| Tunis Interzonal (1985) |
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The purpose of this tournament was to find a challenger for the winner of the Karpov - Kasparov World Championship Match (1985), or as it turned out, because of the rematch conditions announced in July 1985, winner of the Kasparov - Karpov World Championship Rematch (1986). Four participants from each of three Interzonal tournaments would advance to a Candidates tournament, from which the top three players (if Anatoly Karpov should win the rematch) or top four players (if Garry Kasparov should win) would qualify for two Candidates matches. A Candidates tournament had not been held since the Curacao Candidates (1962), in which the winner went straight to the World Championship match. In 1982, 1979 and earlier, Interzonal players qualified directly for four Candidates matches. The Interzonals of 1985 included: the Tunis Interzonal, the Taxco Interzonal (1985), and the Biel Interzonal (1985). FIDE had also decided that the World Champion should defend his title every second year, meaning that the next set of Interzonal tournaments would be held in 1987. The tournament was originally planned to be held at the International Hotel in Tunis, but a day before play began, chief arbiter Bozidar Kazic sent a letter to the President of the Tunisian Federation and Director of the Interzonal, Ridha Belkadi. In this letter he complained about the games room, the lack of air conditioning and the noise coming from the street. Within hours, Mr. Belkadi transferred the tournament to the Cap Carthage Mediterranee Hotel in Gammarth, 15 minutes from the capital. Some of the Latin Americans who arrived late (Zapata, Morovic, Boris De Greiff, and Luis Hoyos Millan) did not know about this change, and no one could tell them exactly how to get to the Cap Carthage. In the end, they did manage to reach the opening ceremony, which took place on the night of Friday 26 April with all the players present: 11 GMs, 6 IMs and 1 FM. The draw was made according to FIDE rules, which stipulated that players from the same nation could not play against each other in the last three rounds. This rule made some feel that Robert James Fischer was still present! The hotel was very comfortable, and it had no distractions: there was no disco, and only one TV. It did feature tennis courts, a swimming pool, and an ocean view. Yusupov, Miles, Hort and Sosonko qualified by rating, and Beliavsky and Portisch qualified from the previous world championship cycle by reaching its quarterfinals. Qualified from the zonal tournaments were: Ermenkov and Suba from the Prague Zonal (1985), Nikolic from the Kavala Zonal (1985), Dlugy and de Firmian from the Berkeley Zonal (1985), Zapata from the Caracas Zonal (1985), Gavrikov and Chernin from the Riga Zonal (1985), Morovic from the Corrientes Zonal (1985), and Afifi, Hmadi and Bouaziz from the African zonal and by FIDE appointment. Other notables present were the "seconds" Vitaly F Zaltsman (Dlugy), Zvonimir Mestrovic (Nikolic), Sergey Makarichev (Beliavsky), Elmar Magerramov (Bouaziz and Hmadi), Larry Christiansen (de Firmian), Sergiu-Henric Grunberg (Suba), Milos Vrabec (Hort), and Stojan Ivanov (Ermenkov). Nikolai Krogius and William Hartston were lurking in the shadows, and from about Round 8 onward, Raymond Keene, who arrived on behalf of the BCF. Artur Yusupov won the event undefeated with 11.5/16 (+7 -0 =9). Beliavsky finished 2nd, and could in fact have won had he not lost to Morovic in the last round. Portisch was the oldest player, but showed his class and took 3rd. The Russians Gavrikov and Chernin shared 4th place and had to compete in a playoff match. The aging Hort and Sosonko shared 6th place with teenager Dlugy, and the last player to receive a prize was de Firmian. The English hope Miles was not himself after he lost on time before he could snatch Zapata's queen in Round 4. Bouaziz retired in or before Round 7, citing health reasons, and his games had to be cancelled. The tournament continued as scheduled, with one bye each round. It was considered as successful as the first international chess event in Tunisia, the Sousse Interzonal (1967). The main sponsor was the Banque de Tunisie. Gammarth, Tunis Governorate, Tunisia, 27 April - 19 May 1985 Age Elo* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Pts CHS**
1 GM Yusupov 25 2590 * ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 11½ 15000
2 GM Beliavsky 31 2635 ½ * ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 0 ½ 1 1 1 11 10000
