Curaçao 1962-2002 Tournament
By John Fernandez
As you can see on the above map, Curaçao is just off the cost of Venezuela
in the southern Caribbean Sea. Curaçao is a beautiful island, where the
temperature is always around 28 Degrees Centigrade (82 Fahrenheit). The tournament
site is in the capital city of Willemstad, in the Van Der Valk Plaza Hotel,
which is nestled right on the entryway to the harbor from the Caribbean Sea.
A view east along the southern coast of Curaçao from the Penthouse.
A view west of the harbor in Willemstad.
Forty years ago, the small Caribbean island of Curaçao hosted the 1962
Candidates tournament in order to find an opponent for World Champion Mikhail
Botvinnik. From May 2nd until June 28th of that year, the quadruple round robin
pitted eight of the world's best players against each other. When the dust settled,
Tigran Petrosian stood a half point clear of the field with a score of 17.5/27.
Petrosian was the only player to not lose a single game, and his momentum carried
him to the World Championship, where he defeated Botvinnik in March to May of
the next year by the score of 12.5 to 9.5.
The eight players in the tournament represented the crème de la crème
of the chess world in 1962. The Stockholm Interzonal held a few months before
had decided six of the players who would play in Curaçao. Nineteen year
old Bobby Fischer had taken the world by storm in Stockholm, where he trounced
everyone with the ridiculous score of 17.5/22 (+13 =9 -0), finishing two and
a half points clear of the field. Efim Geller had taken shared Second Place
with Petrosian in Stockholm, booking his ticket to Curaçao. Czech Grandmaster
Miroslav Filip also joined the party. Mikhail Tal also had rights to play in
the event, having won the world title before losing the rematch to Botvinnik.
Enigmatic Estonian Paul Keres also had booked his place to Curaçao years
earlier when he took second place in the Bled/Zagreb/Belgrade Yugoslavia Candidate's
Tournament in 1959.
There were two other players who participated in Curaçao 1962 and deserve
special mention due to the fact that they are here in Curaçao 40 years
later!
Placing equal fourth in Stockholm was a thirty-one year old (then) Soviet named
Viktor Kortchnoi. It was Viktor's first Candidate's cycle, but it most certainly
wouldn't be his last. While sadly four of the eight players from Curaçao
1962 have passed on, and the other three have retired from competitive play,
Viktor continues plugging on, and at the age of seventy-one is still one of
the world's top players, and certainly one of the most active!
Viktor Kortchnoi playing Bobby Fischer in the 1962 Candidate's Tournament
And in 2002, while his wife Petra looks on
Another player who played in Curaçao 1962 and is here this time is Pal
Benko. Although he has now more or less retired from competitive play, he is
a regular kibitzer at events all over the world, and is always interested in
looking at games of all the players in the tournament. Benko is known best these
days as one of the World's foremost endgame authorities.
Pal Benko playing Mikhail Tal in the 1962 Candidate's Tournament
And in 2002, still formidable in blitz
A VIP from the 1962 event who is here in Curaçao is the famous Yuri
Averbach. A second in 1962, he returns in 2002 as the Chief Arbiter of the event.
Averbach is also a great endgame authority in his own right.
Yuri Averbach and Isaak Boleslavskij in analysis in Curaçao 1962
And today, as Chief Arbiter of the 2002 Curaçao tournament.
Blitz Tournament
On the day before the opening ceremony, a Blitz tournament was held, to warm
up the players and get the local players some extra experience against those
visiting the island. The players were broken up into three groups of eight,
eight and nine players respectively. The top eight players would move on into
the knockout final. Moving onto the finals were Grandmasters Kortchnoi and Kosashvili,
International Masters Gert Ligterink and Sofia Polgar, FIDE Masters Riku Molander
and Joel Salman, German National Master Andreas Popitz, and the writer of these
lines.
In the first phase of the knockout, there were no upsets, as both Grandmasters
and International Masters defeated their lower-rated opponents. However, in
the Semi-Finals, things got quite interesting.
Sofia Polgar had not done very well against Viktor Kortchnoi in the past, in
fact, she had never taken even a half point off of him! That was to change as
Sofia defeated him in the first blitz game, then managed to hold on for dear
life in the second. Viktor's response was rather typical "That is the first
time, and the last time, you will beat me!" In the other game, Yona Kosashvili
was able to beat Gert Ligterink in the second game to move onto the final.
The final was a family affair, as Yona Kosashvili is Sofia Polgar's husband!
The husband and wife had no problem playing against each other, as in the first
game, Yona sent Sofia's king on a little walk in the early middlegame, where
it was checkmated on h4. Sofia decided to show off her attacking skills in the
second game, where Yona's king was given a similar fate. They went on to an
Armageddon game, but Sofia wasn't able to break through against her husband's
solid defense. The true winner, may actually be their very young son Alon, as
one of the prizes donated by a local software company was the ever popular gaming
console Playstation 2!
GM Yona Kosashvili, Winner of the Blitz Tournament.
Opening Ceremony
On Sunday, we were treated to a beautiful Opening Ceremony on the pool deck
of the Van Der Valk Plaza Hotel. A multimedia presentation was made about the
prior events in 1962 and 2001. IM Hans Bohm was our master of ceremonies, and
he invited the three individuals who were here in 1962 to come on stage and
discuss their thoughts about the event.
Pal Benko, Yuri Averbach and Viktor Kortschnoi sharing their thoughts on
the event.
GM Jan Timman also made a presentation where he showed the game Tal-Fischer
from the 18th Round of the 1962 Tournament.
GM Jan Timman showing Tal-Fischer
Ger Jan Meijer, Organizer of the 2002 Tournament, Leonart Coffea, Netherlands
Antilles Commissioner of Education and Sport, and Lily Meijer opening the 2002
tournament.
After the fourth round, not too many upsets have taken place. In the lead with
the only perfect score is Polish GM Bartek Macieja. Trailing behind him in clear
second is Dutch GM, and defending Curaçao Open Champion Jan Timman. The
two will play in the fifth round in a game which ought to be very influential
in the final standings. Behind them is a pack of players at 3 out of 4 led by
the great Viktor Kortchnoi. Things are just heating up here.
Leader GM Bartek Macieja
Leading standings after Round 4:
1. GM Bartlomiej Macieja POL 2615
2. GM Jan Timman NED 2594
3. GM Viktor Kortschnoj SUI 2634
GM Yona Kosashvili ISR 2543
WGM Sofia Polgar ISR 2462
IM Carlos Gallegos VEN 2432
IM Gert Ligterink NED 2401
IM Jose Sequera VEN 2378
IM Alexander Hernandez VEN 2269
FM Joel Salman USA 2236
11. GM Alonso Zapata COL 2556
Links: Official
tournament site (with games and results)