Leipzig 1960 was a historic Olympiad
Leipzig is and remains a chess city. The German Chess Federation was founded there in 1877, and many strong tournaments were held there. Thirty years ago, the reunification of the two chess federations — FRG and GDR — was signed at the same place. As an eyewitness on site, we were delighted to be there at the end of September 1990; only a fortnight ago we were reminded of that day again. Today we are looking back on a chess event in the Saxon metropolis which began exactly six decades ago and can also be considered historical. From 16 October to 9 November 1960 chess followers turned their eyes to Leipzig, where the 14th Olympiad took place.
This DVD offers a complete repertoire for handling this solid opening, often featuring a dynamic approach to pose the opponent more practical problems. Both of the main continuations 3...Nf6 and 3...Be7 are covered in two separate parts.
Max Zimmerring wrote a poem for the participants at the time:
Greeting to the masters
You came from every continent
To the fair amicable dispute.
Feel at home within our walls.
The boards of squares are ready.
On sixty-four small squares
There should be imagination, experience, spirit,
Let the art of chess prove itself
Through you, who are praised as masters.
The longer poem ended with FIDE’s motto: Gens una sumus.
The fact that an established writer was chosen to prepare the greeting message was a first indication of the significance of the Tournament of Nations. Two years after the Chess Olympiad in Munich, the young state wanted to shine with this sporting event and show that it is possible to organise such a demanding event successfully. And it succeeded impressively.
The hospitable trade city of Leipzig was indeed a suitable venue, the likes of which one could not have imagined. After all, the Olympiad lasted three and a half weeks, because there was still a preliminary and final round. And there were more than 75,000 spectators in total — which seems unthinkable today. Well, those were pre-electronic times, and the circumstances have changed drastically since then. At Chess Olympiads there have been only eleven rounds for several years, not least for reasons of cost. The participants are more or less among themselves, and the world watches on the Internet. This summer, the tournament, due to the Corona pandemic, had to take place on the Internet, which was not even seen as an emergency solution by the vast majority in the chess world. There were the imponderables of Internet transmissions, and the usual atmosphere was simply missing.
We will therefore revel in our memories of Leipzig once again and let three contemporary witnesses, among others, have their say: a grandmaster, an arbiter and a chess fanatic. Together with them we remember a great chess festival that had many highlights, including the presence of the new world champion Mikhail Tal and the Olympic debut of the young Bobby Fischer.
In 1960, the recently deceased Wolfgang Uhlmann (1935-2020) occupied the top board of the GDR team in the Ringmessehaus in Leipzig. After Moscow 1956 and Munich 1958, it was his third Olympiad. By 1990, the grandmaster from Dresden had played eleven times at the Tournament of Nations. On various occasions I have spoken to Wolfgang Uhlmann about his participations at Olympiads. He had only good memories of Leipzig 1960:

Wolfgang Uhlmann
We were proud at the time that the Olympiad was awarded to Messestadt. Leipzig hosted an Olympiad, the level of which was reached by only a few others in which I took part. The GDR wanted to shine, and no one less than the then President of the Volkskammer, Johannes Dieckmann, had assumed patronage. The enthusiasm and the crowds of spectators were immense. The Soviet Union with the new world champion Mikhail Tal showed their class. We didn’t do quite as well as we did in Munich in 1958 and ended up half a point behind West Germany. It turned out that home advantage in chess is not always beneficial. The teams in the top places were simply stronger than our team.
The exhibition “Chess in the course of time”, which was part of the Olympic supporting programme, also remained in the memory of chess players and guests from East and West. It was unique in its own way, because the precious exhibits came from all over the world. Nearly 150 cultural institutes as well as private collectors made their best pieces available in Leipzig. They impressively showed that chess belongs to the cultural heritage of mankind. The exhibition attracted an incredible number of people, including non-chess players. The international response to the exhibition was great. Well-known personalities immortalised themselves in the Golden Book of the Exposition, including world-famous violinist David Oistrach, who visited the national tournament as a passionate chess player. Many chess masters praised the exhibition as unique, among them Germany’s most famous chess collector Lothar Schmid and English team captain Harry Golombek. “This would suffice to describe the Olympiad as the most important in the history of chess”, the Briton explained at the time.
