Moscow_1935_chess_tournament
Moscow 1935 was the second international chess tournament held in Moscow, taking place from 15 February to 15 March 1935.[1] Salo Flohr and future world champion Mikhail Botvinnik tied for first, followed by former world champions Emanuel Lasker and José Raúl Capablanca.
The single round-robin tournament was organized along the lines of Moscow 1925, with twelve Soviet players and eight international players.[2] Of the twelve Soviets, only four, Grigory Levenfish, Peter Romanovsky, Ilya Rabinovich and Fedir Bohatyrchuk had played at the 1925 event.[2]
Salo Flohr (Czechoslovakia) was internationally renowned and considered a world championship contender. Later, Flohr would be in the inaugural group to receive the grandmaster title when it was introduced by FIDE in 1950.[3] Mikhail Botvinnik (Soviet Union) was known as a rising star at age 24 and two years earlier had drawn a match with Flohr.[4] He would later become world champion in 1948. Botvinnik and Flohr (together with Levenfish) jumped out to an early lead in the tournament. After round 15, Flohr led Botvinnik by half a point. Botvinnik won in round 16 while Flohr only drew to bring the two into a first-place tie, the tournament's ultimate result as both players drew all their games in the final three rounds. Botvinnik had scored only 50% in his final nine games.[4]
Emanuel Lasker (Germany) and José Raúl Capablanca (Cuba) were former world champions. At age 66, Lasker was undefeated, beating Capablanca in their individual game and finishing third, a half point ahead of Capablanca in fourth place.[2] Reuben Fine hailed Lasker's result at age 66 as "a biological miracle."[5] Rudolph Spielmann (Austria), finished fifth.[2]
| # | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Salo Flohr (Czechoslovakia) | — | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 13 |
| 2 |  Mikhail Botvinnik (Soviet Union) | ½ | — | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 13 |
| 3 |  Emanuel Lasker (Germany) | ½ | ½ | — | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12½ |
| 4 |  José Raúl Capablanca (Cuba) | ½ | ½ | 0 | — | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| 5 |  Rudolf Spielmann (Austria) | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | — | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| 6 | Ilya Kan (Soviet Union) | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | — | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 10½ |
| 7 | Grigory Levenfish (Soviet Union) | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | — | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 10½ |
| 8 |  Andor Lilienthal (Hungary) | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | — | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 10 |
| 9 | Viacheslav Ragozin (Soviet Union) | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | — | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 10 |
| 10 | Peter Romanovsky (Soviet Union) | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 11 | Ilya Rabinovich (Soviet Union) | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | — | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 9½ |
| 12 | Nikolai Riumin (Soviet Union) | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 9½ |
| 13 | Vladimir Alatortsev (Soviet Union) | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | — | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 9½ |
| 14 | Victor Goglidze (Soviet Union) | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | — | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9½ |
| 15 | Georgy Lisitsin (Soviet Union) | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | — | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 9 |
| 16 | Fedor Bohatirchuk (Soviet Union) | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | — | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 8 |
| 17 |  Gideon Ståhlberg (Sweden) | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | — | ½ | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 18 |  Vasja Pirc (Yugoslavia) | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | — | 1 | 1 | 7½ |
| 19 | Vitaly Chekhover (Soviet Union) | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 5½ |
| 20 |  Vera Menchik (England) | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1½ |
- Golombek 1977, p. 206
- Hooper & Whyld 1992, pp. 141–142
- Pachman 1972, p. 100
- Fine, Reuben, ed. (1976), The World's Great Chess Games, Dover, ISBN 0-486-24512-8
- Golombek, Harry, ed. (1977), Golombek's Encyclopedia of Chess, Crown Publishing, ISBN 0-517-53146-1
- Hooper, David; Whyld, Kenneth (1992), The Oxford Companion to Chess (2 ed.), Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-280049-3
- Pachman, Ludĕk (1972) [English trans. 1975, Dover ed. 1987], Decisive Games in Chess History, Dover, ISBN 0-486-25323-6