Costa del Sol 1972
The twelfth Costa del Sol tournament produced the standout individual result of West German master Hans-Joachim 'Hajo' Hecht's career. Hecht took clear first in Málaga ahead of the fast-rising Walter Browne, in a win he later counted among his greatest tournament successes.
◈A West German runs the table
The Costa del Sol series returned to Málaga for its twelfth edition in 1972, a single round-robin of twelve players. The tournament belonged to Hans-Joachim Hecht of West Germany, who scored 8½ from 11 to finish a clear point ahead of the field.
Hecht, who would receive the grandmaster title the following year, later ranked the Málaga win among the greatest individual successes of his career, alongside his victories at Bad Pyrmont in 1970 and Olot in 1971.
◈The chasing pack
Second place went to Walter Browne, then in his early twenties and blazing through the international circuit on his way to a run of U.S. Championships. The American master William Martz took third on 7, ahead of a group on 6½ that included Spain's Juan Manuel Bellón López and the Hungarian-American grandmaster Pal Benko.
Veteran Spanish and Portuguese players filled out the lower half. Among them was Arturo Pomar — winner of the previous year's Costa del Sol — who this time finished mid-table.
◈Final Standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hecht, Hans Joachim | 8½/11 | +7 -1 =3 | games → |
| 2 | Browne, Walter Shawn | 7½/11 | +5 -1 =5 | games → |
| 3 | Martz, William E | 7/11 | +4 -1 =6 | games → |
| 4 | Bellon Lopez, Juan Manuel | 6½/11 | +4 -2 =5 | games → |
| 5 | Benko, Pal C | 6½/11 | +3 -1 =7 | games → |
| 6 | Garcia Martinez, Silvino | 6/11 | +1 -0 =10 | games → |
| 7 | Pomar Salamanca, Arturo | 5½/11 | +2 -2 =7 | games → |
| 8 | Durao, Joaquim Manuel | 5/11 | +2 -3 =6 | games → |
| 9 | Palacios de la Prida, Ernesto | 4/11 | +2 -5 =4 | games → |
| 10 | Medina Garcia, Antonio Angel | 4/11 | +1 -4 =6 | games → |
| 11 | Cordovil, Joao Maria | 3/11 | +1 -6 =4 | games → |
| 12 | Schaufelberger, Heinz | 2½/11 | +0 -6 =5 | games → |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hecht, Hans Joachim | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2 | Browne, Walter Shawn | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | |
| 3 | Martz, William E | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 4 | Bellon Lopez, Juan Manuel | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 5 | Benko, Pal C | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 6 | Garcia Martinez, Silvino | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 7 | Pomar Salamanca, Arturo | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 8 | Durao, Joaquim Manuel | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 9 | Palacios de la Prida, Ernesto | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | |
| 10 | Medina Garcia, Antonio Angel | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | |
| 11 | Cordovil, Joao Maria | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | |
| 12 | Schaufelberger, Heinz | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 |
Each cell shows the row player's per-game results against the column player (in round order). ● = same player.