The extensive cultural programme in Leipzig was really worth seeing. Wolfgang Uhlmann later remembered the opening day fondly:
In the newly designed opera house we watched Cavalleria rusticana. The young Bobby Fischer sat next to my wife and me. The American was so preoccupied with chess in his thoughts that he slept through almost the entire performance. Shortly before, I was able to beat Fischer in a big tournament in Buenos Aires with Black out of a French Defence.
1.e4 | 1,184,215 | 54% | 2421 | --- |
1.d4 | 958,932 | 55% | 2434 | --- |
1.Nf3 | 286,327 | 56% | 2441 | --- |
1.c4 | 184,722 | 56% | 2443 | --- |
1.g3 | 19,884 | 56% | 2427 | --- |
1.b3 | 14,598 | 54% | 2428 | --- |
1.f4 | 5,953 | 48% | 2377 | --- |
1.Nc3 | 3,906 | 50% | 2384 | --- |
1.b4 | 1,790 | 48% | 2378 | --- |
1.a3 | 1,250 | 54% | 2406 | --- |
1.e3 | 1,081 | 49% | 2409 | --- |
1.d3 | 969 | 50% | 2378 | --- |
1.g4 | 670 | 46% | 2361 | --- |
1.h4 | 466 | 54% | 2382 | --- |
1.c3 | 439 | 51% | 2425 | --- |
1.h3 | 289 | 56% | 2420 | --- |
1.a4 | 118 | 60% | 2461 | --- |
1.f3 | 100 | 47% | 2427 | --- |
1.Nh3 | 92 | 67% | 2511 | --- |
1.Na3 | 47 | 62% | 2476 | --- |
Please, wait...
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 7.Nf3 Bd7 8.a4 Qa5 9.Qd2 Nbc6 10.Bd3 c4 11.Be2 f6 11...0-0-0 12.Ba3 f6 13.0-0 12.Ba3 12.0-0 0-0!? 12...Ng6?! 12...0-0-0 13.0-0! 0-0-0 13...fxe5?! 14.Nxe5 Ngxe5 15.dxe5 Nxe5 16.Qg5!± Ng6 16...Nc6 17.Bh5+! g6 18.Qf6 Rg8 19.Rfe1± 16...Qxc3?? 17.Qe7# 17.Bh5!± 14.Bd6 14.Rfe1 fxe5 15.dxe5 Ngxe5 16.Nxe5 Nxe5 17.Qd4 Nc6 18.Qxg7 Rhg8∞ 14...Nce7! 14...fxe5 15.dxe5 h6 16.Kh1 Rhe8 17.Rfd1 Nh8! 14...Rde8 15.Rfb1 Nd8 16.Bb4 Qc7 17.Bd6 Qa5 18.Qe3 Nf7 19.Bc5 Kb8 20.Rb2 15.Nh4! Rde8 16.Nxg6! hxg6 17.exf6! gxf6 18.h3! Nf5 19.Bh2 g5 20.f4? 20.Rfe1! 20.Rae1 20.Bg4 20...Nd6?! 20...g4! 21.hxg4 21.Bxg4 Reg8 21...Nd6 22.Bf3 f5 21.Bf3 21.fxg5!? Ne4 22.Qe3 22.Qf4 e5! 22...Qxc3 23.Qxc3 23.Bd3? cxd3 24.cxd3 Qd2! 23...Nxc3 24.Bf3 fxg5 25.a5= 21...g4‼ 22.hxg4 22.Bxg4? Ne4 23.Qe3 f5 24.Bf3 Qxc3 25.Qxc3 Nxc3 22...f5! 23.g5 Re7 24.Bg3 Be8 25.Qe3 Ne4 26.Bxe4 dxe4 27.Kf2 27.d5!? 27...Reh7 27...Qd5 28.Rfb1 28.d5! Qxd5 29.Rfd1 28...Qd5! 29.Qe1? 29.a5= 29.Qd2!? Rh1 30.Ke3 29...Rh1! 30.Qxh1?? 30.Qe3 Rxb1 31.Rxb1 Bxa4 32.Ra1 Bxc2 33.Rxa7 Kb8 34.Ra1 Bd3 30...e3+! 31.Kg1 31.Kxe3? Qe4+ 32.Kf2 32.Kd2? Rxh1 33.Rxh1 Qxg2+-+ 32...Rxh1 32...Qxc2+ 33.Kg1 Rxh1+ 34.Kxh1 Bc6 35.Rg1 Qxc3 33.Rxh1 Bc6! 34.Rh2 Qxc2+ 35.Kg1 Qxc3-+ 31.Ke2? Rxh1 32.Rxh1 Qxg2+ 31...Rxh1+ 32.Kxh1 e2! 33.Rb5!? 33.Re1 Qe4 33.Rg1 Qe4 33...Bxb5 34.axb5 Qxb5! 35.Re1 a5 36.Rxe2 a4! 37.Rxe6 a3 38.g6 38.Re5 Qxe5-+ 38...Qd7 38...a2?? 39.g7 a1Q+ 40.Kh2= 39.Re5 b6 40.Bh4 a2 41.Re1 Qg7 42.Ra1 Qxg6 42...Qxg6 43.Rxa2 Qh5 44.g3 Qf3+ 45.Kh2 Qxc3 46.Bf6 b5-+ 0–1 - Start an analysis engine:
- Try maximizing the board:
- Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
- Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
- Drag the split bars between window panes.
- Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
- Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
- Create an account to access the games cloud.
Fischer,R | - | Uhlmann,W | - | 0–1 | 1960 | C19 | Buenos Aires International | 8 |
Please, wait...
Bobby Fischer’s Olympic debut was seen in Leipzig. The 17-year-old took revenge for his loss in Buenos Aires against Uhlmann and won in a King’s Indian.
Replay and check the LiveBook here |
Please, wait...
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 0-0 5.Be2 d6 6.f4 c5 7.Nf3 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Nc6 9.Be3 Ng4 10.Bxg4 Bxd4 11.Bxd4 Bxg4 12.Qd2 Nxd4 13.Qxd4 e5 14.fxe5 Qh4+ 15.Qf2 Qxf2+ 16.Kxf2 dxe5 17.Rac1 Rad8 18.Nd5 Be6 19.Rhd1 f5 20.exf5 gxf5 21.Rd2 Kf7 22.Rcd1 Rd7 23.Nc3 Rfd8 24.Rxd7+ Rxd7 25.Rxd7+ Bxd7 26.b4 b6 27.a4 Be6 28.c5 bxc5 29.bxc5 Ke7 30.Kg3 Kd7 31.Kh4 Kc6 32.Kg5 e4 33.g4 fxg4 34.Nxe4 a5 35.Kf4 Bb3 36.Ke3 Bxa4 37.Kd2 h6 38.Nf6 Kxc5 39.Nxg4 h5 40.Ne3 Kd4 41.Nf1 Ke5 42.Ke3 Bb3 43.Ng3 0–1
- Start an analysis engine:
- Try maximizing the board:
- Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
- Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
- Drag the split bars between window panes.
- Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
- Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
- Create an account to access the games cloud.
Uhlmann,W | - | Fischer,R | - | 0–1 | 1960 | E79 | Olympiad-14 Final A | 11 |
Please, wait...

Fischer was already on his way to the top of the world rankings at that time. He was always very elegantly dressed. In Argentina, he had had five suits tailored for him and, according to the grandmaster from Dresden, he was a really likeable young man.
Wolfgang Uhlmann had married that year. His wife Christine visited him on weekends, and the GDR team resided at the Hotel Stadt Leipzig during the long tournament. Things were not as draconian there as at the Olympic Games, where women and men had to live strictly separated from each other in the athletes’ village. After the daily rounds, a lot of blitz was played in the evening, with Mikhail Tal, Tigran Petrosian and Bobby Fischer proving to be almost unbeatable according to Uhlmann’s description.
I preferred to play bridge with Efim Geller and other grandmaster colleagues, which was very popular in chess circles at the time. You could read a lot about the Olympiad in our daily newspapers. The papers were full of it, so even people who had no idea about chess were interested in the event. Names like Botvinnik, Tal or Fischer were familiar to everyone in the autumn of 1960.
