Linares 1978
Before it became one of the most feared invitationals in chess, Linares began quietly. The first Ciudad de Linares tournament of 1978 was a modest ten-player round-robin in the Andalusian mining city, won on tie-break by the Estonian-Swedish master Jaan Eslon ahead of Argentina's Roberto Debarnot.
◈A quiet beginning in Andalusia
The Linares tournament was established in 1978 with the backing of the Spanish businessman Luis Rentero, who would drive the event's rise for decades. The inaugural edition was, by the standards of what followed, a fairly modest affair: a field of ten built around Spanish masters — among them the former national champions Fernando Visier and Antonio Medina — with guests from South America and Scandinavia rather than the world elite.
◈Eslon edges Debarnot
First place came down to a tie-break. Jaan Eslon — born in Sweden to an Estonian family, an International Master from 1977 who had settled in Spain — and the Argentine Roberto Debarnot both finished on 6/9, with Eslon taking the title. Javier Ochoa de Echagüen followed in third on 5½ in a tightly bunched middle of the table.
◈The seed of the 'Wimbledon of chess'
Nobody in 1978 could have guessed what the little tournament would become. Within three years Rentero had brought the reigning world champion Anatoly Karpov to Linares; by the 1990s the event was routinely called the Wimbledon of chess, its winner's list carrying Kasparov, Karpov, and nearly every great player of the era. It all traces back to this nine-round beginning — and to Eslon, the first name on the trophy.
◈Final Standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eslon, Jaan | 6/9 | +4 -1 =4 | games → |
| 2 | Debarnot, Roberto Luis | 6/9 | +3 -0 =6 | games → |
| 3 | Ochoa de Echaguen, Francisco Javier | 5½/9 | +2 -0 =7 | games → |
| 4 | Martin Gonzalez, Angel | 5/9 | +2 -1 =6 | games → |
| =5 | Medina Garcia, Antonio Angel | 4½/9 | +1 -1 =7 | games → |
| =5 | Palacios de la Prida, Ernesto | 4½/9 | +1 -1 =7 | games → |
| =5 | Rodriguez Vargas, Orestes | 4½/9 | +1 -1 =7 | games → |
| 8 | Visier Segovia, Fernando | 4/9 | +1 -2 =6 | games → |
| 9 | Castro Rojas, Oscar Humberto | 3½/9 | +2 -4 =3 | games → |
| 10 | Pacheco, V | 1½/9 | +0 -6 =3 | games → |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eslon, Jaan | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 2 | Debarnot, Roberto Luis | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 3 | Ochoa de Echaguen, Francisco Javier | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 4 | Martin Gonzalez, Angel | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 5 | Medina Garcia, Antonio Angel | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 6 | Palacios de la Prida, Ernesto | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | |
| 7 | Rodriguez Vargas, Orestes | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 8 | Visier Segovia, Fernando | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | |
| 9 | Castro Rojas, Oscar Humberto | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | |
| 10 | Pacheco, V | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ |
Each cell shows the row player's per-game results against the column player (in round order). ● = same player.