On home Yugoslav soil, the 51-year-old veteran Boris Kostić won a strong international round-robin at Ljubljana, finishing a half-point ahead of the rising Hungarian star László Szabó. Ljubljana 1938 set several generations against one another and rewarded the experience of one of Yugoslavia's most travelled masters.
An international field in Ljubljana
Sixteen players contested a fifteen-round round-robin in the Slovenian capital, then part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. The field blended home talent with strong visitors: the veteran Boris Kostić, Vasja Pirc, Petar Trifunović and Lajos Asztalos for Yugoslavia, the Hungarians László Szabó and Lajos Steiner, the globe-trotting Savielly Tartakower, and the Czech Jan Foltys among others.
There was a strong local flavour, too. Milan Vidmar — one of the greatest players ever born in Ljubljana — competed on home ground and shared fifth place, while his son Milan Vidmar Jr. also took part in the same event.
Experience wins out
Kostić, already past fifty, paced the tournament to finish clear first on 10½/15. Half a point behind came the young Szabó — barely into his twenties and one of Hungary's brightest prospects — on 10 points, with Tartakower and Lajos Steiner sharing third on 9½.
For Kostić the result was a fine late-career triumph against a field stocked with younger rivals, and one of the stronger international events staged in Yugoslavia in the years before the Second World War interrupted the country's flourishing chess scene.
Final standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kostic, Boris | 10½/15 | +7 -1 =7 | games |
| 2 | Szabo, Laszlo | 10/15 | +6 -1 =8 | games |
| =3 | Steiner, Lajos | 9½/15 | +6 -2 =7 | games |
| =3 | Tartakower, Saviely | 9½/15 | +4 -0 =11 | games |
| =5 | Asztalos, Lajos | 8½/15 | +3 -1 =11 | games |
| =5 | Trifunovic, Petar | 8½/15 | +3 -1 =11 | games |
| =5 | Vidmar, Milan Sr | 8½/15 | +3 -1 =11 | games |
| 8 | Pirc, Vasja | 8/15 | +2 -1 =12 | games |
| =9 | Broder, Mirko | 7½/15 | +4 -4 =7 | games |
| =9 | Vidmar, Milan Jr | 7½/15 | +1 -1 =13 | games |
| 11 | Foltys, Jan | 7/15 | +2 -3 =10 | games |
| 12 | Nedeljkovic, Ozren | 6/15 | +2 -5 =8 | games |
| =13 | Tot, Bora | 5½/15 | +3 -7 =5 | games |
| =13 | Furlani, Ljudmil | 5½/15 | +1 -5 =9 | games |
| 15 | Preinfalk, Anton | 5/15 | +1 -6 =8 | games |
| 16 | Sorli, Joze | 3/15 | +1 -10 =4 | games |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kostic, Boris | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2 | Szabo, Laszlo | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 3 | Steiner, Lajos | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 4 | Tartakower, Saviely | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 5 | Asztalos, Lajos | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 6 | Trifunovic, Petar | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 7 | Vidmar, Milan Sr | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 8 | Pirc, Vasja | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 9 | Broder, Mirko | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 10 | Vidmar, Milan Jr | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 11 | Foltys, Jan | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 12 | Nedeljkovic, Ozren | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 13 | Tot, Bora | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 14 | Furlani, Ljudmil | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | |
| 15 | Preinfalk, Anton | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | |
| 16 | Sorli, Joze | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ |
Each cell shows the row player's recorded results against the column player. ● = same player.