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🏆 Groningen (1946)

Chessgames.com Chess Event Description
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. ... [more]

Player: Salomon Flohr

 page 1 of 1; 19 games  PGN Download 
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. Flohr vs Tartakower ½-½551946GroningenE33 Nimzo-Indian, Classical
2. Kotov vs Flohr 1-0401946GroningenD96 Grunfeld, Russian Variation
3. Flohr vs Yanofsky 1-0521946GroningenD19 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, Dutch
4. C Kottnauer vs Flohr ½-½401946GroningenD12 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav
5. Flohr vs M Christoffel 1-0291946GroningenD44 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav
6. C Guimard vs Flohr 0-1341946GroningenD15 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav
7. Flohr vs Najdorf ½-½541946GroningenE34 Nimzo-Indian, Classical, Noa Variation
8. Szabo vs Flohr ½-½421946GroningenB15 Caro-Kann
9. Flohr vs E Lundin ½-½551946GroningenD02 Queen's Pawn Game
10. Smyslov vs Flohr ½-½231946GroningenD19 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, Dutch
11. Flohr vs H Steiner ½-½581946GroningenD62 Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox, Rubinstein Attack
12. Botvinnik vs Flohr ½-½411946GroningenD42 Queen's Gambit Declined, Semi-Tarrasch, 7.Bd3
13. Flohr vs Denker ½-½391946GroningenD50 Queen's Gambit Declined
14. Boleslavsky vs Flohr ½-½271946GroningenC92 Ruy Lopez, Closed
15. Flohr vs O'Kelly 1-0411946GroningenD15 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav
16. O Bernstein vs Flohr ½-½571946GroningenB16 Caro-Kann, Bronstein-Larsen Variation
17. Flohr vs Euwe ½-½301946GroningenD14 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, Exchange Variation
18. G Stoltz vs Flohr ½-½261946GroningenB13 Caro-Kann, Exchange
19. Flohr vs Vidmar ½-½301946GroningenD59 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tartakower
 page 1 of 1; 19 games  PGN Download 
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | Flohr wins | Flohr loses  

Kibitzer's Corner
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
Premium Chessgames Member
  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
Premium Chessgames Member
  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
Premium Chessgames Member
  plang: Kotov was a lot stronger player than Dus-Chotimirsky
Apr-20-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  FSR: <plang> It's true, he did win the Stockholm Interzonal (1952) by 3.5 points, then a record.
Apr-21-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  FSR: Er, make that three points. Counting is FUN-damental.
Apr-21-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  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
Premium Chessgames Member
  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
Premium Chessgames Member
  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.

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