Mar del Plata 1959
The 22nd Mar del Plata brought fifteen masters together, Miguel Najdorf leading eight fellow Argentines against a visiting contingent that included Czechoslovakia's Luděk Pachman, Yugoslavia's Borislav Ivkov, Chile's René Letelier Martner, and a sixteen-year-old Bobby Fischer. Najdorf and Pachman shared first on 10½ from 14, with Fischer and Ivkov tied for third just half a point back — a strong staging post on Fischer's road to that autumn's Candidates Tournament.
◈The 22nd Mar del Plata
Fifteen masters and grandmasters from Europe and the Americas gathered at Mar del Plata from 21 March to 10 April 1959 for the tournament's twenty-second edition, a single round-robin of 105 games. Miguel Najdorf headed a strong home delegation of eight Argentines, facing international visitors led by Czechoslovakia's Luděk Pachman, Yugoslavia's Borislav Ivkov, Chile's René Letelier Martner, and the United States' Bobby Fischer, not yet seventeen.
◈A dead heat at the top
Pachman and Najdorf finished level on 10½ from 14 to share first place, with Fischer and Ivkov tied for third on 10, half a point behind. Letelier Martner took fifth on 9, ahead of Héctor Rossetto on 8.
For Fischer the result came at a pivotal moment. He had qualified for that year's Candidates Tournament by finishing sixth at the 1958 Portoroz Interzonal, and Mar del Plata was part of a strong run of early-1959 form — he also placed highly at Zurich that spring — before he travelled to Yugoslavia that September for the Bled–Zagreb–Belgrade Candidates, the event that would introduce him to Mikhail Tal.
◈Final Standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Pachman, Ludek | 10½/14 | +8 -1 =5 | games → |
| =1 | Najdorf, Miguel | 10½/14 | +7 -0 =7 | games → |
| 3 | Fischer, Robert James | 10/14 | +8 -2 =4 | games → |
| 4 | Ivkov, Borislav | 10/14 | +7 -1 =6 | games → |
| 5 | Letelier Martner, Rene | 9/14 | +7 -3 =4 | games → |
| 6 | Rossetto, Hector | 8/14 | +5 -3 =6 | games → |
| 7 | Wexler, Bernardo | 7½/14 | +3 -2 =9 | games → |
| 8 | Sanguineti, Raul | 7/14 | +4 -4 =6 | games → |
| 9 | Sanchez, Luis Augusto | 7/14 | +3 -3 =8 | games → |
| 10 | Emma, Jaime | 5½/14 | +3 -6 =5 | games → |
| 11 | Pilnik, Hermann | 4½/14 | +3 -8 =3 | games → |
| 12 | Bolbochan, Jacobo | 4½/14 | +1 -6 =7 | games → |
| 13 | Souza Mendes, Joao | 4/14 | +3 -9 =2 | games → |
| 14 | Shocron, Ruben | 4/14 | +2 -8 =4 | games → |
| 15 | Redolfi, Argentino Rodolfo | 3/14 | +2 -10 =2 | games → |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pachman, Ludek | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2 | Najdorf, Miguel | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | |
| 3 | Fischer, Robert James | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 4 | Ivkov, Borislav | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 5 | Letelier Martner, Rene | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 6 | Rossetto, Hector | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 7 | Wexler, Bernardo | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 8 | Sanguineti, Raul | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 9 | Sanchez, Luis Augusto | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 10 | Emma, Jaime | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | |
| 11 | Pilnik, Hermann | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 12 | Bolbochan, Jacobo | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | |
| 13 | Souza Mendes, Joao | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 14 | Shocron, Ruben | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | |
| 15 | Redolfi, Argentino Rodolfo | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Each cell shows the row player's per-game results against the column player (in round order). ● = same player.