3 GM Portisch 48 2635 0 ½ * ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 10 7000
=4 GM Gavrikov 27 2550 0 ½ ½ * ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 9½ 4500
=4 IM Chernin 25 2495 ½ 0 0 ½ * ½ ½ 1 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 9½ 4500
=6 GM Hort 41 2560 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ * ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 0 1 1 9 2833
=6 GM Sosonko 42 2535 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 9 2833
=6 IM Dlugy 19 2485 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ * ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 9 2833
9 IM de Firmian 27 2540 ½ 0 ½ 0 1 1 ½ ½ * 1 0 ½ ½ 1 0 ½ 1 8½ 1500
=10 GM Nikolic 23 2575 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 * 1 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 1 8
=10 GM Șuba 37 2465 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 1 0 * 0 1 ½ 1 1 1 8
=10 GM Miles 30 2570 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 * ½ 0 ½ 1 1 8
13 IM Morovic 22 2450 0 1 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ * ½ 1 ½ ½ 7½
=14 GM Zapata 27 2535 ½ ½ ½ 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 1 ½ 1 ½ * ½ ½ ½ 6½
=14 GM Ermenkov 35 2515 0 0 ½ ½ 0 1 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ * ½ 1 6½
16 FM Afifi 38 2370 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ * 1 3½
17 IM Hmadi 35 2285 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 * 1
IM Bouaziz 35 2395 - 0 - - - 0 - - 0 - 0 - ½ - - - 0
Playoff in Moscow, June - July 1985 (see Moscow Interzonal Playoff (1985) for games):
1 2 3 4 5 6
Chernin 2495 1 ½ ½ 1 0 ½ 3½
Gavrikov 2550 0 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ 2½
Yusupov, Beliavsky, Portisch and Chernin progressed to the Montpellier Candidates (1985). Gavrikov earned a spot in the London Candidates Reserve Playoff (1985), along with the other fifth place finishers from the two other Interzonals, John van der Wiel and Jonathan Speelman. The London Reserve event was held in order to select a reserve player in case any of the Montpellier candidates should withdraw or be unable to attend.
Sources
Wikipedia article: Gammarth
Jaque 176, pp. 321-325 (https://www.olimpbase.org/leagueES/...)
Jaque 177, pp. 354-359 (https://www.olimpbase.org/leagueES/...)
Tidskrift för Schack, August 1985, pp. 208 & 225 (https://tfsarkiv.schack.se/pdf/1985...)
Mark Weeks: https://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/85... and https://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/zo...
Keene's Gambit, in The Streatham & Brixton Chess Blog, 13 January 2011 (http://streathambrixtonchess.blogsp...)
Abdelkader Chaabani & Ridha Belkadi (eds), Recueil des parties de l'Interzonal de Tunis 1985. Maghreb Editions, (Tunis) 1985. 80 pp. *FIDE Rating List January 1985 (https://web.archive.org/web/2022101...). **CHS = prizes in Swiss francs. Original collection: Game Collection: Tunis Interzonal 1985 by User: Tabanus. Round dates (April 27, 28, 29, May 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 19) are taken from Dutch newspapers, El Mundo Deportivo, and not least from Yusupov's games at https://www.chessgames.video/?s=Tunis. Thanks to User: Paint My Dragon for helpful comments, and to User: jessicafischerqueen, User: OhioChessFan and User: Chessical for improving the English.
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| page 1 of 6; games 1-25 of 142 |
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| Game |
| Result | Moves |
Year | Event/Locale | Opening |
| 1. de Firmian vs P Nikolic |
  | 1-0 | 37 | 1985 | Tunis Interzonal | C92 Ruy Lopez, Closed |
| 2. Hort vs A Afifi |
| 1-0 | 37 | 1985 | Tunis Interzonal | B23 Sicilian, Closed |
| 3. Sosonko vs Miles |
| ½-½ | 9 | 1985 | Tunis Interzonal | A40 Queen's Pawn Game |
| 4. S Bouaziz vs I Morovic Fernandez |
| ½-½ | 18 | 1985 | Tunis Interzonal | D67 Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense, Bd3 line |
| 5. Portisch vs A Zapata |
| ½-½ | 77 | 1985 | Tunis Interzonal | E80 King's Indian, Samisch Variation |
| 6. A Beliavsky vs Suba |
| ½-½ | 55 | 1985 | Tunis Interzonal | A75 Benoni, Classical with ...a6 and 10...Bg4 |
| 7. Gavrikov vs A Yusupov |
| 0-1 | 32 | 1985 | Tunis Interzonal | D58 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tartakower (Makagonov-Bondarevsky) Syst |
| 8. S Hmadi vs Chernin |
| 0-1 | 22 | 1985 | Tunis Interzonal | C41 Philidor Defense |
| 9. Dlugy vs E Ermenkov |
| ½-½ | 14 | 1985 | Tunis Interzonal | B07 Pirc |
| 10. I Morovic Fernandez vs de Firmian |
