh and Suetin at 2560, but ahead of Pachman at 2540.

Spassky and Fischer were joint top at 2670.

Of the 30 top players, all were from the Soviet Union except
Larsen (Den) and Portisch (Hun) in equal 8th at 2620
then Uhlmann (GDR) and Unzicker (GER) in equal 15th at 2590
Najdorf (ARG) and Hort (CSR) are in 19th place with 2580
Reshevsky also is 2580, Benko is 2570 with Gligoric and Ivkov (YUG) at 2570