From the 16th (the day of the drawing of lots) to the 31st of last January, the 3rd International City of Linares Tournament was held in the Jaén city of Linares. It reached Category 13 on the FIDE scale, thus becoming the most important tournament held in Spain since 1911, when the Cuban CAPABLANCA won in San Sebastián, and one of the most important in the world in the last ten years. This was despite the fact that, at the last moment, the Soviets MIGUEL TAHL and LEV POLUGAIEVSKY withdrew and had to be replaced by former world champion BORIS SPASSKY and the Cuban GM GUILLERMO GARCIA.

As in any tournament in which the world champion takes part, KARPOV was expected to win, especially since his latest performance in Buenos Aires — see the January issue of “JAQUE” — had been rather poor, leaving him in fifth place, behind LARSEN, TIMMAN, LJUBOJEVIC, and ANDERSSON. It was assumed that the champion would come to Linares eager to erase the sting of the Argentine “debacle,” the only black mark on his record since taking the title, and we all expected a spectacular “sweep.” However, reality turned out very differently, and his victory — completely deserved — did not have the brilliance we had all expected, because...

KARPOV, if I set aside two or three occasions when he uncorked the bottle of essences, was just one more player in this great tournament, where everyone was a star, and where he had to share the honors in the scoring with the American CHRISTIANSEN. He managed the tournament very well and was the only undefeated player. Even in the final round against GLIGORIC he limited himself to drawing, knowing that even if his direct American rival won, he would still win the tournament on better “sonnen.” As a mitigating factor for his lack of initiative in this final round, it should be mentioned that he had some throat trouble that required the presence of a doctor in the hall.

The revelation of the tournament was the performance of the American champion LARRY CHRISTIANSEN, who, although he had won the second edition of this event — even with KORCHNOI participating — which was Category 9, was not expected to produce such a brilliant performance in this Category 13 event. Apart from his game against KARPOV, in which he seemed to play with a certain psychological burden, the rest of his tournament was spectacular, winning 6 games and drawing 4. Playing with tremendous strength, he even managed the luxury of defeating SPASSKY and PORTISCH — recent Candidates — and drawing with LARSEN, RIBLI, and LJUBOJEVIC. Also with his compatriot KAVALEK, though without much of a fight. One wonders what would have happened if, in that game, he had played to win.

An extraordinary CHRISTIANSEN, who, with his still modest Elo of 2515, seems destined for greater achievements given that he is only 24 years old. Congratulations!

BENT LARSEN kept on “playing to win,” and that caused him to lose two games he should not have lost. Particularly against SPASSKY, he got himself into a mating net in an adjourned ending, something that surely had never happened to him in his life. After BOBBY FISCHER, he remains the most “spectacular” player for the fan, and his games are a real delight. His draws with KARPOV and CHRISTIANSEN were tremendously hard-fought, and the result does not reflect what happened on the board. I liked the Dane perhaps more than ever, and if he continues in this vein, I would not be surprised to see him among the next Candidates.

RIBLI performed at a very high level, and if his showing — very good — was not even better, it was because his loss to BELLON — the only game he lost in the whole tournament — unsettled him. He is not a brilliant player, but he is tremendously effective and does not shy away from a fight when needed, as his victory over LARSEN shows.

SPASSKY and KAVALEK were too peaceable. The Soviet player, after being crushed by CHRISTIANSEN in the first round, conceded too many draws and lacked the necessary fighting spirit. He won only two games — he should never have beaten LARSEN — and only against BELLON did one see the formidable SPASSKY admired by the fans.

The American was merely decent.

More was expected of PORTISCH. Much more. But the “candidate” eliminated by HÜBNER was not up to the standard of his great class, being overwhelmed by the top three finishers.

Of the Yugoslavs, I liked GLIGORIC more for his aggressiveness and desire to win than LJUBOJEVIC, with his eight draws and his “dolce far niente”. Between his performance in Buenos Aires — in a tournament of similar category — and that in Linares, there is an abyss, and much more should be demanded from a player of his class.

