Zurich 1953 chess tournament
# Zurich 1953 chess tournament

Zurich 1953 was a chess tournament won by Vasily Smyslov. It was a Candidates Tournament for the 1954 World Chess Championship, which led to the match between Smyslov and Mikhail Botvinnik. The tournament is famous for the strength of the players, the high quality of the games, and books on the tournament by David Bronstein and Miguel Najdorf that are regarded as among the best tournament books ever written. In May 2022 Yuri Averbakh died at the age of 100, having been the last living player to have played in the tournament.

The tournament was a double Round-robin event. Players were assigned one point for every win and a half-point for each draw. In later years, Bronstein claimed that the Soviet players were accompanied by KGB agents. According to Bronstein, during the tournament, the KGB handlers started to worry that the American candidate, Samuel Reshevsky, would win, and began pressuring some of the Soviet players to throw their games against Smyslov, who was leading the other Soviet players in points.

    #Player123456789101112131415Total 1 Vasily Smyslov (USSR)xx½½11½1½½11½½½0½½½½½½½½1½111½18 2 David Bronstein (USSR)½½xx1½11½½½0½½½½1½½½½½011½½½½½16 3 Paul Keres (USSR)000½xx½½½1½1½½½½½½0½111½½1½½1116 4 Samuel Reshevsky (USA)½000½½xx½½½½½½10½½½1½11½½1111½16 5 Tigran Petrosian (USSR)½½½½½0½½xx½½0½½½00½½½½11½11½1115 6 Efim Geller (USSR)00½1½0½½½½xx11½001½½011½½101½½14½ 7 Miguel Najdorf (Argentina)½½½½½½½½1½00xx1½1½½0½½½½½½0½1114½ 8 Alexander Kotov (USSR)½1½½½½01½½½10½xx101½00101½0½0114 9 Mark Taimanov (USSR)½½0½½½½½11100½01xx10½½½½½00½1114 10 Yuri Averbakh (USSR)½½½½1½0½½½½½1½0½01xx½½½½0½110013½ 11 Isaac Boleslavsky (USSR)½½½½00½0½½10½½11½½½½xx½0½½½1½½13½ 12 László Szabó (Hungary)½½100½0½000½½½01½½½½½1xx1½½½1½13 13 Svetozar Gligorić (Yugoslavia)0½0½½0½0½0½0½½0½½11½½½0½xx½11112½ 14 Max Euwe (Netherlands)00½½½½000½101½1½1½00½0½½½0xx1½11½ 15 Gideon Ståhlberg (Sweden)0½½½000½00½½00100011½½0½000½xx8
