Jan Timman, the Dutch grandmaster known as the Best of the West, went unbeaten through the fourth Bugojno super-tournament to finish half a point ahead of Zoltán Ribli — over a Category XIV field that included three former world champions.
Three former champions in the field
The fourth edition of Bugojno's biennial super-tournament brought together fourteen grandmasters for a Category XIV round robin of 91 games. The field included three former world champions, Boris Spassky, Mikhail Tal and Vasily Smyslov, alongside the leading players of the day, Timman, Ribli, Ulf Andersson, Alexander Beliavsky, Ljubomir Ljubojević, Tony Miles and Eugenio Torre, together with the Yugoslav grandmasters Svetozar Gligorić, Vlatko Kovačević and Božidar Ivanović and the 1980 runner-up Bent Larsen.
Timman's unbeaten first
Timman — ranked second in the world behind only Anatoly Karpov as early as 1982 — won four games and drew nine to finish on 8½/13 without a loss. Ribli, also undefeated, chased him home on 8, with the Philippine grandmaster Eugenio Torre an excellent clear third on 7½ and Spassky fourth on 7.
Behind them the veterans held their own: Tal shared fifth on 6½ with Andersson, Beliavsky, Gligorić, and Ljubojević, and the veteran Smyslov scored a respectable 6. Larsen, second at Bugojno four years earlier, fought as uncompromisingly as ever — only six of his thirteen games were drawn — but finished shared last on 5. Bugojno 1984 stands among the strongest tournament victories of Timman's career.
Final standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Timman, Jan H | 8½/13 | +4 -0 =9 | games |
| 2 | Ribli, Zoltan | 8/13 | +3 -0 =10 | games |
| 3 | Torre, Eugenio | 7½/13 | +4 -2 =7 | games |
| 4 | Spassky, Boris Vasilievich | 7/13 | +2 -1 =10 | games |
| =5 | Tal, Mikhail | 6½/13 | +2 -2 =9 | games |
| =5 | Andersson, Ulf | 6½/13 | +1 -1 =11 | games |
| =5 | Beliavsky, Alexander G | 6½/13 | +1 -1 =11 | games |
| =5 | Gligoric, Svetozar | 6½/13 | +1 -1 =11 | games |
| =5 | Ljubojevic, Ljubomir | 6½/13 | +1 -1 =11 | games |
| =10 | Miles, Anthony John | 6/13 | +3 -4 =6 | games |
| =10 | Smyslov, Vasily V | 6/13 | +1 -2 =10 | games |
| 12 | Kovacevic, Vlatko | 5½/13 | +1 -3 =9 | games |
| =13 | Ivanovic, Bozidar | 5/13 | +2 -5 =6 | games |
| =13 | Larsen, Bent | 5/13 | +2 -5 =6 | games |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Timman, Jan H | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 2 | Ribli, Zoltan | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 3 | Torre, Eugenio | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | |
| 4 | Spassky, Boris Vasilievich | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 5 | Tal, Mikhail | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 6 | Andersson, Ulf | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | |
| 7 | Beliavsky, Alexander G | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 8 | Gligoric, Svetozar | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | |
| 9 | Ljubojevic, Ljubomir | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | |
| 10 | Miles, Anthony John | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | |
| 11 | Smyslov, Vasily V | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 12 | Kovacevic, Vlatko | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 13 | Ivanovic, Bozidar | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 14 | Larsen, Bent | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Each cell shows the row player's recorded results against the column player. ● = same player.