The reigning World Champion Garry Kasparov came to Linares for the first time carrying the highest rating chess had ever seen, and he left with the first of what would become a record nine titles at the event. But the 8/11 victory was narrower than expected: the 21-year-old Boris Gelfand pushed him to the very last day.
The champion arrives
Kasparov had held the world title since 1985, and on the January 1990 rating list he became the first player in history to reach a FIDE rating of 2800 — comfortably the highest mark in the world. His first visit to Linares had the feel of a coronation waiting to happen.
He duly won, scoring 8/11 with six victories against a single loss. Yet the tournament was no procession. Kasparov secured first place only by half a point, a margin that made the last rounds far tenser than his status suggested.
Gelfand's fright
The player who made Kasparov sweat was Boris Gelfand, a 21-year-old from Minsk enjoying his finest result to date. Gelfand finished second on 7½ — matching the champion for wins with six of his own — and served notice of the top-class career ahead of him.
Valery Salov took third on 7, with Vasyl Ivanchuk fourth and Nigel Short fifth. Further down sat a piece of history: the former World Champion Boris Spassky, who shared ninth. Kasparov's win here opened an era of dominance at Linares that no other player would come close to matching.
“Kasparov managed to stay on top of the category 16 tournament in Linares, Southern Spain, but only after he had been given something of a fright by his 21-year-old compatriot Boris Gelfand.”
Final standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kasparov, Garry | 8/11 | +6 -1 =4 | games |
| 2 | Gelfand, Boris | 7½/11 | +6 -2 =3 | games |
| 3 | Salov, Valery | 7/11 | +4 -1 =6 | games |
| 4 | Ivanchuk, Vassily | 6½/11 | +3 -1 =7 | games |
| 5 | Short, Nigel D | 6/11 | +4 -3 =4 | games |
| =6 | Gulko, Boris F | 5½/11 | +3 -3 =5 | games |
| =6 | Yusupov, Artur | 5½/11 | +3 -3 =5 | games |
| 8 | Beliavsky, Alexander G | 5/11 | +3 -4 =4 | games |
| =9 | Illescas Cordoba, Miguel Angel | 4/11 | +2 -5 =4 | games |
| =9 | Portisch, Lajos | 4/11 | +2 -5 =4 | games |
| =9 | Spassky, Boris Vasilievich | 4/11 | +1 -4 =6 | games |
| 12 | Ljubojevic, Ljubomir | 3/11 | +0 -5 =6 | games |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kasparov, Garry | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 2 | Gelfand, Boris | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 3 | Salov, Valery | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | |
| 4 | Ivanchuk, Vassily | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 5 | Short, Nigel D | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | |
| 6 | Gulko, Boris F | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 7 | Yusupov, Artur | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 8 | Beliavsky, Alexander G | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 9 | Illescas Cordoba, Miguel Angel | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | |
| 10 | Portisch, Lajos | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 11 | Spassky, Boris Vasilievich | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | |
| 12 | Ljubojevic, Ljubomir | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ |
Each cell shows the row player's recorded results against the column player. ● = same player.