| Havana (1965) |
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The 4th Capablanca Memorial International Chess Tournament was held in the capital city of Havana in Cuba. Fourteen grandmasters and eight masters participated in the round-robin event at the Habana Libre hotel from August 25 to September 26, 1965. It was one of the best-funded tournaments at the time, due to Ché Guevara's patronage. As the director of the Cuban National Bank and Minister of Industry, he guaranteed a $3000 first prize with more than $4500 to be dispersed among the next five finishers. This edition of the memorial gained worldwide significance because it was the first international tournament in which Bobby Fischer would be participating since the Curacao Candidates (1962), more than three years before. He had agreed to attend for a $3000 appearance fee, but difficulties arose when the US State Department refused him a visa to travel to Cuba. When Fischer suggested playing by telex from the Marshall Chess Club, the organizers agreed although it would end up costing them over $10,000. Although Fischer had been playing regularly in US championships in the intervening three years (and winning them all), this tournament would mark the first time Fischer would be facing a number of the strongest Soviet grandmasters since his accusations against them for conspiring to keep him from winning the Candidates Tournament to challenge Botvinnik in 1963. Fischer's main Soviet rivals at this event were former world champion Vasily Smyslov, Efim Geller and Ratmir Kholmov. Borislav Ivkov led for most of the tournament, but suffered a tragic collapse at the end. In the penultimate round, with a won game against the tailender Garcia, he blundered and had to resign. In the last round, with White against Robatsch, he played for a win, but lost again. This enabled Smyslov to finish first by one-half point, despite losing to Fischer in their individual game. Fischer shared second place with Geller and Ivkov. Kholmov joined the top finishers in fifth place. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2
1 Smyslov * 0 = 0 = = = 1 1 = 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 15.5
=2 Ivkov 1 * = 1 0 = 0 1 1 = = = 1 1 1 = 1 1 1 1 1 0 15.0
=2 Geller = = * 1 = = = = 1 1 = = = = 1 = 1 1 = 1 1 1 15.0
=2 Fischer 1 0 0 * 0 = 1 1 1 = 1 1 = 1 = = 1 1 = 1 1 1 15.0
5 Kholmov = 1 = 1 * = = = = = = = = 1 1 1 = = = 1 1 1 14.5
6 Pachman = = = = = * 0 1 = = = = = = = = 1 = 1 1 1 1 13.0
7 Robatsch = 1 = 0 = 1 * = = = 1 0 = = = = = = = 1 1 1 12.5
8 Donner 0 0 = 0 = 0 = * 1 = 1 1 1 = 1 = = = = = 1 1 12.0
9 Bilek 0 0 0 0 = = = 0 * = = = = = = 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11.5
10 Parma = = 0 = = = = = = * 0 1 = = 1 = = = 1 = = = 11.0
=11 Szabo 0 = = 0 = = 0 0 = 1 * 1 = = = 1 0 = 1 1 0 1 10.5
=11 Pietzsch 0 = = 0 = = 1 0 = 0 0 * = 1 = = = = = 1 1 1 10.5
=13 O'Kelly 0 0 = = = = = 0 = = = = * = = 0 1 = = = 1 1 10.0
=13 Tringov 0 0 = 0 0 = = = = = = 0 = * 0 = 1 1 1 1 = 1 10.0
15 Jimenez 1 0 0 = 0 = = 0 = 0 = = = 1 * = = = = = = 1 9.5
16 Ciocaltea 0 = = = 0 = = = 0 = 0 = 1 = = * = 0 1 0 = 1 9.0
17 Doda 0 0 0 0 = 0 = = 0 = 1 = 0 0 = = * 1 0 1 = 1 8.0
=18 Lehmann 0 0 0 0 = = = = 0 = = = = 0 = 1 0 * 1 = = 0 7.5
=18 Wade 0 0 = = = 0 = = 0 0 0 = = 0 = 0 1 0 * = 1 1 7.5
20 Cobo Arteaga 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 = 0 = 0 0 = 0 = 1 0 = = * 1 = 5.5
=21 Perez 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 = 1 0 0 = = = = = 0 0 * 0 4.0
=21 Garcia 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 = 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 = 1 * 4.0
The historical information is thanks to Jan van Reek.Original collection: Game Collection: Havana 1965, by
User: suenteus po 147.
