The twelfth Mar del Plata international brought a new name to the trophy. Héctor Rossetto, still in his twenties, scored 13/17 to finish a full point clear of the established masters Erich Eliskases and Carlos Guimard, announcing himself among Argentina's very best.
A new name on the trophy
After Eliskases had broken Miguel Najdorf's long hold on Mar del Plata in 1948, the 1949 edition confirmed that the city's tournament had become a proving ground for the next generation of Argentine masters. Héctor Rossetto — who had shared fourth a year earlier — took clear first on 13/17, a point ahead of Eliskases and Carlos Guimard, who tied for second on 12.
Moshe Czerniak was fourth on 11½. It was a real breakthrough for Rossetto, who went on to become one of the leading figures of Argentine chess and won at Mar del Plata again in later years.
An international cast
The eighteen-player field again mixed resident masters with visitors from across the chess world. Among them were the veteran German-American Edward Lasker, the teenage Spanish prodigy Arturo Pomar, and the Chilean masters René Letelier and Rodrigo Flores Alvarez, alongside Argentine regulars such as Jacobo Bolbochán and Carlos Maderna.
The visitors found it hard going: Lasker finished on 7½ and the young Pomar on 5. By the end of the 1940s the players based around Mar del Plata made up a very strong field.
Final standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rossetto, Hector | 13/17 | +10 -1 =6 | games |
| =2 | Eliskases, Erich Gottlieb | 12/17 | +8 -1 =8 | games |
| =2 | Guimard, Carlos Enrique | 12/17 | +8 -1 =8 | games |
| 4 | Czerniak, Moshe | 11½/17 | +9 -3 =5 | games |
| 5 | Luckis, Marcos | 10/17 | +6 -3 =8 | games |
| =6 | Flores Alvarez, Rodrigo | 9½/17 | +7 -5 =5 | games |
| =6 | Letelier Martner, Rene | 9½/17 | +6 -4 =7 | games |
| =6 | Bolbochan, Jacobo | 9½/17 | +4 -2 =11 | games |
| =6 | Michel, Paul | 9½/17 | +4 -2 =11 | games |
| 10 | Iliesco, Juan Traian | 9/17 | +5 -4 =8 | games |
| =11 | Lasker, Edward | 7½/17 | +6 -8 =3 | games |
| =11 | Martin, Pedro | 7½/17 | +4 -6 =7 | games |
| =11 | Cruz, Walter Oswaldo | 7½/17 | +3 -5 =9 | games |
| 14 | Maderna, Carlos Hugo | 6½/17 | +2 -6 =9 | games |
| =15 | Benko, Francisco | 5/17 | +3 -10 =4 | games |
| =15 | Pomar Salamanca, Arturo | 5/17 | +2 -9 =6 | games |
| 17 | Roux Cabral, Luis | 4½/17 | +2 -10 =5 | games |
| 18 | Corte, Cesar Juan | 4/17 | +2 -11 =4 | games |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rossetto, Hector | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 2 | Eliskases, Erich Gottlieb | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 3 | Guimard, Carlos Enrique | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 4 | Czerniak, Moshe | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 5 | Luckis, Marcos | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 6 | Flores Alvarez, Rodrigo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 7 | Letelier Martner, Rene | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 8 | Bolbochan, Jacobo | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 9 | Michel, Paul | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 10 | Iliesco, Juan Traian | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 11 | Lasker, Edward | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 12 | Martin, Pedro | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 13 | Cruz, Walter Oswaldo | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 14 | Maderna, Carlos Hugo | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | |
| 15 | Benko, Francisco | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 16 | Pomar Salamanca, Arturo | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 17 | Roux Cabral, Luis | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 18 | Corte, Cesar Juan | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Each cell shows the row player's recorded results against the column player. ● = same player.