QUINTEROS was weak and also unlucky. The Argentine champion was not very focused, though his fighting spirit in some games must be acknowledged. MIGUEL ANGEL is another player from whom more should be demanded.

JUAN MANUEL BELLON was truly sensational. And I do not say that because of the three and a half points he scored — which in this tournament are excellent — but because of his quality of play, his fighting spirit, his concentration, and his sense of responsibility. He lost seven games, but in at least four of them he should have scored, and only time trouble prevented him from achieving better results. I do not remember him getting up from the board even half a dozen times during the whole tournament, and his concentration was absolute. He defeated GARCIA, GLIGORIC, and RIBLI, and drew with the world champion in a game in which KARPOV suffered quite a bit — with White — and in which, after the adjournment, it was one of the occasions I referred to when the champion had to play a beautiful and precise ending to secure the draw that was agreed at KARPOV’s request. A magnificent tournament by the Spaniard, who has vindicated my comments about Malta.

BELLON reproached me for being too hard on him when he had obtained the best score of the entire Malta team. He also reproached my inaccuracy when I commented that some of the opponents against whom he lost or drew did not have international titles. So I take this opportunity to correct myself: indeed, those opponents did have international titles, but that in no way changes the reality that a GM of BELLON’s category and playing strength can lose to ARNASSON of Iceland, KARLSSON of Sweden, DAY of Canada, and RANTANEN of Finland, nor of course draw with ZICHICHI of Italy with White. However titled they may be, BELLON’s class stands far above those names, with or without titles. He has always shown it, and he has just shown it again in Linares. For that reason, and perhaps because of the great affection I have for him, I may have gone a bit too far when commenting on his performance in Malta, because BELLON is today considered — and rightly so — one of the leading national figures, with prestige well earned also in world chess. Very good, JUAN MANUEL. That is the way forward.

GUILLERMO GARCIA of Cuba finished in last place, which is no cause for lament given the strength of the tournament and the urgency with which he had to replace POLUGAIEVSKY without any time for preparation.

In general terms, it has been an extraordinary tournament, one in which all the players fought in a way seldom seen in these “masters” events. We hardly saw the famous “grandmaster draws,” except on a few occasions. The rest were fought to the limit.

The tally of 34 wins in 66 games speaks for itself. The tournament was planned with precisely that idea in mind, and the results have been excellent, which no doubt reflects the efforts of that great organization led by Luis Rentero.

If I had to rank them by “aggressiveness,” it would be like this: 1. CHRISTIANSEN; 2. LARSEN; 3. KARPOV; 4. BELLON; 5. RIBLI; 6. GLIGORIC.

A splendid tournament, in short, one that we will remember for a long time in our country, even in the — very likely — event that “the people of Linares” come up with organizing an even better one...

ORGANIZATION

If last year the organizers had already taken great care over publicity, this time they outdid themselves, and weeks before the event they had already sent out programs to everyone. A few days beforehand, T.V.E. had devoted several segments to the Linares event, introducing KARPOV to chess fans throughout Spain. The newspapers and radio stations of Linares had likewise devoted extensive coverage to the tournament.

During the tournament itself, every detail was also carefully attended to. The drawing of lots took place at Club 79 during a pleasant dinner attended by hundreds of fans, as well as all the local authorities. It consisted of 12 bottles of Codorníu champagne, special reserve—apparently only 60 exist—with each bottle bearing around its neck the number assigned to each player.

As the players arrived at their rooms in the Hotel Cervantes, they found bottles and special glasses of Fino La Ina, courtesy of the firm Pedro Domecq, S.A. For the ladies there were bouquets of flowers and boxes of chocolates.

On the first rest day, the organizers treated everyone to a country-style paella, with a horsemanship display and a young-bull event. I should add that the three Americans, KAVALEK, CHRISTIANSEN, and SEIRAWAN, delighted those present with their courage and style with the cape. They were the only ones who dared enter the ring. By the way, KAVALEK took quite a tumble, and luckily there were “professionals” on hand to help.