| ½-½ | 19 | 1985 | Tunis Interzonal | B92 Sicilian, Najdorf, Opocensky Variation |
| 11. P Nikolic vs Hort |
| ½-½ | 18 | 1985 | Tunis Interzonal | A41 Queen's Pawn Game (with ...d6) |
| 12. Miles vs Dlugy |
| ½-½ | 23 | 1985 | Tunis Interzonal | D20 Queen's Gambit Accepted |
| 13. E Ermenkov vs Portisch |
| ½-½ | 92 | 1985 | Tunis Interzonal | B47 Sicilian, Taimanov (Bastrikov) Variation |
| 14. A Yusupov vs Sosonko |
| 1-0 | 31 | 1985 | Tunis Interzonal | D05 Queen's Pawn Game |
| 15. Suba vs A Zapata |
| ½-½ | 81 | 1985 | Tunis Interzonal | E63 King's Indian, Fianchetto, Panno Variation |
| 16. Chernin vs Gavrikov |
| ½-½ | 11 | 1985 | Tunis Interzonal | A20 English |
| 17. A Beliavsky vs S Bouaziz |
| 1-0 | 33 | 1985 | Tunis Interzonal | B87 Sicilian, Fischer-Sozin with ...a6 and ...b5 |
| 18. A Afifi vs S Hmadi |
| 1-0 | 65 | 1985 | Tunis Interzonal | E11 Bogo-Indian Defense |
| 19. de Firmian vs A Beliavsky |
| 0-1 | 40 | 1985 | Tunis Interzonal | C92 Ruy Lopez, Closed |
| 20. Hort vs I Morovic Fernandez |
| ½-½ | 20 | 1985 | Tunis Interzonal | A13 English |
| 21. Portisch vs Miles |
| ½-½ | 30 | 1985 | Tunis Interzonal | E14 Queen's Indian |
| 22. Sosonko vs Chernin |
| ½-½ | 16 | 1985 | Tunis Interzonal | D11 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav |
| 23. S Bouaziz vs Suba |
| 0-1 | 43 | 1985 | Tunis Interzonal | A70 Benoni, Classical with 7.Nf3 |
| 24. Dlugy vs A Yusupov |
| ½-½ | 17 | 1985 | Tunis Interzonal | D58 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tartakower (Makagonov-Bondarevsky) Syst |
| 25. Gavrikov vs A Afifi |
| 1-0 | 39 | 1985 | Tunis Interzonal | B40 Sicilian |
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| page 1 of 6; games 1-25 of 142 |
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| Feb-07-24 | | stone free or die: A report on Bouaziz withdrawal comes from Estonia: <Tunise tsoonidel ahelisel maleturniiril rikkus tabeliseisu ülevaatlikkust veidike ühe mehe kõrvaleastumine. Tuntud kohalik rahvusvaheline meister Siim Bouazis heitles esimestest voorudest peale haigusega, mängis kehvasti, kuid ei loobunud siiski enne, kui alles turniir keskel. Mängimata jäi ometi niipalju partiisid, et ta toimunud kohtumiste tulemused läksid annulleerimisele. Nõukogude suurmeistreist kaotas selle arvel ühe võidupunkti ainult Aleksandr Beljavski, Artur Jussupov ja Aleksandr Tšemin sattusid aga nende hulka, kellel tabelis üks tulemus rohkem kui Bouazisega juba kohtunud meestel.> <Spordileht, nr. 55, 15 mai 1985 p5> https://dea.digar.ee/cgi-bin/dea?a=... The google translate is difficult to understand - <At the chain chess tournament in the zones of Tunis, the comprehensibility of the standings was spoiled by a slight departure of one man. The well-known local international champion Siim Bouazis struggled with illness from the first rounds, played poorly, but still did not give up until the middle of the tournament. However, so many games remained unplayed that the results of the matches that took place were annulled. Only Aleksandr Beljavski, Artur Yussupov and Aleksandr Chemin were among those who had one more result in the table than the men who had already met Bouazis. > Not sure why Beljavski, Yussupov, Chemin [all sic, but identifiabled] are mentioned in particular. If anyone could provide a better translation it would be appreciated. |
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Mar-09-24
 | | Fusilli: Dlugy drew five games in less than 20 moves, four of those playing the white pieces. It seems a bit odd to go to an interzonal and show this lack of fighting spirit. Maybe he was feeling unwell during the tournament? |
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Mar-09-24
 | | perfidious: <Fusilli>, just performed some searches of Dlugy's games; pre-1983, he actually had very few draws, but once he began playing internationally, one will find an unusual amount of short drawn games. Guess matters were a trifle different at international level than when Dlugy faced random masters like yourself or myself. One would think this tendency could hardly have helped Dlugy's development, formidable a player though he became. https://www.chessgames.com/perl/che... |
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Mar-09-24
| | Fusilli: <perf> Good find. A quick glance seems to show a shortening in the duration of his drawn games in roughly 1987-1990. Maybe he was too conservative and hated losing, or maybe he managed his energy this way, who knows. |
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