Bucharest 1978
Sixteen masters met in the Romanian capital for Bucharest's annual international, a single round-robin over fifteen rounds. Lev Alburt, a three-time Ukrainian champion competing for the Soviet Union, took clear first with 10½/15, holding off the home favourite Victor Ciocâltea by half a point. The result fit the pattern of these Bucharest tournaments, where the lone visiting Soviet player usually walked off with the top prize.
◈A Bucharest tradition
Bucharest ran international tournaments through the 1970s and into the 1980s, events of real standing that typically drew a field of Romanian masters, a handful of foreign guests, and — as a rule — a single strong player from the Soviet Union. They were never as fearsome as the world-elite gatherings the city had hosted in 1953 and 1954, but they were serious professional chess, and the Soviet entrant tended to set the pace.
The 1978 edition followed the script. Alburt led a field that included the East German grandmaster Wolfgang Uhlmann and the young Czechoslovak Ľubomír Ftáčnik alongside the Romanian regulars.
◈Alburt clear, Ciocâltea close
Alburt finished on 10½ from 15, a single half-point ahead of Ciocâltea on 10, with Uhlmann third on 9½ and Ftáčnik fourth on 9. The chasing Romanian contingent — Stoica, Biriescu, Ungureanu, Ghinda — filled out the middle of the table.
It was one of Alburt's last results as a Soviet player: the following year he defected to the West, and he went on to win the United States Championship three times in the 1980s.
◈Final Standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alburt, Lev O | 10½/15 | +7 -1 =7 | games → |
| 2 | Ciocaltea, Victor | 10/15 | +6 -1 =8 | games → |
| 3 | Uhlmann, Wolfgang | 9½/15 | +6 -2 =7 | games → |
| 4 | Ftacnik, Lubomir | 9/15 | +6 -3 =6 | games → |
| 5 | Marjanovic, Slavoljub | 8½/15 | +4 -2 =9 | games → |
| 6 | Stoica, Valentin | 8½/15 | +3 -1 =11 | games → |
| =7 | Biriescu, Ioan | 8/15 | +4 -3 =8 | games → |
| =7 | Ungureanu, Emil | 8/15 | +4 -3 =8 | games → |
| 9 | Ghinda, Mihail Viorel | 8/15 | +2 -1 =12 | games → |
| 10 | Padevsky, Nikola Bochev | 7½/15 | +2 -2 =11 | games → |
| 11 | Minev, Nikolay Nikolaev | 7/15 | +1 -2 =12 | games → |
| 12 | Suba, Mihai | 6/15 | +2 -5 =8 | games → |
| 13 | Adamski, Jan | 6/15 | +1 -4 =10 | games → |
| 14 | Lukacs, Peter | 5½/15 | +1 -5 =9 | games → |
| 15 | Vaisman, Volodia | 4½/15 | +0 -6 =9 | games → |
| 16 | Bellon Lopez, Juan Manuel | 3½/15 | +2 -10 =3 | games → |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alburt, Lev O | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 2 | Ciocaltea, Victor | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 3 | Uhlmann, Wolfgang | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 4 | Ftacnik, Lubomir | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 5 | Marjanovic, Slavoljub | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 6 | Stoica, Valentin | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 7 | Biriescu, Ioan | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 8 | Ungureanu, Emil | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 9 | Ghinda, Mihail Viorel | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | |
| 10 | Padevsky, Nikola Bochev | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 11 | Minev, Nikolay Nikolaev | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | |
| 12 | Suba, Mihai | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 13 | Adamski, Jan | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | |
| 14 | Lukacs, Peter | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | |
| 15 | Vaisman, Volodia | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 16 | Bellon Lopez, Juan Manuel | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ |
Each cell shows the row player's per-game results against the column player (in round order). ● = same player.