Sponsor Luis Rentero transformed his young tournament into a genuine elite event by bringing the reigning world champion to Andalusia — and the American grandmaster Larry Christiansen matched him stride for stride. Anatoly Karpov and Christiansen shared first on 8/11, ahead of Bent Larsen, in the edition that put Linares on the world chess map.
Rentero raises the stakes
After the modest 1978 debut and a grandmaster edition in 1979, Luis Rentero revamped the Ciudad de Linares by raising its category dramatically. World Champion Anatoly Karpov headed a twelve-player field that included Bent Larsen, Boris Spassky, Lajos Portisch, Zoltán Ribli, Lubomir Kavalek, Svetozar Gligorić, Ljubomir Ljubojević, Miguel Quinteros, Juan Manuel Bellón, and Cuba's Guillermo García González. Larry Christiansen returned as the winner of the 1979 edition.
Two very different roads to 8/11
The co-champions reached the same score by opposite means. Karpov was the model of championship control, going through the tournament undefeated with five wins and six draws. Christiansen attacked: six wins against a single loss, the fighting score of the event, taken against the strongest field the young American had yet faced.
Larsen took clear third on 7, with Ribli next on 6½ and Spassky and Kavalek sharing fifth on 6.
Linares arrives
The 1981 edition showed that Rentero could bring the very best players to a small Andalusian mining city. Linares went on to become one of the strongest regular tournaments in the world, later nicknamed the Wimbledon of chess, and sharing first with Karpov was one of the best results of Christiansen's career.
Final standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Christiansen, Larry Mark | 8/11 | +6 -1 =4 | games |
| =1 | Karpov, Anatoly | 8/11 | +5 -0 =6 | games |
| 3 | Larsen, Bent | 7/11 | +5 -2 =4 | games |
| 4 | Ribli, Zoltan | 6½/11 | +3 -1 =7 | games |
| =5 | Kavalek, Lubomir | 6/11 | +2 -1 =8 | games |
| =5 | Spassky, Boris Vasilievich | 6/11 | +2 -1 =8 | games |
| 7 | Portisch, Lajos | 5½/11 | +3 -3 =5 | games |
| =8 | Gligoric, Svetozar | 5/11 | +3 -4 =4 | games |
| =8 | Ljubojevic, Ljubomir | 5/11 | +1 -2 =8 | games |
| 10 | Quinteros, Miguel Angel | 4/11 | +2 -5 =4 | games |
| 11 | Bellon Lopez, Juan Manuel | 3½/11 | +3 -7 =1 | games |
| 12 | Garcia Gonzales, Guillermo | 1½/11 | +0 -8 =3 | games |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christiansen, Larry Mark | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2 | Karpov, Anatoly | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 3 | Larsen, Bent | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 4 | Ribli, Zoltan | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | |
| 5 | Kavalek, Lubomir | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 6 | Spassky, Boris Vasilievich | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | |
| 7 | Portisch, Lajos | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 8 | Gligoric, Svetozar | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 9 | Ljubojevic, Ljubomir | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | |
| 10 | Quinteros, Miguel Angel | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 11 | Bellon Lopez, Juan Manuel | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 12 | Garcia Gonzales, Guillermo | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 |
Each cell shows the row player's recorded results against the column player. ● = same player.