Rovinj, Round 7: Smyslov scores, Fischer dominates

by André Schulz
4/16/2020 – After one loss and five draws former World Champion Vassily Smyslov (pictured) won his first game at the Tournament of Peace in Rovinj/Zagreb. He defeated Borislav Ivkov. Bobby Fischer continues to show why he is the world's number one: he won with Black against Theodor Ghitescu and now leads the field with 6½-½. | Photo: Dutch National Archive
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Tournament of Peace, Round 7

Vassily Smyslov did not have a good start at Rovinj/Zagreb. He lost in the first round against Svetozar Gligoric and then drew his next five games. But in round 7 he finally won, against the Yugoslavian Grandmaster Borislav Ivkov.

 
Smyslov-Ivkov

After 28.Nf5 White had the better of it. [After 28.Qxb7 f3 29.gxf3 (29.Bxf3 g4) 29...Be5 Black gets counterplay.] After 28...Be5 [28...Bxf5 29.exf5 Qd7 30.Bc4 followed by 31.Be6] 29.Nxh6 Qh7 30.Ng4 Bxg4 31.Bxg4 f3 32.gxf3 Black resigned. White's king escapes to e2. 1-0

Bobby Fischer continues to dominate the tournament: in round 7 he defeated Theodor Ghitescu and now leads with 6½–½. Against Fischer's beloved King's Indian Ghitescu tried the Sämisch and Fischer followed a concept that the Icelandic IM Gudmundur Sigurjonsson had recently tried against Ghitescu: he played his  bishop to b7 and soon after followed up with ...c5, which led to a Benoni-structure. Later in the game Fischer uncorked a surprising pawn sacrifice on the kingside to put White under pressure – which turned out to be too much for Ghitescu.

 
Ghitescu-Fischer

The bishop on e5 is the best piece on the board and after Fischer's powerful 25...b5! Ghitescu decided to give up the exchange with 26. cxb5 Bxb5 27.Nxb5 but could not hold the endgame.

Theodor Ghitescu | Photo: Dutch National Archive

Gligoric also won with Black. Against his countryman Drazen Marovic Gligoric opted for a kind of Grünfeld Defense but later used the chance to attack White's king.

 
Marovic-Gligoric

Black crowned his attack with the nice tactical shot 37...Bxh4!  

Viktor Kortschnoi, one of the leading Soviet players and three-times Soviet Champion, also won with Black, against Walter Browne from the US. In the middlegame of a Taimanov-Sicilian Browne lost the thread in time-trouble.

 

After 35...Nb3 White decided to sacrifice his e-pawn but after 36.Qb6 Qxe5 37.Rd7 Be8 38.Rxb7 Nc5 39.Re7 Rb8 40.Qa7 Rxb2 Black's counterattack was too strong.

In the Yugoslavian duel between Risto Nicevski and Mijo Udovcic Black also was successful.

 
Nicevski-Udovic

Black missed the immediate win 40...Bxf3+ 41.Kxf3 (41.Qxf3 Qxe1) 41...Qh3+, but in the end still won after 40...Qb4. 