Another of the free days was devoted to visiting the historic monuments and churches of Ubeda and Baeza, with receptions at the town halls of Baeza and Linares.

On the third, a football match was organized featuring the tournament players, arbiters, scorekeepers, and organizers—along with the odd semi-pro—against the physical education teachers of Linares, also reinforced. It was played on the Linares F.C. ground, with an official referee and linesmen. The result was a 5–5 draw, and it served to confirm the extraordinary class of some chess players who, besides knowing how to think, also showed they knew how to kick. I gave top marks to GLIGORIC, LJUBOJEVIC, QUINTEROS, and LARSEN. The Yugoslav journalist BJELICA also played his part.

The captain of the team was BELLON, who finished the match with a dislocated finger, a black eye, and muscle soreness for three days. The referee did very well and did not show a single card. Not even a yellow one. The only criticism would be that in the second half the chess team played with one extra player. He “didn’t see” that.

The playing hall at the Casa de la Cultura was once again ideal for chess, although—incredible as it may seem—it is already becoming too small because of the massive attendance of spectators at all hours.

A Tournament Bulletin was produced and handed to the press and players on the morning after each round, under the responsibility of Pablo Morán.

The event was organized by the Linares Chess Club and directed by Luis Rentero, assisted by an Organizing Committee made up of José Marín, Juan Pérez, the Sports Desk of Radio Linares, Teodosio Guillén, Lino Portela, Colín de la Higuera, Gonzalo Alcoba, Francisco Reche, Juan de Dios Giménez, Antonio Martínez, Francisco Pérez, and Antonio García Bustamante, who managed “his” demonstration boards without a single error.

It was sponsored by the Provincial Council, the City Council of Linares, and the Spanish Chess Federation. Other support came from Champagne Codorníu, Pedro Domecq S.A., the Chamber of Commerce, banks, etc.

The technical side was handled by José M. González (International Arbiter of FIDE) as chief arbiter, Luis Mari Fernández (National Arbiter of the FEDA), and Pablo Morán and Fernando Visier as assistant arbiters. Our work passed without incident, thanks to everyone’s sporting conduct.

VISITORS

The advertising campaign mentioned earlier, together with the extraordinary stature of the tournament, was clearly reflected in the constant full house in the playing hall and in the uninterrupted procession of personalities, journalists, and enthusiasts from all over the world.

Ángel García Fernández, President of the Spanish Chess Federation, and the Soviet ambassador in Madrid came for the final round and the closing ceremony. GM Yasser Seirawan, Korchnoi’s assistant and analyst, was there for the whole tournament and did not miss a single game or a single Karpov analysis. Also present was IM Román Torán. The famous Yugoslav journalist and organizer of the Bugojno Tournament, Dimitri Bjelica, the news agencies France Presse and Efe, and Fernando Arrabal, who came from Paris and delighted us with his entertaining and erudite talks.

I also greeted Henry B. Kuperman, R. Alvariño, Faustino González, Rafael Molina—organizer of the Montilla-Moriles event, whom we encourage to continue, and who brought a gift for all the participants—Antonio Gude, Leontxo García, Pedro Domecq, Nicolás Deyck, Leandro Ramírez, Benjamín Espuny, presidents of the regional federations, and enthusiasts from Jaén, Córdoba, Málaga, Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao, Seville, and many others too numerous to remember.

Special mention should be made of a delegation from the NIFSA Chess Club of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, which traveled expressly from the archipelago and was made up of José Luis Patiño Chacón, Rafael Fuentes, José M.ª Vidal—formerly a notable football player for Real Madrid—and IM José Miguel Fraguela, who apparently is returning to the chessboard. They came to watch the tournament, told me of their astonishment at the enormous crowds in the hall, and, much to their regret, had to return home the following day. What a trip... and what dedication!

To finish, and using bullfighting terms: ears, tail, ovation, and a lap of honor in the ring, with calls even for the hoof, for the tireless Luis Rentero and his “boys,” who have made this great event possible for the chess of Linares and of Spain. Congratulations!