Zürich 1953 : 15 Contenders for the World Chess Championship

The Stuff of Legend A great tournament deserves a great book. That's what grandmaster Miguel Najdorf produced in his account of one of the greatest and most important chess events of all time, the 1953 Zürich Candidates Tournament, in which 15 of the world's top players battled for the right to challenge the world champion, Mikhail Botvinnik. After two months and 210 games, many of which rank among the best ever played, Russian grandmaster Vassily Smyslov finally came out at the head of a star-studded field that included Sam Reshevsky, Paul Keres, David Bronstein, Tigran Petrosian, Efim Geller, Alexander Kotov, Mark Taimanov, Yuri Averbakh, Isaac Boleslavsky, Laszló Szabó, Svetozar Gligoric, Max Euwe, Gideon Ståhlberg, and Najdorf himself. This is the first English edition of this classic work, until now available only in its original Spanish. It includes all 210 games with Najdorf's full extensive notes, plus all the original introductory material, biographical sketches of the players, round-by-round accounts of the action, closing summary, and a survey of the tournament's impact on opening theory. Additionally this edition has many more diagrams and photos, plus forewords by grandmasters Yuri Averbakh (one of the last surviving participants) and Andy Soltis. Najdorf produced much more than a collection of games. This is a rich, vivid, firsthand account of an historic event by a direct participant, written in a style at once colorful, eloquent and erudite. Najdorf was not only one of the greatest players of all time, but a fine writer who knew how to combine education and entertainment. All chessplayers, whether serious or casual, will find themselves both interested and instructed, and history buffs will learn much here that cannot be found anywhere else. The Stuff of Legend A great tournament deserves a great book. That's what grandmaster Miguel Najdorf produced in his account of one of the greatest and most important chess events of all time, the 1953 Zrich Candidates Tournament, in which 15 of the world's top players battled for the right to challenge the world champion, Mikhail Botvinnik. After two months and 210 games, many of which rank among the best ever played, Russian grandmaster Vassily Smyslov finally came out at the head of a star-studded field that included Sam Reshevsky, Paul Keres, David Bronstein, Tigran Petrosian, Efim Geller, Alexander Kotov, Mark Taimanov, Yuri Averbakh, Isaac Boleslavsky, Laszla Szaba, Svetozar Gligoric, Max Euwe, Gideon Stahlberg, and Najdorf himself. This is the first English edition of this classic work, until now available only in its original Spanish. It includes all 210 games with Najdorf's full extensive notes, plus all the original introductory material, biographical sketches of the players, round-by-round accounts of the action, closing summary, and a survey of the tournament's impact on opening theory. Additionally this edition has many more diagrams and photos, plus forewords by grandmasters Yuri Averbakh (one of the last surviving participants) and Andy Soltis. Najdorf produced much more than a collection of games. This is a rich, vivid, firsthand account of an historic event by a direct participant, written in a style at once colorful, eloquent and erudite. Najdorf was not only one of the greatest players of all time, but a fine writer who knew how to combine education and entertainment. All chessplayers, whether serious or casual, will find themselves both interested and instructed, and history buffs will learn much here that cannot be found anywhere else. Front Contents Introduction Foreword Translator's Preface Author's Foreword Preface The Players Crosstables Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Round 6 Round 7 Round 8 Round 9 Round 10 Round 11 Round 12 Round 13 Round 14 Round 15 Round 16 Round 17 Round 18 Round 19 Round 20 Round 21 Round 22 Round 23 Round 24 Round 25 Round 26 Round 27 Round 28 Round 29 Round 30 The Tournament in Review Theoretical Survey Opening Index by Name Opening Index by ECO Code Player Index Back