By Salomão Bovedo, exclusively from São Paulo

This International Tournament is already becoming traditional, and today it amounts to the most important master-level chess event in Brazil.

In its third edition it surpassed all previous standards, rising to FIDE category 10, with master norms requiring 6.5 points for IM and 8.5 points for GM.

The rise in category was undoubtedly due to the stellar presence of names such as Viktor Korchnoi of Switzerland, Ljubomir Ljubojević of Yugoslavia, Ulf Andersson of Sweden, Florin Gheorghiu of Romania, Oscar Roberto Panno of Argentina, Robert Byrne and Anatoly Lein of the USA, and Michael Stean of England. Together with the Brazilian IMs Alexandru Segal and Herman Claudius van Riemsdijk, they gave considerable strength to our tournament.

As always, the event was characterised by the struggle between the grandmasters for first place and between the local players to win and secure their international ratings.

And so it was. The now Swiss Viktor Korchnoi led almost throughout the tournament, but Yugoslav Ljubojević and Romanian Gheorghiu did not give up at any point.

That struggle continued throughout the tournament, which was very hard-fought, since the carnival festivities were approaching and the players could not extend the event without considerably increasing expenses and, likewise, leaving the fans without the main attraction of the competition.

The final table faithfully records how the struggle unfolded: very evenly, with Viktor Korchnoi and Ljubomir Ljubojević tied for first place, and Lein, Andersson and Gheorghiu in third place. The last of these finished undefeated, like the leaders, but with ten draws and only three victories.

The Swede Ulf Andersson had just won the Clarín Tournament in Buenos Aires — a newspaper for which GM Panno wrote very good reports on that event — and Hastings, and much was expected of him.

The Englishman Stean is progressing very well, his results constantly improving and confirming the quality of his play.

At the bottom of the foreign table was the North American GM Robert Byrne, who was not the same player as in the Interzonals. Perhaps age is beginning to arrive… and with it the weight of the years.

The local players Antonio Rocha and Alexandru Segal had excellent tournaments. Rocha achieved his second and definitive international master norm — the other one he had won precisely in the first edition of this tournament — while Segal, whose experience in master tournaments has turned him into a very reliable player, also earned many congratulations. Our congratulations to Antonio Rocha, who fully deserved his title thanks to his combative and ambitious play.

Sunye, Braga, Filguth and Herman Claudius van Riemsdijk almost completed the positions table, but much more had been expected of the last of them, since he was putting at stake, in the arena, his IM title won in the 1978 Latin American Zonal.

The foreign players Gheorghiu and Ljubojević left a good impression. They feel great affinity for Brazil and have no problems with the Portuguese language, captivating organisers and fans with their simplicity. The same may be said of Ulf Andersson, who speaks Cervantes’ language very well… and also Calvo’s, and is very likeable too.

The general direction was, as always, in the hands of the “worker” Dr. Gerson Kerr, assisted by Dagobert van Riemsdijk and Angel Gutiérrez.