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| page 10 of 10; games 226-231 of 231 |
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| page 10 of 10; games 226-231 of 231 |
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| Oct-26-13 | | ughaibu: Professor! Shouldn't it be 'three years before', rather than "three years ago"? |
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| Feb-05-15 | | suenteus po 147: <ughaibu> Yes. Yes it should. And it looks like someone already heard you since it's corrected now. |
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| Feb-05-15 | | swordfish: Wow - 21 rounds! That's what I call a chess tournament! |
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| Feb-05-15 | | suenteus po 147: <swordfish> This was back in the days of adjournments. Once the two players made the time control they were done for the day and could have dinner, smoke, and maybe play some tennis or go bowling (not necessarily with each other). So it was possible to have longer tournaments without substantial 'fatigue' creeping into the player performance (though even then there are still certain of examples of that from tournaments at this time). And, too, we mustn't forget that less money bought more grandmasters and more of their time back then. It's an expensive proposition to put together a lot of GMs in one event, or to have double rounds with a smaller field that's still strong. |
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| Feb-06-15 | | mojonera: Solo 2 de los participantes viven , Parma e Ivkov |
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| Feb-06-15 | | suenteus po 147: <mojonera> It has been 50 years since this event took place. It's impressive, in a way, that Ivkov and Parma are still around. I wonder, were they the youngest participants? Or Fischer must have been because he was always the youngest. |
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Feb-06-15
 | | perfidious: Fischer over Parma, by a bit more than a year. |
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| Aug-23-16 | | ughaibu: Taking the results of just the top eight finishers, we get a tournament won by Kholmov. |
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| Jan-24-17 | | jerseybob: The Marshall, not the Manhattan, was Fischer's home base in this tourney, and the back room where he played looks much the same today as it did in the CR photos from '65. |
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| Apr-13-17 | | TheFocus: Bobby Fischer plays by teletype in Havana 1965: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=w0UJ5... |
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| Jun-22-17 | | machuelo: From the Cuban side nobody is alive. The Garcia in the cross table is Gilberto García who died more that 15 years ago, not Silvino or Guillermo García, Cuban Grand Masters. The organizer of the event, José Luis Barrera passed away, as well the main arbiters, José Raúl Capablanca Jr., and Alberto García. But some other people like Francisco Acosta is still alive. Acosta was the young man who received in Havana Fischer's move and took it to the board of his rival, where Capa Jr., executed it as 'Ficher representive'. Acosta wrote several years ago an interesting article with the tittle "I Was Fischer's Messenger", with the story of the event. Also is alive the person in charge of play the moves in the wall board, Orlando Peraza. Both of them live in Havana. Later, Peraza join the Cuban Army and retired with the grade or Lieutenant Colonel.Acosta rose as engineer to Adjunct Dean of the Faculty of Science of Havana University. |
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| Feb-20-18 | | Petrosianic: Also, at 44, Smyslov was past his prime and didn't have energy to burn. He did finish clear First in the tournament, but lost 3 games along the way, which probably wouldn't have happened to him 10 years earlier. |
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| Feb-20-18 | | Marmot PFL: Photo tour of Havana, which even today retains much of its 1960s charm. https://mostlybirding.com/2014/06/2... |
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| Aug-01-24 | | Flemming: Ivkov wrote several chess books of memoirs type in his last years. There he finally expressed hitherto silenced rivalry and mild disagreements with Gligorić. Ivkov was a tragic figure of this tournament, since he was leading for the most part and lost two games in last rounds, that against one of hundred Garcias in totally won position. I never found the picture of THAT Garcia. Ivkov wrote about the tournament that "after it nothing ever was the same", and he described how he and Garcia passed each other in front of dining hall of the hotel and he thought, writes he, "This Garcia has a face like one who might be my executioner!" I always wondered what he meant. That Garcia was ugly as beaten by ugly stick, or that he "just" has a sinister face. This year was the best and the worst in Ivkov's carrer. He played so many games, and was a candidate. After Amsterdam interzonal, his wife was expecting him to be "at home a bit, she hadn't seen him much!", said she in front of the journalists, and Ivkov interrupted her; "I begin the preparation against Larsen right away!" I also wondered if he ever regretted those words later... |
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Aug-02-24
| | perfidious: <ughhaibu: Taking the results of just the top eight finishers, we get a tournament won by Kholmov.> Thus achieving a state of Nirvana for you in which Fischer is again deprived of first. Fine collection of images from Havana posted by <Marmot>. |
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