The Soviet Union's memorial tournament for Alexander Alekhine returned to Moscow in the autumn of 1975 with a field containing three former world champions — Boris Spassky, Tigran Petrosian, and Mikhail Tal. It was the 50-year-old Efim Geller who won it, undefeated and clear first on 10½/15.
Remembering Alekhine
The Alekhine Memorial series honoured the fourth world champion at irregular intervals in different cities: Moscow had already staged editions in 1956 (won by Botvinnik and Smyslov) and 1971 (won by Karpov and Stein). The 1975 edition assembled sixteen players for a single round-robin of 120 games.
Beyond the ex-champions Spassky, Petrosian, and Tal, the Soviet contingent included Viktor Korchnoi, the young Armenian star Rafael Vaganian, the veteran Ratmir Kholmov, and Alexander Beliavsky. From abroad came Vlastimil Hort, the American Robert Byrne, Hungary's Győző Forintos and Levente Lengyel, Cuba's Silvino García Martínez, Yugoslavia's Albin Planinc, England's Michael Stean, and the Dutchman Hans Böhm.
Geller's clear first
Geller — Soviet champion in 1955 and still ranked among the world's elite two decades later — went through the event without a loss, scoring six wins and nine draws for 10½/15. Spassky finished second on 10 (+6−1=8), while Korchnoi, Vaganian, and Kholmov shared third on 9½; Korchnoi's eight wins were the most of anyone in the field.
It capped a strong year for Geller, who had also taken clear first at Teesside 1975, and he had more to come: in 1979, at 54, he won the Soviet Championship for a second time.
Final standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geller, Efim P | 10½/15 | +6 -0 =9 | games |
| 2 | Spassky, Boris Vasilievich | 10/15 | +6 -1 =8 | games |
| =3 | Korchnoi, Viktor Lvovich | 9½/15 | +8 -4 =3 | games |
| =3 | Vaganian, Rafael A | 9½/15 | +7 -3 =5 | games |
| =3 | Kholmov, Ratmir D | 9½/15 | +5 -1 =9 | games |
| =6 | Hort, Vlastimil | 9/15 | +5 -2 =8 | games |
| =6 | Petrosian, Tigran V | 9/15 | +4 -1 =10 | games |
| =8 | Beliavsky, Alexander G | 8½/15 | +6 -4 =5 | games |
| =8 | Tal, Mikhail | 8½/15 | +4 -2 =9 | games |
| 10 | Forintos, Gyozo Victor | 7/15 | +3 -4 =8 | games |
| 11 | Byrne, Robert Eugene | 6/15 | +2 -5 =8 | games |
| =12 | Garcia Martinez, Silvino | 5½/15 | +1 -5 =9 | games |
| =12 | Lengyel, Levente | 5½/15 | +1 -5 =9 | games |
| 14 | Planinc, Albin | 5/15 | +3 -8 =4 | games |
| 15 | Stean, Michael F | 4/15 | +1 -8 =6 | games |
| 16 | Bohm, Hans | 3/15 | +2 -11 =2 | games |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geller, Efim P | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 2 | Spassky, Boris Vasilievich | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 3 | Korchnoi, Viktor Lvovich | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 4 | Vaganian, Rafael A | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 5 | Kholmov, Ratmir D | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 6 | Hort, Vlastimil | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 7 | Petrosian, Tigran V | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 8 | Beliavsky, Alexander G | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | |
| 9 | Tal, Mikhail | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 10 | Forintos, Gyozo Victor | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 11 | Byrne, Robert Eugene | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | |
| 12 | Garcia Martinez, Silvino | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | |
| 13 | Lengyel, Levente | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | |
| 14 | Planinc, Albin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 15 | Stean, Michael F | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | |
| 16 | Bohm, Hans | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Each cell shows the row player's recorded results against the column player. ● = same player.