Vassily Smyslov Wins Convincingly

Ten years had now passed since the first international tournament was held here. It was therefore especially gratifying that the field assembled on this occasion was so strong. Most of our best players took part, while the foreign participants formed one of the strongest groups ever invited here. It was also a particular pleasure that Smyslov and Bronstein represented the Soviet Union.

The tournament was opened on 3 February at Kjarvalsstaðir, where the Icelandic Chess Federation had secured one of the halls for the event, giving it a distinctive atmosphere. The Minister of Education, Magnús Torfi, formally opened the tournament with an excellent speech, and Guðmundur G. Þórarinsson, president of the Chess Federation, also said a few words. Guðmundur Arnlaugsson then took charge of proceedings, and the competition began when Reykjavík mayor Birgir Ísleifur Gunnarsson made the first move in the game between Smyslov and Tringov.

The competition was under way, and many questions came to mind. As the tournament progressed, the answers were delivered without mercy. Once again, the foreign players proved too strong for our representatives. Friðrik nevertheless remained among the leaders until the fifth round, when he unexpectedly lost to the young and promising Norwegian Leif Øgaard. Friðrik immediately recovered, but defeats in his final three games ultimately determined his result.

Our grandmaster’s performance was by no means poor. He had played virtually no competitive chess for several years, and it could hardly be expected that he would immediately compete on equal terms with professionals in his first tournament back. Friðrik has decided to make a change in his life during the coming year and become a professional chess player. For the time being, however, the decision applies only to a single year. This is welcome news for Icelandic chess, and it will be interesting to follow his contests against the world’s leading masters during the year’s tournaments.

Friðrik’s present result must be considered in the light of this decision. He has already begun systematic training and analysis, and he said that participation in this tournament did not fit particularly well into his programme, since he was still only at an early stage of his preparation. He therefore believed that the best thing he could do was to play every game to the end, disregarding all opportunities to settle for a draw.

Friðrik’s play followed this decision in every respect. He played uncompromisingly, and in positions where many players would have accepted a draw, he continued. At times he pushed too far and lost. Nevertheless, there can be no doubt that anyone seeking serious success must sometimes play for a decisive result. The fact remains that nobody goes far without daring to take risks.

As already stated, Smyslov won the tournament convincingly. The old champion was at his best, and his crystal-clear positional style proved completely insurmountable. Most remarkable was the apparent ease with which he applied it. He was never in time trouble, and the outcome of his games was often virtually decided at an early stage. To the best of my knowledge, he was never in a losing position, although spectators sometimes felt that his opponents handled their drawing chances rather clumsily.

Smyslov’s visit to Iceland had long been eagerly awaited, and he fully justified the confidence placed in him as a chess genius.

Second place went to the Hungarian Forintos, one of the most agreeable chess players I have ever met. He won everyone over through his excellent conduct and impressive play. He needed ten points to qualify for the grandmaster title, and it added greatly to the satisfaction of the organisers that one of the participants, Forintos, achieved the grandmaster title at this tournament.

Forintos remained in first or second place throughout the event and did not appear greatly affected by the considerable stakes involved. He seems to be a very strong player, although a chess player’s form can resemble the weather, alternating between sunshine and showers. Shortly before coming here, Forintos had played in another tournament together with Tringov. Forintos finished in the middle of the field, while Tringov won convincingly. Here the situation was almost reversed.

Bronstein and Velimirović followed in third and fourth place. Before the tournament, much had been expected from these two players in terms of energy and daring, as both are famous for their sharp attacking style. Unfortunately, the anticipated display did not materialise on this occasion, although one hopes that their powers have not yet been exhausted.

The Norwegian Leif Øgaard achieved the excellent result of finishing fifth in such a strong tournament. He may now be considered a serious challenger to Svein Johannessen, the king of Norwegian chess, unless he has already displaced him from the throne. Leif plays with great confidence, but especially at the beginning of the tournament he benefited from being regarded as easy prey. Events proved otherwise. Øgaard was not nearly as easy to defeat as had been assumed.

The Icelanders might perhaps have secured more draws against him had they regarded him as at least their equal in chess strength. He defeated all of them except Júlíus Friðjónsson. Júlíus played Øgaard in the final round, when the Norwegian needed only a draw to earn the international master title.

Thus two players achieved title norms at this tournament, which is a cause for satisfaction, although it would have been even more gratifying had those for whom the tournament was primarily organised come closer to their own goals.

Friðrik and Guðmundur followed, tied on points. Friðrik’s result has already been discussed. Guðmundur started badly, and his prospects did not look good during the early part of the tournament. He improved as the event progressed, however, and ultimately achieved a good result.

For the remaining results, reference is made to the accompanying table.