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.
It came at an important moment for Fischer. 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 in early 1959 (he also placed high at Zurich that spring) before he traveled to Yugoslavia in September for the Bled–Zagreb–Belgrade Candidates, where he first met 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 |
| =3 | 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 |
| =8 | 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 |
| =11 | Bolbochan, Jacobo | 4½/14 | +1 -6 =7 | games |
| =13 | Souza Mendes, Joao | 4/14 | +3 -9 =2 | games |
| =13 | 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 recorded results against the column player. ● = same player.