Games: Rounds 1 to 7

 
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MoveNResultEloPlayers
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1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 Nb6 5.exd6 exd6 6.Nc3 Be7 7.Be2 0-0 8.Nf3 Bg4 9.0-0 Nc6 10.b3 Bf6 11.Be3 d5 12.c5 Nc8 13.h3 Be6 14.Bb5 N8e7 15.Bg5 Bxg5 16.Nxg5 Nf5 17.Nf3 f6 18.Re1 Qd7 19.b4 Nfe7 20.Ba4 a6 21.Rb1 Bf7 22.b5 axb5 23.Bxb5 Ng6 24.Qd2 Rfe8 25.Rxe8+ Qxe8 26.Bd3 Na5 27.Rb5 Qd8 28.h4 Ne7 29.Qf4 Qd7 30.Nd2 Bg6 31.Bxg6 hxg6 32.Rb1 Nec6 33.Nb5 Rc8 34.a4 Qf5 35.Qxf5 gxf5 36.f4 Kf7 37.Kf2 Ne7 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Browne,W-Marovic,D-1–01970B05Rovinj/Zagreb1
Ghitescu,T-Udovcic,M-0–11970B06Rovinj/Zagreb1
Hort,V-Uhlmann,W-½–½1970C15Rovinj/Zagreb1
Ivkov,B-Bertok,M-½–½1970D58Rovinj/Zagreb1
Kurajica,B-Kovacevic,V-½–½1970B15Rovinj/Zagreb1
Minic,D-Kortschnoj,V-1–01970C04Rovinj/Zagreb1
Parma,B-Fischer,R-0–11970B97Rovinj/Zagreb1
Petrosian,T-Nicevski,R-1–01970E91Rovinj/Zagreb1
Smyslov,V-Gligoric,S-0–11970E61Rovinj/Zagreb1
Bertok,M-Ghitescu,T-½–½1970C85Rovinj/Zagreb2
Fischer,R-Nicevski,R-1–01970B80Rovinj/Zagreb2
Gligoric,S-Kurajica,B-½–½1970D58Rovinj/Zagreb2
Kortschnoj,V-Ivkov,B-1–01970D34Rovinj/Zagreb2
Kovacevic,V-Hort,V-0–11970E95Rovinj/Zagreb2
Marovic,D-Petrosian,T-½–½1970E41Rovinj/Zagreb2
Parma,B-Minic,D-½–½1970C67Rovinj/Zagreb2
Udovcic,M-Smyslov,V-½–½1970D77Rovinj/Zagreb2
Uhlmann,W-Browne,W-1–01970A35Rovinj/Zagreb2
Browne,W-Kovacevic,V-1–01970B15Rovinj/Zagreb3
Ghitescu,T-Kortschnoj,V-½–½1970D88Rovinj/Zagreb3
Hort,V-Gligoric,S-½–½1970C93Rovinj/Zagreb3
Ivkov,B-Parma,B-1–01970A33Rovinj/Zagreb3
Kurajica,B-Udovcic,M-½–½1970B81Rovinj/Zagreb3
Minic,D-Fischer,R-0–11970B99Rovinj/Zagreb3
Nicevski,R-Marovic,D-½–½1970C19Rovinj/Zagreb3
Petrosian,T-Uhlmann,W-½–½1970E89Rovinj/Zagreb3
Smyslov,V-Bertok,M-½–½1970A38Rovinj/Zagreb3
Bertok,M-Kurajica,B-½–½1970B13Rovinj/Zagreb4
Fischer,R-Marovic,D-1–01970B10Rovinj/Zagreb4
Gligoric,S-Browne,W-½–½1970A59Rovinj/Zagreb4
Kortschnoj,V-Smyslov,V-½–½1970C93Rovinj/Zagreb4
Kovacevic,V-Petrosian,T-0–11970A53Rovinj/Zagreb4
Minic,D-Ivkov,B-½–½1970C98Rovinj/Zagreb4
Parma,B-Ghitescu,T-½–½1970C87Rovinj/Zagreb4
Udovcic,M-Hort,V-0–11970D94Rovinj/Zagreb4
Uhlmann,W-Nicevski,R-0–11970E74Rovinj/Zagreb4
Browne,W-Udovcic,M-1–01970B88Rovinj/Zagreb5
Ghitescu,T-Minic,D-½–½1970A65Rovinj/Zagreb5
Hort,V-Bertok,M-½–½1970A56Rovinj/Zagreb5
Ivkov,B-Fischer,R-½–½1970B14Rovinj/Zagreb5
Kurajica,B-Kortschnoj,V-0–11970B70Rovinj/Zagreb5
Marovic,D-Uhlmann,W-0–11970E62Rovinj/Zagreb5
Nicevski,R-Kovacevic,V-½–½1970B32Rovinj/Zagreb5
Petrosian,T-Gligoric,S-0–11970E97Rovinj/Zagreb5
Smyslov,V-Parma,B-½–½1970E06Rovinj/Zagreb5
Bertok,M-Browne,W-½–½1970D47Rovinj/Zagreb6
Fischer,R-Uhlmann,W-1–01970C15Rovinj/Zagreb6
Gligoric,S-Nicevski,R-1–01970A69Rovinj/Zagreb6
Ivkov,B-Ghitescu,T-½–½1970D38Rovinj/Zagreb6
Kortschnoj,V-Hort,V-½–½1970B10Rovinj/Zagreb6
Kovacevic,V-Marovic,D-½–½1970B06Rovinj/Zagreb6
Minic,D-Smyslov,V-½–½1970C97Rovinj/Zagreb6
Parma,B-Kurajica,B-½–½1970B49Rovinj/Zagreb6
Udovcic,M-Petrosian,T-0–11970A04Rovinj/Zagreb6
Browne,W-Kortschnoj,V-0–11970B44Rovinj/Zagreb7
Ghitescu,T-Fischer,R-0–11970E82Rovinj/Zagreb7
Hort,V-Parma,B-½–½1970E11Rovinj/Zagreb7
Kurajica,B-Minic,D-½–½1970B47Rovinj/Zagreb7
Marovic,D-Gligoric,S-0–11970D78Rovinj/Zagreb7
Nicevski,R-Udovcic,M-0–11970B08Rovinj/Zagreb7
Petrosian,T-Bertok,M-½–½1970E14Rovinj/Zagreb7
Smyslov,V-Ivkov,B-1–01970E61Rovinj/Zagreb7
Uhlmann,W-Kovacevic,V-0–11970D38Rovinj/Zagreb7

