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50th Jubilee Tournament, Moscow 1967
Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2026 10:16 am
by 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
Re: 50th Jubilee Tournament, Moscow 1967
Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2026 12:11 pm
by 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?
Re: 50th Jubilee Tournament, Moscow 1967
Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2026 5:08 pm
by 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.
Re: 50th Jubilee Tournament, Moscow 1967
Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2026 9:59 pm
by 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.
Re: 50th Jubilee Tournament, Moscow 1967
Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2026 7:25 am
by 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.
Re: 50th Jubilee Tournament, Moscow 1967
Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2026 7:54 am
by 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’.
Re: 50th Jubilee Tournament, Moscow 1967
Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2026 12:37 pm
by 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)
Re: 50th Jubilee Tournament, Moscow 1967
Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2026 5:10 pm
by NickFaulks
Matt Mackenzie wrote: ↑Sun Sep 27, 2026 12:37 pm
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.
Re: 50th Jubilee Tournament, Moscow 1967
Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2026 6:18 pm
by Matt Mackenzie
Of course you are correct about that, should have been more precise.
Re: 50th Jubilee Tournament, Moscow 1967
Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2026 7:15 pm
by Roger de Coverly
Matt Mackenzie wrote: ↑Sun Sep 27, 2026 12:37 pm
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.
Re: 50th Jubilee Tournament, Moscow 1967
Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2026 7:54 pm
by JustinHorton
How strong would Larry Evans have been?
Re: 50th Jubilee Tournament, Moscow 1967
Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2026 8:12 pm
by Roger de Coverly
JustinHorton wrote: ↑Mon Sep 28, 2026 7:54 pm
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
Re: 50th Jubilee Tournament, Moscow 1967
Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2026 2:28 am
by James Pratt
The surprising thing about the event itself was the form of Bobotsov. That is some score! Bulgaria always seemed to do disproportionately well in Olympiads in that era and I think Bobotsov had a stroke in the 1970's. I spoke to Antoneta who said she thought he became a taxi driver. I don't remember seeing him in any British events.
James
Re: 50th Jubilee Tournament, Moscow 1967
Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2026 8:51 am
by JustinHorton
Roger de Coverly wrote: ↑Mon Sep 28, 2026 8:12 pm
JustinHorton wrote: ↑Mon Sep 28, 2026 7:54 pm
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
I count five players (including Bobotsov) below Evans in the list. Of course the organisers possessed no such list and we don't seem to know for sure who was invited, who turned them down and why, and who wasn't invited and for what reason.
I guess I'm just interested to know how Evans was perceived by Soviet chess at the time - it may be that just "not a threat and never has been" will suffice, though in USA v USSR matches in the fifties he beat Taimanov in one mini-match (1954) and lost the other (1955) to Bronstein, both by the minimum margin. He wasn't averse to playing in Europe: he would tie for second with Petrosian in Venice in November behind Donner, another plausible invitee.
Re: 50th Jubilee Tournament, Moscow 1967
Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2026 8:52 am
by Colin Patterson
Bobotsov finished 4th at Hastings in 59/60. That may have been his only visit to these shores. As far as I can see, he mainly stuck to BUL, HUN and CSR, but also made a few trips to the Netherlands before winding down his chess activities around 1976.