11th Chess Olympiad

1954 chess tournament in Amsterdam, Netherlands right|thumb|150px|The official logo of the Olympiad The 11th Chess Olympiad (nl De 11e Schaakolympiade), organized by the FIDE and comprising a team tournament, took place between September 4 and September 25, 1954, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. 30 teams had applied, but only 26 took part. The most notable absentees were the United States, who could not afford the travelling expenses due to financial difficulties in the USCF. The Soviet team once again won the event, followed by Argentina and Yugoslavia. Unlike the previous Olympiad, however, they dominated this one completely and crushed all opposition, winning the final by an astounding seven points. Keres' amazing score of 96.4% was an all-time record; he drew his first game (against Nilsson of Sweden) and won the rest. Results thumb|upright=1.5|Award ceremony at the 1954 Chess Olympiad. Left-right: Kotov, Geller, Smyslov, Bronstein, Keres, Botvinnik, and Bondarevsky (carrying the Hamilton-Russell Cup) Preliminaries A total of 26 teams entered the competition and were divided into four preliminary groups of six or seven teams. The top three from each group advanced to Final A, and the rest to Final B. All groups and finals were played as round-robin tournaments. Group 1 was won by the Soviet Union, well ahead of the Dutch hosts and Iceland. Austria, Finland, and Greece finished in the bottom half. Argentina took first place in group 2, ahead of Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia. Canada, Italy, and Ireland made up the rest of the group. Group 3 was won by Israel, ahead of Yugoslavia and Sweden. Denmark, Norway, France, and Saar had to settle for a place in the consolation final. Hungary clinched group 4, ahead of West Germany and England. Switzerland, Colombia, Belgium, and Luxembourg rounded up the group. Group 1 Final Country 1 2 3 4 5 6 + − = Points «A» Soviet Union - 2 3½ 3 4 4 4 0 1 16½ «A» Netherlands 2 - 2½ 3 3 2½ 4 0 1 13 «A» Iceland ½ 1½ - 3 3½ 2½ 3 2 0 11 «B» Austria 1 1 1 - 3 3½ 2 3 0 9½ «B» Finland 0 1 ½ 1 - 3 1 4 0 5½ «B» Greece 0 1½ 1½ ½ 1 - 0 5 0 4½ Group 2 Final Country 1 2 3 4 5 6 + − = Points «A» Argentina - 2 2 3 3 4 3 0 2 14 «A» Bulgaria 2 - 2 2½ 3½ 3½ 3 0 2 13½ «A» Czechoslovakia 2 2 - 2½ 3 4 3 0 2 13½ «B» Canada 1 1½ 1½ - 2½ 3½ 2 3 0 10 «B» Italy 1 ½ 1 1½ - 3½ 1 4 0 7½ «B» Ireland 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ - 0 5 0 1½ Group 3 Final Country 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 + − = Points «A» Israel - 