The games were played on two floors of the Ringmessehauses building. The main arbiter was the then world champion in correspondence chess, Vyacheslav Ragosin from the USSR. There were 20 arbiters for the 40 participating teams, as well as two chief arbiters. At that time they had to take notes of all the games. Often the players’ scoresheets could not be deciphered. At that time there were still adjournments. After four hours of play, a gong sounded and the player in turn had to write down his move. The next morning the unfinished games continued from 9 am to 1 pm. The spectators could watch the games up close. They were only separated from the chess players by a small string and could watch their facial expressions closely.
One of those who was allowed to get very close to the players and keep some detailed memories was my friend Dieter Lentschu from Berlin.
No other World Champion was more infamous both inside and outside the chess world than Bobby Fischer. On this DVD, a team of experts shows you the winning techniques and strategies employed by the 11th World Champion.
Grandmaster Dorian Rogozenco delves into Fischer’s openings, and retraces the development of his repertoire. What variations did Fischer play, and what sources did he use to arm himself against the best Soviet players? Mihail Marin explains Fischer’s particular style and his special strategic talent in annotated games against Spassky, Taimanov and other greats. Karsten Müller is not just a leading international endgame expert, but also a true Fischer connoisseur.

Dieter Lentschu
The now 87-year-old was an arbiter in Leipzig. He was particularly impressed by the preliminary round duel between the Austrian Karl Robatsch and Mikhail Tal. According to him, the board was on fire.
I think they both smoked about 60 cigarettes during the game! At that time, nicotine was still allowed in the game room. Each player had an ashtray on his side of the table.
In the end Robatsch and Tal shared the point, but according to the arbiter this game was even more exciting than the much-annotated encounter between Fischer and Tal, which took place later in the final round.
Replay and check the LiveBook here |
Please, wait...
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Ba5 6.b4 cxd4 7.Qg4 Ne7 8.bxa5 dxc3 9.Qxg7 Rg8 10.Qxh7 Nbc6 11.Nf3 Qc7 12.Bb5 Bd7 13.0-0 0-0-0! 13...Nxe5 14.Nxe5 Qxe5 15.Bxd7+ Kxd7 16.Qd3 14.Bg5 14.Bxc6 Bxc6 15.Qxf7 d4 16.Qxe6+ Kb8 17.Ng5 Ba4 18.Qf6 Rg6 19.Qf7 Rdg8 20.e6 Ka8 21.h4 Bxc2∞ 14...Nxe5! 15.Nxe5! 15.Bxd7+ Kxd7! 16.Nxe5+ Qxe5 17.Bxe7 Rh8 18.Rae1 Rxh7 19.Rxe5 Kxe7 15...Bxb5 15...Qxe5 16.Bxe7 Rh8 17.Rae1! Qb8 17...Qxe1? 18.Bxd7+ Kxd7 19.Qxf7+- 18.Bxd7+ Kxd7 19.Bd6! Rxh7 20.Bxb8 Rxb8 16.Nxf7 16.Bxe7 Qxe7 17.Rfe1∞ Rdf8 18.a4 Ba6 19.Qh3 d4 20.Rad1 Rd8 21.Re4 Qc7 22.f4 Qc5 23.Nxf7 d3+ 24.Qe3 Rd5∞ 16...Bxf1 17.Nxd8 Rxg5 18.Nxe6 Rxg2+! 19.Kh1 19.Kxf1? Rxh2 20.Qf7 Qc4+! 20...Rh1+?! 21.Kg2 Qh2+ 22.Kf3 21.Kg1 Rh8 19...Qe5 20.Rxf1 Qxe6 21.Kxg2 Qg4+ ½–½ - Start an analysis engine:
- Try maximizing the board:
- Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
- Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
- Drag the split bars between window panes.
- Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
- Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
- Create an account to access the games cloud.
Fischer,R | - | Tal,M | - | ½–½ | 1960 | C18 | Olympiad-14 Final A | 5 |
Please, wait...
Replay and check the LiveBook here |
Please, wait...
