Bled 1950
The lakeside resort of Bled, already famous in chess for Alekhine's 1931 rout, hosted a strong fifteen-player international in the autumn of 1950. The two Argentines in the field took the top two places: Miguel Najdorf won with 10½ from 14, a point and a half clear of his compatriot Herman Pilnik.
◈Argentines among the Yugoslavs
Numerically the field was dominated by the rising school of Yugoslav masters — Borislav Ivkov, Andrija Fuderer, Aleksandar Matanović, Vasja Pirc, Borislav Milić and Stojan Puc — playing alongside the veteran Milan Vidmar, who had contested Bled 1931 nearly twenty years earlier. The international guests were Belgium's Albéric O'Kelly de Galway, Germany's Ludwig Rellstab and Gerhard Pfeiffer, the ageless Savielly Tartakower, and the two Argentines, Najdorf and Pilnik.
For the young Yugoslavs this was a proving ground: Fuderer and the teenage Ivkov both finished in the leading group, signalling the strength that would make Yugoslavia a chess power in the following decade.
◈Najdorf and Pilnik go one-two
Najdorf again showed the consistency that made him so hard to beat in a round-robin, finishing on 10½/14 for clear first. Pilnik took second on 9, and O'Kelly de Galway was third on 8½ — leaving the two Argentines and the Belgian ahead of the entire home contingent.
The win was one more entry on a remarkable tournament record for Najdorf around 1950, the year FIDE introduced its official titles and named him among its first grandmasters.
◈Final Standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Najdorf, Miguel | 10½/14 | +8 -1 =5 | games → |
| 2 | Pilnik, Hermann | 9/14 | +5 -1 =8 | games → |
| 3 | O'Kelly de Galway, Alberic | 8½/14 | +4 -1 =9 | games → |
| 4 | Fuderer, Andrija | 8/14 | +6 -4 =4 | games → |
| 5 | Ivkov, Borislav | 7½/14 | +5 -4 =5 | games → |
| 6 | Pfeiffer, Gerhard | 7½/14 | +4 -3 =7 | games → |
| 7 | Matanovic, Aleksandar | 7/14 | +5 -5 =4 | games → |
| 8 | Rellstab, Ludwig Sr | 6½/14 | +2 -3 =9 | games → |
| 9 | Kostic, Boris | 6/14 | +5 -7 =2 | games → |
| 10 | Vidmar, Milan Sr | 6/14 | +3 -5 =6 | games → |
| =11 | Pirc, Vasja | 6/14 | +2 -4 =8 | games → |
| =11 | Stoltz, Gosta | 6/14 | +2 -4 =8 | games → |
| 13 | Milic, Borislav | 6/14 | +1 -3 =10 | games → |
| 14 | Puc, Stojan | 5½/14 | +2 -5 =7 | games → |
| 15 | Tartakower, Saviely | 5/14 | +0 -4 =10 | games → |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Najdorf, Miguel | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 2 | Pilnik, Hermann | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | |
| 3 | O'Kelly de Galway, Alberic | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | |
| 4 | Fuderer, Andrija | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 5 | Ivkov, Borislav | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | |
| 6 | Pfeiffer, Gerhard | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | |
| 7 | Matanovic, Aleksandar | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 8 | Rellstab, Ludwig Sr | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 9 | Kostic, Boris | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 10 | Vidmar, Milan Sr | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | |
| 11 | Pirc, Vasja | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 12 | Stoltz, Gosta | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | |
| 13 | Milic, Borislav | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | |
| 14 | Puc, Stojan | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | |
| 15 | Tartakower, Saviely | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ |
Each cell shows the row player's per-game results against the column player (in round order). ● = same player.