The thirteenth Mar del Plata international drew a rising European star to the Argentine coast. Svetozar Gligorić of Yugoslavia won it by half a point over a tightly packed field — the first of the two Mar del Plata titles that would help make the resort part of his story.
A rising Yugoslav
By 1950 Svetozar Gligorić was emerging as the strongest of the postwar Yugoslav school, and his trip to Argentina announced him to South American audiences. Across seventeen rounds he stayed just ahead of the chasing pack, taking clear first on 11½/17 — half a point in front of the runners-up.
It was the first of Gligorić's two wins at the resort. He won again in 1953, the year whose Najdorf–Gligorić King's Indian gave the opening its Mar del Plata Variation.
The pack behind
The margin at the top was slender. Carlos Guimard and Vasja Pirc shared the places just behind Gligorić, with Héctor Rossetto and Julio Bolbochán a further half-point back — four strong finishers separated by the narrowest of gaps.
The eighteen-player field again blended Argentine masters with international visitors, among them the French-based Nicolas Rossolimo and the Yugoslav Petar Trifunović. For Moshe Czerniak, who finished mid-table, it was among his last tournaments as a resident of Argentina before he emigrated to Israel.
Final standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gligoric, Svetozar | 11½/17 | +7 -1 =9 | games |
| =2 | Guimard, Carlos Enrique | 11/17 | +7 -2 =8 | games |
| =2 | Pirc, Vasja | 11/17 | +7 -2 =8 | games |
| =4 | Rossetto, Hector | 10½/17 | +8 -4 =5 | games |
| =4 | Bolbochan, Julio | 10½/17 | +5 -1 =11 | games |
| =6 | Pilnik, Hermann | 10/17 | +5 -2 =10 | games |
| =6 | Eliskases, Erich Gottlieb | 10/17 | +4 -1 =12 | games |
| 8 | Rossolimo, Nicolas | 9½/17 | +5 -3 =9 | games |
| =9 | Czerniak, Moshe | 9/17 | +6 -5 =6 | games |
| =9 | Michel, Paul | 9/17 | +4 -3 =10 | games |
| =9 | Trifunovic, Petar | 9/17 | +4 -3 =10 | games |
| 12 | Martin, Pedro | 8½/17 | +5 -5 =7 | games |
| 13 | Maderna, Carlos Hugo | 7½/17 | +5 -7 =5 | games |
| 14 | Marini, Luis | 6½/17 | +2 -6 =9 | games |
| =15 | De Freitas, Marcio Elisio | 5½/17 | +2 -8 =7 | games |
| =15 | Castillo Bermudez, Manuel | 5½/17 | +1 -7 =9 | games |
| 17 | Luckis, Marcos | 4½/17 | +1 -9 =7 | games |
| 18 | Sanguinetti, Renato | 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 | Gligoric, Svetozar | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 2 | Guimard, Carlos Enrique | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 3 | Pirc, Vasja | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 4 | Rossetto, Hector | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 5 | Bolbochan, Julio | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 6 | Pilnik, Hermann | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 7 | Eliskases, Erich Gottlieb | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | |
| 8 | Rossolimo, Nicolas | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 9 | Czerniak, Moshe | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 10 | Michel, Paul | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 11 | Trifunovic, Petar | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 12 | Martin, Pedro | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 13 | Maderna, Carlos Hugo | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | |
| 14 | Marini, Luis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 15 | De Freitas, Marcio Elisio | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 16 | Castillo Bermudez, Manuel | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | |
| 17 | Luckis, Marcos | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | |
| 18 | Sanguinetti, Renato | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 |
Each cell shows the row player's recorded results against the column player. ● = same player.