1½ 3 2½ 3 3 3 5 1 0 16 «A» Yugoslavia 2½ - 2 3 2½ 2½ 1½ 4 1 1 14 «A» Sweden 1 2 - 2 2½ 2½ 4 3 1 2 14 «B» Denmark 1½ 1 2 - 1½ 3½ 2 1 3 2 11½ «B» Norway 1 1½ 1½ 2½ - 2 2½ 2 3 1 11 «B» France 1 1½ 1½ ½ 2 - 3 1 4 1 9½ «B» Saar 1 2½ 0 2 1½ 1 - 1 4 1 8 Group 4 Final Country 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 + − = Points «A» Hungary - 2½ 1½ 3 4 3 4 5 1 0 18 «A» West Germany 1½ - 2½ 3 2 3½ 4 4 1 1 16½ «A» England 2½ 1½ - 2½ 1½ 1½ 4 3 3 0 13½ «B» Switzerland 1 1 1½ - 2½ 3½ 4 3 3 0 13½ «B» Colombia 0 2 2½ 1½ - 2½ 4 3 2 1 12½ «B» Belgium 1 ½ 2½ ½ 1½ - 3 2 4 0 9 «B» Luxembourg 0 0 0 0 0 1 - 0 6 0 1 Final {| class="wikitable" |+ Final A ! # !!Country !! Players !! Points !! MP |- | style="background:gold;"|1 || URS 1936 || Botvinnik, Smyslov, Bronstein, Keres, Geller, Kotov || 34 || |- | style="background:silver;"|2 || || Najdorf, J. Bolbochán, Panno, Guimard, Rossetto, Pilnik || 27 || |- | style="background:#cc9966;"|3 || || Pirc, Gligorić, Trifunović, Rabar, Fuderer, Matanović || 26½ || |- | 4 || || Pachman, Filip, Zíta, Šajtar, Fichtl, Ujtelky || 24½ || |- | 5 || || Unzicker, Schmid, Pfeiffer, Rellstab, Darga, Joppen || 23½ || |- | 6 || HUN 1949 || Szabó, Kluger, Barcza, Sándor, Gereben || 23 || |- | 7 || || Porath, Czerniak, Oren, Aloni, Kniazer || 22 || |- | 8 || Netherlands || Euwe, Donner, Cortlever, Prins, Kramer, Van Scheltinga || 21 || |- | 9 || England || Alexander, Penrose, Golombek, Wade, Barden, Clarke || 17 || 7 |- | 10 || Bulgaria 1948 || Minev, Neikirch, Milev, Tsvetkov, Bobotsov, Bobekov || 17 || 6 |- | 11 || Sweden || Ståhlberg, Lundin, Stoltz, Hörberg, Nilsson, Goode || 15 || |- | 12 || || Friðrik Ólafsson, Guðmundur Guðmundsson, Guðmundur Pálmason,Guðmundur Ágústsson, Ingi Randver Jóhannsson, Guðmundur Arnlaugsson || 13½ || |- |} {| class="wikitable" |+ Final B ! # !!Country !! Players !! Points !! MP !! Head-to-head |- | 13 || Switzerland || Kupper, Blau, Nievergelt, Bhend, Zimmermann, Walther || 37 || || |- | 14 || CAN 1921 || Yanofsky, Anderson, Vaitonis, Bohatyrchuk, Fox, Divinsky || 36 || 21 || 3 |- | 15 || || Robatsch, Beni, Prameshuber, Lokvenc, Kovács || 36 || 21 || 1 |- | 16 || || Larsen, Nielsen A., Nielsen P., Nielsen V., Enevoldsen, Andersen B. || 34½ || || |- | 17 || Italy || Paoli, Porreca, Norcia, Scafarelli, Calà || 28½ || || |- | 18 || || Cuéllar, de Greiff, Sánchez, Rivera, Tejada H., Hernández G. || 27½ || || |- | 19 || Belgium || O'Kelly, Dunkelblum, Gobert, Lemaire, Franck, Thibaut || 27 || || |- | 20 || || Salo, Vesterinen, Katajisto, Fred, Rantanen || 26½ || || |- | 21 || FRA 1794 || Bernstein, Raizman, Thiellement, Bergraser, Noradounguian, Burstein || 26 || || |- | 22 || Saar || Benkner, Lorson, Morena, Kastel, Weichselbaumer, Haas || 24 || || |- | 23 || || Morcken, Vestøl, Lindblom, Støre, Flater, Ramm || 22 || || |- | 24 || Greece royal || Parliaros, Anagnostou, Panagopoulos, Papapavlou || 21 || || |- | 25 || || Reilly, Kelly, Maher, Walsh, Nash, Rohan || 11 || || |- | 26 || || Doerner, Neu, Philippe, Schneider, Kremer, Jerolim J. || 7 || || |} Final A Place Country 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 + − = Points 1 Soviet Union - 3½ 2½ 2½ 3 3 2 3½ 3½ 3 3½ 4 10 0 1 34 2 Argentina ½ - 1½ 3 2½ 2 3 2½ 3 2½ 3 3½ 8 2 1 27 3 Yugoslavia 1½ 2½ - 2 2½ 1½ 3 3 3½ 2 2½ 2½ 7 2 2 26½ 4 Czechoslovakia 1½ 1 2 - 3 2 1½ 2 3 2½ 3½ 2½ 5 3 3 24½ 5 West Germany 1 1½ 1½ 1 - 2 2½ ½ 2½ 4 4 3 5 5 1 23½ 6 Hungary 1 2 2½ 2 2 - 1 3 2 2 2 3½ 3 2 6 23 7 Israel 2 1 1 2½ 1½ 3 - 3 ½ 3 2 2½ 5 4 2 22 8 Netherlands ½ 1½ 1 2 3½ 1 1 - 3 2½ 3 2 4 5 2 21 9 England ½ 1 ½ 1 1½ 2 3½ 1 - 2½ 1 2½ 3 7 1 17 10 Bulgaria 1 1½ 2 1½ 0 2 1 1½ 1½ - 2½ 2½ 2 7 2 17 11 Sweden ½ 1 1½ ½ 0 2 2 1 3 1½ - 2 1 7 3 15 12 Iceland 0 ½ 1½ 1½ 1 ½ 1½ 2 1½ 1½ 2 - 0 9 2 13½ Final B Place Country 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 + − = Points 13 Switzerland - 3 3 2 3 3½ 2½ 2½ 3 2½ 4 1 3½ 3½ 11 1 1 37 14 Canada 1 - 3 2 3 3½ 2 2½ 3½ 3 3½ 2 3 4 9 1 3 36 15 Austria 1 1 - 3 3 3 2 3 2½ 3 3 3½ 4 4 10 2 1 36 16 Denmark 2 2 1 - 2 1½ 3 3½ 3 2 3½ 3½ 4 3½ 7 2 4 34½ 17 Italy 1 1 1 2 - 2 3 1½ 1 2 3½ 3½ 4 3 5 5 3 28½ 18 Colombia ½ ½ 1 2½ 2 - 2 2½ 1 3½ 3 2½ 2½ 4 7 4 2 27½ 19 Belgium 1½ 2 2 1 1 2 - 1½ 3 2½ 2 2 2½ 4 4 4 5 27 20 Finland 1½ 1½ 1 ½ 2½ 1½ 2½ - 2½ 2 2½ 1½ 4 3 6 6 1 26½ 21 France 1 ½ 1½ 1 3 3 1 1½ - 3 1½ 3 2½ 3½ 6 7 0 26 22 Saar 1½ 1 1 2 2 ½ 1½ 2 1 - 1 2½ 4 4 3 7 3 24 23 Norway 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 2 1½ 2½ 3 - 2½ 4 3 5 7 1 22 24 Greece 3 2 ½ ½ ½ 1½ 2 2½ 1 1½ 1½ - 1½ 3 3 8 2 21 25 Ireland ½ 1 0 0 0 1½ 1½ 0 1½ 0 0 2½ - 2½ 2 11 0 11 26 Luxembourg ½ 0 0 ½ 1 0 0 1 ½ 0 1 1 1½ - 0 13 0 7 Individual medals Board 1: URS 1936 Mikhail Botvinnik 8½ / 11 = 77.3% Board 2: CAN 1921 Frank Anderson 14 / 17 = 82.4% Board 3: HUN 1949 Gedeon Barcza 12½ / 16 = 78.1% Board 4: URS 1936 Paul Keres 13½ / 14 = 96.4% 1st reserve: URS 1936 Efim Geller 5 / 7 = 71.4% 2nd reserve: FRA 1794 Sylvain Burstein 8½ / 11 = 77.3% Notes and references External links 11th Chess Olympiad: Amsterdam 1954 OlimpBase 11 Olympiad 11 Chess Olympiad, 11th Olympiad 11 Chess Olympiad 11 Category:September 1954 sports events in Europe Category:1950s in Amsterdam