The anniversary in Brønshøj was celebrated in style. With help from many quarters, they had managed to organize the strongest tournament in Denmark since the introduction of the Elo system. Category 11, with 7 points required for a grandmaster norm. The programme names Arbejdernes Landsbank and SAS as sponsors, but of course support had also been obtained elsewhere. The playing hall in the community centre had been made available free of charge by the local council, and one should perhaps not criticize gifts, but the hall was in fact too small for the many spectators.

Originally Razuvajev was supposed to take part, but five days before the start a telegram arrived from Moscow saying that he was ill. They then succeeded in getting hold of Plaskett, with whom they had been in contact earlier. He was so interested that he had left word with the British Chess Federation about where he could be reached. He is one of those international masters who lacks only a single grandmaster result. There were no fewer than five players of that kind in the tournament: the two Icelanders, De Firmian and Curt were in the same fortunate situation.

Players like that fight for their lives and often create more interesting tournaments than half-hearted grandmasters. The drawback, of course, is that they are not really thinking about taking first place.

Pintér very secure

Pintér immediately took possession of first place. He began with three wins, a draw, and then another three wins. He conducted the tournament very securely, apart from the game against me in the penultimate round, which he ought to have lost. Karlsson, who lost only three games all last year, began this time with four zeroes! De Firmian started almost as badly, but managed to repair his score toward the end. With Plaskett it was the opposite: a poor finish after a good start.

Smyslov went through a weak spell in the middle of the tournament. First he was allowed to save a lost position against Jens Kristiansen, and then he went down against Erling Mortensen and De Firmian. Nor was he unlucky in the final round against Carsten Høi.

I myself started with five draws, then three wins in a row, and after that half-points again. Only two of my games were finished within the first five hours, and by and by I was thoroughly tired of having to turn up in Brønshøj every morning at 11. Too little sleep easily leads one to play cautiously. I ought to have beaten Curt, but spoiled it just before the adjournment. On the other hand, Carsten claimed that he knows nobody as lucky as I am, after I saved a draw against De Firmian. With this tournament I reached 31 consecutive games without a loss, but I would rather lose one now and then and win a few more.

Carsten and Jens fought well. Carsten obtained excellent positions with his peculiar openings, apart from an especially bad King's Indian against Helgi in the first round. But the tournament table looks a little strange when one sees that Jens scored zero points against the top four. Erling entered some sharp theoretical variations that his opponents knew better than he did. He can console himself with the fine win over the former world champion.

Double score

It may have been a little optimistic to expect Curt to score twice as many points as in Reykjavik. But for one reason or another he was playing much better. As mentioned, he was a little lucky to draw against me, and perhaps also to beat Plaskett in the eighth round. In time trouble the Englishman ruined a tremendous attacking position. On the other hand, Curt had excellent winning chances in his game against Karlsson in the ninth round, but it petered out into a draw. Perhaps it had an adverse effect on Curt in that game that he could see the finishing line ahead. With a draw he could coast home with two more half-points.

Helgi had been close to the grandmaster title for several years, and last year he fulfilled two norms in tournaments in Iceland. His nerves have played tricks on him at times, and in general he has not played as well abroad as on the Saga Island. In Brønshøj the chance was almost gone, but he produced a strong finishing sprint, even though in the last round he came very close to throwing away the win against Plaskett.

Congratulations to the new grandmasters, and congratulations to Brønshøj. It was a fine tournament, with the small size and low ceiling of the playing hall as its only weak point.

Let me take this opportunity to thank everyone for the many greetings on 4 March.