Budapest 1952 (Maróczy Memorial)
Hungary honoured its greatest master, Géza Maróczy, who had died the year before, with a tournament that opened on what would have been his 82nd birthday. Eighteen players contested it — a Soviet delegation five strong at its heart — and it was Paul Keres who carried the day, finishing clear first on 12½/17 ahead of Efim Geller and, tellingly, ahead of reigning World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik.
◈Honouring Géza Maróczy
Géza Maróczy had been the doyen of Hungarian chess — a world-title contender in the era of Lasker, a courtly figure who bridged the classical and modern schools before his death in 1951. The memorial staged in his name began, fittingly, on 3 March 1952, the anniversary of his birth. The organisers assembled a field worthy of the occasion: eight grandmasters, eight international masters, and two national masters, the Soviet Union sending Keres, Botvinnik, Vasily Smyslov, Geller, and the young Tigran Petrosian.
It was one of the strongest tournaments of the early 1950s and a showcase of Soviet strength — four of the five Soviet entrants finished in the top five — but the host nation was well represented too, with László Szabó and Gedeon Barcza among the Hungarian grandmasters.
◈Keres above the world champion
Paul Keres, forever cast as the great player who never quite reached the world title, produced exactly the kind of result that made his admirers ache for him. He finished clear first on 12½, a half point ahead of the surging Geller on 12. Behind them, Smyslov, Botvinnik, and Sweden's Gideon Ståhlberg shared the next places on 11 — meaning the reigning World Champion had been held a point and a half behind the winner.
Szabó took sixth on 10½; Petrosian and Hermann Pilnik shared seventh on 9½; and Belgium's Albéric O'Kelly de Galway claimed the last prize in ninth on 9. For Keres it was a reminder, if any were needed, of how close to the summit he perennially stood.
◈Final Standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keres, Paul | 12½/17 | +10 -2 =5 | games → |
| 2 | Geller, Efim P | 12/17 | +8 -1 =8 | games → |
| 3 | Smyslov, Vassily V | 11/17 | +8 -3 =6 | games → |
| =4 | Botvinnik, Mikhail | 11/17 | +7 -2 =8 | games → |
| =4 | Stahlberg, Gideon | 11/17 | +7 -2 =8 | games → |
| 6 | Szabo, Laszlo | 10½/17 | +8 -4 =5 | games → |
| =7 | Petrosian, Tigran V | 9½/17 | +6 -4 =7 | games → |
| =7 | Pilnik, Hermann | 9½/17 | +6 -4 =7 | games → |
| 9 | O'Kelly de Galway, Alberic | 9/17 | +4 -3 =10 | games → |
| 10 | Benko, Pal C | 8½/17 | +6 -6 =5 | games → |
| =11 | Barcza, Gedeon | 8/17 | +5 -6 =6 | games → |
| =11 | Szily, Jozsef | 8/17 | +5 -6 =6 | games → |
| =13 | Golombek, Harry | 7/17 | +4 -7 =6 | games → |
| =13 | Kottnauer, Cenek | 7/17 | +4 -7 =6 | games → |
| 15 | Gereben, Erno | 6/17 | +3 -8 =6 | games → |
| 16 | Troianescu, Octavio | 5½/17 | +5 -11 =1 | games → |
| 17 | Sliwa, Bogdan Stanislaw | 5/17 | +4 -11 =2 | games → |
| 18 | Platz, Hans | 2/17 | +1 -14 =2 | games → |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keres, Paul | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2 | Geller, Efim P | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 3 | Smyslov, Vassily V | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 4 | Botvinnik, Mikhail | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 5 | Stahlberg, Gideon | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 6 | Szabo, Laszlo | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 7 | Petrosian, Tigran V | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 8 | Pilnik, Hermann | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 9 | O'Kelly de Galway, Alberic | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 10 | Benko, Pal C | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 11 | Barcza, Gedeon | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | |
| 12 | Szily, Jozsef | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 13 | Golombek, Harry | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 14 | Kottnauer, Cenek | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 15 | Gereben, Erno | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 16 | Troianescu, Octavio | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | |
| 17 | Sliwa, Bogdan Stanislaw | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 18 | Platz, Hans | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Each cell shows the row player's per-game results against the column player (in round order). ● = same player.