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 e6 7.a3 Be7 8.Ba2 0-0 9.0-0 b5 10.f4 Nbd7 10...Bb7 11.f5 e5 12.Nde2 Nbd7 13.Ng3 11.Rf3 Bb7 12.Rh3 Rc8 12...Nxe4? 13.Nxe6 Qb6+ 13...fxe6 14.Bxe6+ Kh8 15.Rxh7+ 14.Be3 Nxc3 15.Qg4 12...Nc5 13.e5 dxe5 14.fxe5 13.Be3 Qc7? 13...Rxc3 14.bxc3 Bxe4 15.c4 e5 16.Nf3 Ng4 14.Nxe6! fxe6 15.Bxe6+ Kh8 16.Bd4 Bd8! 16...Nc5 17.Bf5 ≤17.Bxc8 17.Qe2 17.Bf5 Qc4 18.e5 dxe5 19.fxe5 Bb6! 20.Bxb6 Qc6 21.Qe2 Qxb6+ 22.Kh1 Rfe8! 22...Rce8 23.exf6= 17.g4 Nc5 17...Nxe4 18.g5 18.Bf5 Ncxe4 19.g5 Nf2!? 20.Kxf2 Qc6 21.gxf6 Qg2+ 22.Ke1 Bxf6 23.Rxh7+ Kg8 24.Be6+ Rf7 25.Rh8+ Kxh8 26.Qh5+ Kg8 27.Qxf7+ Kh8 28.Qh5# 17...Qc6 18.Kh1 Bb6 19.Bxd7 Qxd7 19...Nxd7? 20.Qh5 20.Bxb6 Rc4 21.b3 Qxh3 22.gxh3 22.Qxc4 bxc4 23.gxh3 Nxe4 22...Rxc3 22...Nxe4 23.Kg1 Nxc3 24.Qe7 23.Kg1 Bxe4 24.Rc1 Rxh3 25.Bf2 25.Bd4 Rh6 26.Bxf6 Rg6+ 27.Bg5 27.Kf1 Rgxf6 27...Rxf4 25.Qd2 25...d5 26.Bg3 26.c4 Rc8 26...Nh5 27.Qe3 27.Qg4 Nxg3 28.Qxh3 Ne2+ 29.Kf2 Nxc1 30.Ke3 Bxc2 27...g5 27...Nxg3 28.hxg3 h5 28.Qd4+ Kg8 29.Re1! Nxg3 30.Rxe4! dxe4 30...Nxe4 31.Qxd5+ 31.Qd5+ Rf7 32.Qd8+ Kg7 33.Qxg5+ Kh8 34.Qd8+ 34.hxg3 Rxg3+ 35.Qxg3 Rg7 36.Qxg7+ Kxg7 37.c4! 34.Kg2 Rxh2+ 35.Kxh2 Nf5 34...Kg7 35.Kg2 Rh6 36.hxg3 Re6 37.Qg5+ Kf8 38.f5 Re8 39.f6 e3 40.Qc5+ Kg8 41.Qc6 Ref8 42.Qe6 Kh8 43.Qxe3 Rxf6 44.Qd4 h6 45.a4 bxa4 46.Qxa4 Rg6 47.Qd4+ Rff6 ½–½
- Start an analysis engine:
- Try maximizing the board:
- Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
- Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
- Drag the split bars between window panes.
- Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
- Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
- Create an account to access the games cloud.
Robatsch,K | - | Tal,M | - | ½–½ | 1960 | B86 | Olympiad-14 Preliminaries B | 5 |
Please, wait...
It was also Dieter Lentschu who captured the only defeat of world champion Tal in Leipzig, against the Englishman Jonathan Penrose. It happened in the last round and was the only zero obtained by the powerful Soviet team in this tournament.
Jonathan Penrose comes from a famous family. Almost all members were and are famous scientists. His father Lionel was a geneticist and also composed chess studies. His brother Roger Penrose received the Nobel Prize in Physics a few days ago.

Photo: Dieter Lentschu
Replay and check the LiveBook here |
Please, wait...
