Ljubljana 1938
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 → |
| 4 | 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 → |
| 10 | 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 → |
| 14 | 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 per-game results against the column player (in round order). ● = same player.