| Groningen (1946) |
|
The tournament held at Groningen, Netherlands 13 Aug-7 Sept 1946, was a watershed in chess history. Not only was it the first major international tournament after World War II, it marked the first time the Soviet Union sent a team of players to a foreign event. Their results confirmed the growing recognition of the great strength of Soviet players: Smyslov finished third, Boleslavsky and Flohr tied for sixth; though Kotov finished out of the running, he defeated both of the top finishers. These were Mikhail Botvinnik and Max Euwe, who were in a close race to the end. Botvinnik had a lead much of the way, but successive losses to Kotov and Yanofsky in rounds 14-15 let Euwe go ahead by a point. However, Euwe then drew three in a row while Botvinnik won three in a row to pull ahead by a half-point going into the last round. And nerves took over. Botvinnik was outplayed by Najdorf, but Euwe blundered and lost a drawn position against Kotov leaving the final standings unchanged. For Botvinnik, it was his first outright victory outside the Soviet Union, on his road to the World Championship; for Euwe, it was his last great international success. Groningen, Netherlands, 13 August - 7 September 1946
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
1 Botvinnik * ½ 1 0 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 14.5
2 Euwe ½ * 0 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 0 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14.0
3 Smyslov 0 1 * ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 12.5
4 Najdorf 1 ½ ½ * 1 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 11.5
5 Szabo 0 0 ½ 0 * 1 ½ 0 1 0 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 11.5
6 Boleslavsky 0 0 0 0 0 * ½ 1 1 1 1 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 11.0
7 Flohr ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 11.0
8 Lundin 0 ½ ½ 1 1 0 ½ * ½ 0 ½ 1 0 1 0 ½ ½ 1 1 1 10.5
9 Stoltz 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 0 ½ ½ * 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 0 ½ 1 1 10.5
10 Denker ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 0 ½ 1 0 * 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 9.5
11 Kotov 1 1 ½ ½ 0 0 1 ½ ½ 1 * ½ 0 ½ 0 1 ½ 0 1 0 9.5
12 Tartakower 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ * 1 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ ½ ½ 9.5
13 Kottnauer 0 0 0 1 0 ½ ½ 1 0 1 1 0 * 1 1 0 ½ ½ 0 1 9.0
14 Yanofsky 1 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 * ½ 1 1 1 ½ ½ 8.5
15 Bernstein 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 0 0 1 ½ 0 ½ * ½ ½ ½ 0 0 7.0
16 Guimard 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 1 0 ½ * 1 ½ ½ 1 7.0
17 Vidmar 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 * ½ ½ 0 6.5
18 Steiner 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ * 1 ½ 6.0
19 O'Kelly 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 * ½ 5.5
20 Christoffel 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 0 1 ½ 0 * 5.0
Thanks to <suenteus po 147> and <nescio> for round-by-round pairings and the crosstable. See also Wikipedia article: Groningen 1946 chess tournament.Original collection: Game Collection: Groningen 1946, by User: number 23 Nber.
|
|
| page 2 of 8; games 26-50 of 190 |
     |
 |
| Game |
| Result | Moves |
Year | Event/Locale | Opening |
| 26. Boleslavsky vs Szabo |
| 0-1 | 31 | 1946 | Groningen | C82 Ruy Lopez, Open |
| 27. H Steiner vs Vidmar |
| ½-½ | 30 | 1946 | Groningen | D59 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tartakower |
| 28. G Stoltz vs C Kottnauer |
| 1-0 | 49 | 1946 | Groningen | D45 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav |
| 29. Denker vs E Lundin |
| 1-0 | 42 | 1946 | Groningen | D22 Queen's Gambit Accepted |
| 30. O Bernstein vs C Guimard |
| ½-½ | 60 | 1946 | Groningen | C01 French, Exchange |
| 31. H Steiner vs Botvinnik |
  | 0-1 | 28 | 1946 | Groningen | A90 Dutch |
| 32. C Guimard vs Euwe |
| 0-1 | 35 | 1946 | Groningen | A49 King's Indian, Fianchetto without c4 |
| 33. C Kottnauer vs Flohr |
| ½-½ | 40 | 1946 | Groningen | D12 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav |
| 34. Vidmar vs Kotov |
| ½-½ | 30 | 1946 | Groningen | D42 Queen's Gambit Declined, Semi-Tarrasch, 7.Bd3 |
| 35. Najdorf vs O Bernstein |
| ½-½ | 30 | 1946 | Groningen | D37 Queen's Gambit Declined |
| 36. Szabo vs O'Kelly |
| 1-0 | 16 | 1946 | Groningen | D06 Queen's Gambit Declined |
| 37. Smyslov vs Denker |
| ½-½ | 29 | 1946 | Groningen | B73 Sicilian, Dragon, Classical |
| 38. Yanofsky vs Tartakower |
| ½-½ | 69 | 1946 | Groningen | B03 Alekhine's Defense |
| 39. E Lundin vs Boleslavsky |
| 0-1 | 22 | 1946 | Groningen | E95 King's Indian, Orthodox, 7...Nbd7, 8.Re1 |
| 40. M Christoffel vs G Stoltz |
| 0-1 | 30 | 1946 | Groningen | B73 Sicilian, Dragon, Classical |
| 41. Botvinnik vs Vidmar |
| 1-0 | 60 | 1946 | Groningen | D02 Queen's Pawn Game |
| 42. Euwe vs Najdorf |
| ½-½ | 28 | 1946 | Groningen | E33 Nimzo-Indian, Classical |
| 43. Flohr vs M Christoffel |