Standings after round 7

Rk Name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Pts.
1 Robert James Fischer                 1   ½ 1   1   1 1 1 6.5 / 7
2 Svetozar Gligoric     1   ½ ½ 1     ½             1 1 5.5 / 7
3 Tigran V Petrosian   0           ½       ½ 1   1   1 ½ 4.5 / 7
4 Viktor Lvovich Kortschnoj         ½ 1 ½   0 1 1         ½     4.5 / 7
5 Vlastimil Hort   ½   ½       ½       ½ 1 ½ 1       4.5 / 7
6 Walter Shawn Browne   ½   0       ½       0 1   1     1 4.0 / 7
7 Vassily V Smyslov   0   ½       ½ ½   1   ½ ½         3.5 / 7
8 Mario Bertok     ½   ½ ½ ½     ½ ½         ½     3.5 / 7
9 Dragoljub Minic 0     1     ½     ½ ½     ½   ½     3.5 / 7
10 Bojan Kurajica   ½   0       ½ ½       ½ ½ ½       3.0 / 7
11 Borislav Ivkov ½     0     0 ½ ½         1   ½     3.0 / 7
12 Wolfgang Uhlmann 0   ½   ½ 1                 0   0 1 3.0 / 7
13 Mijo Udovcic     0   0 0 ½     ½           1 1   3.0 / 7
14 Bruno Parma 0       ½   ½   ½ ½ 0         ½     2.5 / 7
15 Vlatko Kovacevic     0   0 0       ½   1         ½ ½ 2.5 / 7
16 Theodor Ghitescu 0     ½       ½ ½   ½   0 ½         2.5 / 7
17 Risto Nicevski 0 0 0                 1 0   ½     ½ 2.0 / 7
18 Drazen Marovic 0 0 ½     0           0     ½   ½   1.5 / 7

Translation from German: Johannes Fischer

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Rovinj/Zagreb 1970: Fischer starts with five wins and a draw

André Schulz started working for ChessBase in 1991 and is an editor of ChessBase News.

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