Costa del Sol 1968
The eighth Costa del Sol tournament drew a cosmopolitan winter field to Spain's southern coast, where two Yugoslav grandmasters, Borislav Ivkov and Dražen Marović, finished level at the top. What had begun in 1961 as a modest Torremolinos round-robin was by 1968 a fixture of the European winter circuit.
◈A winter tournament on the Costa del Sol
The Costa del Sol series began in 1961 as an annual international staged along Spain's southern coast — usually in the resort towns of Torremolinos, Málaga, or Fuengirola — and quickly drew grandmasters looking to escape the northern winter. The first edition, in Torremolinos, ended with Svetozar Gligorić and Arturo Pomar tied for first.
By the eighth edition the tournament had settled into the Hotel Las Vegas in Málaga. Twelve players contested a single round-robin from 2 to 12 February 1968, with Spanish masters facing visitors from Yugoslavia, the United States, Belgium, Italy, and Puerto Rico.
◈Ivkov and Marović at the top
Borislav Ivkov and Dražen Marović, both of Yugoslavia, shared first place on 7½ from 11 games. It was one of a string of strong Costa del Sol results for Ivkov, who is also credited with winning the event the following year.
A trio finished a point back on 6: Spain's Arturo Pomar and Fernando Visier alongside the American Bernard Zuckerman. Veterans Nicolas Rossolimo and Albéric O'Kelly de Galway sat among the group on 5½, while the field's tail was anchored by Italy's Stefano Tatai.
◈Final Standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Ivkov, Borislav | 7½/11 | +4 -0 =7 | games → |
| =1 | Marovic, Drazen | 7½/11 | +4 -0 =7 | games → |
| 3 | Zuckerman, Bernard | 6/11 | +4 -3 =4 | games → |
| =4 | Pomar Salamanca, Arturo | 6/11 | +2 -1 =8 | games → |
| =4 | Visier Segovia, Fernando | 6/11 | +2 -1 =8 | games → |
| 6 | Damjanovic, Mato | 5½/11 | +3 -3 =5 | games → |
| 7 | Kaplan, Julio P | 5½/11 | +2 -2 =7 | games → |
| =8 | O'Kelly de Galway, Alberic | 5½/11 | +1 -1 =9 | games → |
| =8 | Rossolimo, Nicolas | 5½/11 | +1 -1 =9 | games → |
| 10 | Medina Garcia, Antonio Angel | 4½/11 | +2 -4 =5 | games → |
| 11 | Toran Albero, Roman | 4½/11 | +0 -2 =9 | games → |
| 12 | Tatai, Stefano | 2/11 | +1 -8 =2 | games → |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ivkov, Borislav | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 2 | Marovic, Drazen | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 3 | Zuckerman, Bernard | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 4 | Pomar Salamanca, Arturo | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | |
| 5 | Visier Segovia, Fernando | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 6 | Damjanovic, Mato | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 7 | Kaplan, Julio P | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 8 | O'Kelly de Galway, Alberic | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 9 | Rossolimo, Nicolas | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | |
| 10 | Medina Garcia, Antonio Angel | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 11 | Toran Albero, Roman | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 12 | Tatai, Stefano | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ |
Each cell shows the row player's per-game results against the column player (in round order). ● = same player.