1.d4! Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5 g6 6.e4 d6 7.Bd3 Bg7 8.Nge2 0-0 9.0-0 a6 10.a4 Qc7 11.h3 Nbd7 12.f4 Re8 13.Ng3 c4 14.Bc2 Nc5 14...Rb8! 15.Be3 Nc5 15.Qf3 15.Be3 Nfxe4 16.Ncxe4 Nxe4 17.Bxe4 f5 18.Qe2 fxe4 19.f5∞ 15...Nfd7 15...Rb8 16.e5 dxe5 16...Nfd7 17.Nce4 Nxe4 18.Nxe4 dxe5 19.f5 17.fxe5 Rxe5 18.Bf4 Nfd7 16.Be3 b5 17.axb5 Rb8 18.Qf2 axb5 19.e5! dxe5 20.f5! 20.fxe5 Rf8 21.d6 Qc6 22.Nce4 Bxe5∞ 20...Bb7 21.Rad1 Ba8? 21...e4! 22.Nce4± Na4?! 23.Bxa4 bxa4 24.fxg6 fxg6 25.Qf7+ Kh8 26.Nc5 Qa7 27.Qxd7 27.Nge4! 27.Rf2! 27...Qxd7 28.Nxd7 Rxb2 29.Nb6 Rb3 30.Nxc4 Rd8 31.d6 Rc3 32.Rc1 Rxc1 33.Rxc1 Bd5 34.Nb6 Bb3 35.Ne4 h6 36.d7 Bf8 37.Rc8 Be7 38.Bc5 Bh4 39.g3 1–0 - Start an analysis engine:
- Try maximizing the board:
- Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
- Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
- Drag the split bars between window panes.
- Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
- Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
- Create an account to access the games cloud.
Penrose,J | - | Tal,M | - | 1–0 | 1960 | A65 | Olympiad-14 Final A | 11 |
Please, wait...
Horst Strehlow (born 1931), a well-known chess player from Berlin, has been a friend of Dieter Lentschu for many decades. He attended the Olympiad in Leipzig with a group of chess friends. A three weeks’ stay costs money, of course, so he worked in the vegetable market in the mornings, and in the afternoon he went to follow the action at the Ringmessehaus.
It was a big deal. I saw many great games, and not only those of Fischer and Tal with the mutual sacrifices. This experience was simply unforgettable.
Our experts show, using the games of Botvinnik, how to employ specific openings successfully, which model strategies are present in specific structures, how to find tactical solutions and rules for how to bring endings to a successful conclusion

Tournament book from Sportverlag Berlin
In the remarkable tournament book published by Sportverlag Berlin, there is a photograph showing Horst Strehlow as a 29-year-old kibitzing armed with a chess set. We also met him twelve years ago in Dresden. Of course the chess enthusiastic veteran was there again in 2008 as an interested spectator. But to his chagrin, the now 89-year-old did not come as close to the boards of the chess stars as in 1960. Times have changed a lot. But the veterans are still interested in current chess events.

Horst Strehlow (left) with Dieter Lentschu
The sporting outcome in Leipzig was predictable as the Soviet Union was simply too strong. As expected, the USSR team won by a large margin, because they had sent their best players: Tal, Botvinnik, Keres, Korchnoi, Smyslov and Petrosian.

Smyslov
Three of them were already world champions, one was yet to gain the title. The USA ranked second ahead of Yugoslavia. But the participation of the American grandmasters at this Olympiad was in doubt until the very end because the US State Department had initially refused to allow the team to travel to an Eastern Bloc country. The financing was not secured for a long time. A turnaround came only at the last minute after vigorous protests, in which Bobby Fischer’s mother, Regina, took part.

Uhlmann v Unzicker
The Federal Republic of Germany came 8th in Leipzig; the German Democratic Republic came 9th — in Munich 1958, a reversed order had been seen. According to Mikhail Tal, a joint German team with Wolfgang Unzicker, Wolfgang Uhlmann, Lothar Schmid and Wolfgang Pietzsch could have fought for bronze. An interesting thought. At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, shortly before, there had been an all-German team that won 12 gold medals. Later, both German states went their separate ways at the “big” games until reunification — the Cold War also affected the world of sports.
The majority of chess historians believe that the GDR set new standards with its 1960 Olympiad in Leipzig. The trade city was used to receiving international guests, a clear advantage over other candidate cities. The chess federation of the GDR had already been a member of FIDE since 1950 and was given more attention by the world federation after the successful hosting of the Olympiad.
In Leipzig, there was a visible effort to respect FIDE’s motto ‘Gens una sumus’. According to a chronicler, the organizers’ attempt to keep politics and ideology as far away as possible from chess events should also be praised. However, as we can still see today, it is hardly possible to separate sport and politics. Too great is the interest of the powerful to use sport for their own purposes or to bask in the glory of successful active players. But that is a whole other issue.
Links