| 1-0 | 29 | 1946 | Groningen | D44 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav |
| 44. Kotov vs Yanofsky |
| ½-½ | 52 | 1946 | Groningen | E26 Nimzo-Indian, Samisch |
| 45. O'Kelly vs E Lundin |
| 0-1 | 30 | 1946 | Groningen | D45 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav |
| 46. Boleslavsky vs Smyslov |
| 0-1 | 34 | 1946 | Groningen | C97 Ruy Lopez, Closed, Chigorin |
| 47. O Bernstein vs Szabo |
| ½-½ | 89 | 1946 | Groningen | D02 Queen's Pawn Game |
| 48. G Stoltz vs C Guimard |
| 1-0 | 41 | 1946 | Groningen | D37 Queen's Gambit Declined |
| 49. Denker vs H Steiner |
| 1-0 | 40 | 1946 | Groningen | D37 Queen's Gambit Declined |
| 50. Tartakower vs C Kottnauer |
| 1-0 | 44 | 1946 | Groningen | D02 Queen's Pawn Game |
|
| page 2 of 8; games 26-50 of 190 |
|
|
|
| Dec-20-12 | | Benzol: Blessed be the <cg librarian> indeed. The two missing games are now part of the collection. :) |
|
| Aug-30-13 | | nescio: I think it should be mentoned that the organizers of this tournament had a luxury problem before it started. After everyone had arrived (which was by no means a certainty a year after the second world war) it turned out there were 21 participants instead of 20. They could have extended the schedule with 2 extra rounds, even make it a 22-player tournament, for the head of the Soviet delegation was Gavriil Veresov, champion of Belarus. Unfortunately that was impossible, if I remember correctly because the Americans and the Soviets had to leave on schedule to arrive in time for a USSR-USA match. To ask a foreigner to withdraw was out of the question, and Lodewijk Prins didn't want to let go this chance to play against the world's best. When Euwe declared that he was ready to withdraw, the Soviets, in particular Botvinnik and Veresov, convinced Prins to withdraw by promising him an invitation to a tournament in Moscow in the near future. Needless to say, that invitation has still to come. |
|
Feb-03-14
 | | GrahamClayton: Despite finishing only 11th, Kotov was the only player to defeat both the 1st and 2nd place finishers (Botvinnik and Euwe). |
|
Apr-20-14
 | | FSR: <GrahamClayton> Shades of St Petersburg (1909), where Dus-Chotimirsky finished 13th with a -2 result, but beat the joint winners Lasker and Rubinstein. Those two wins were 40% of his five wins in the tournament! Lasker and Rubinstein mauled the field, each scoring 14.5/18. The only other game either lost was Lasker's loss to Rubinstein. |
|
Apr-20-14
 | | plang: Kotov was a lot stronger player than Dus-Chotimirsky |
|
Apr-20-14
| | FSR: <plang> It's true, he did win the Stockholm Interzonal (1952) by 3.5 points, then a record. |
|
Apr-21-14
| | FSR: Er, make that three points. Counting is FUN-damental. |
|
Apr-21-14
 | | perfidious: Pity that fine result availed him naught, come to Zurich Candidates (1953), where Kotov inflicted the only defeat upon Smyslov, the winner, though himself an also-ran. |
|
Apr-02-21
 | | keypusher: Going in to the game against Kotov, Botvinnik had ten wins and three draws. He went 3-3 the rest of the way, and was lucky to win M Christoffel vs Botvinnik, 1946. |
|
Apr-02-21
| | keypusher: Should note that Botvinnik played some great games but had some good luck earlier in the tournament too, viz. Botvinnik vs Szabo, 1946 Botvinnik vs O'Kelly, 1946 (<nescio> called this win "one of the lowest points in his career", see Botvinnik vs Keres, 1948 (kibitz #64)) So the +10=3 stat is a bit misleading. |
|
| Apr-09-24 | | mk volkov: Botvinnik's great storm. |
|
|
|
|
NOTE: Create an account today
to post replies and access other powerful features which are available only to registered users.
Becoming a member is free, anonymous, and takes less than 1 minute! If you already have a username,
then simply login login under your username now to join the discussion.
|
Please observe our posting guidelines:
- No obscene, racist, sexist, or profane language.
- No spamming, advertising, duplicate, or gibberish posts.
- No vitriolic or systematic personal attacks against other members.
- Nothing in violation of United States law.
- No cyberstalking or malicious posting of negative or private information (doxing/doxxing) of members.
- No trolling.
- The use of "sock puppet" accounts to circumvent disciplinary action taken by moderators, create a false impression of consensus or support, or stage conversations, is prohibited.
- Do not degrade Chessgames or any of it's staff/volunteers.
Please try to maintain a semblance of civility at all times.
NOTE: Please keep all discussion on-topic.
This forum is for this specific tournament only. To discuss chess or this site in general,
visit the Kibitzer's Café.
|
Messages posted by Chessgames members
do not necessarily represent the views of Chessgames.com, its employees, or sponsors.
All moderator actions taken are ultimately at the sole discretion of the administration. |
Spot an error? Please suggest your correction and help us eliminate database mistakes!
Copyright 2001-2025, Chessgames Services LLC
|
Kibitzing
