Miguel Najdorf had already won or shared this title in 1942, 1944, 1945, 1946, and 1948. In the 24th edition he went one better than a shared score, finishing outright first at 12½ from 15 — a full point clear of a four-way tie for second between Robert Byrne, Miroslav Filip, Aleksandar Matanović, and Héctor Rossetto — and extended a run of Mar del Plata titles stretching back nearly two decades.
The 24th Mar del Plata
Sixteen players took part in the 1961 edition, a single round-robin of 120 games over fifteen rounds. The visiting strength included the American Robert Byrne, Czechoslovakia's Miroslav Filip, and Yugoslavia's Aleksandar Matanović, set against a home contingent led by Héctor Rossetto and Miguel Najdorf, with René Letelier Martner of Chile and the young Carlos Bielicki also in the field.
Najdorf's long shadow over the event
Najdorf finished on 12½/15, a clear point ahead of a four-way tie for second between Byrne, Filip, Matanović and Rossetto, all on 11½. Even by his own standards at this event it was a big result: Najdorf had won Mar del Plata in 1942 (13½/17), shared first with Hermán Pilnik in 1944 (12/15), won again in 1945 (11/15) and 1946 (16/18), and taken the title once more in 1948 (14/17). The 1961 win carried that record into a third decade at the tournament most closely tied to his name.
Born in 1910, Najdorf was in his early fifties by 1961, a veteran facing a field stacked with leading international grandmasters. An outright win by a full point was a considerable statement — proof that the Polish-Argentine star, a world championship candidate in the 1950 cycle and one of the most celebrated players never to hold the world title, remained a match for anyone at his adopted home tournament.
Final standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Najdorf, Miguel | 12½/15 | +11 -1 =3 | games |
| =2 | Rossetto, Hector | 11½/15 | +11 -3 =1 | games |
| =2 | Byrne, Robert Eugene | 11½/15 | +9 -1 =5 | games |
| =2 | Filip, Miroslav | 11½/15 | +9 -1 =5 | games |
| =2 | Matanovic, Aleksandar | 11½/15 | +9 -1 =5 | games |
| 6 | Letelier Martner, Rene | 9/15 | +5 -2 =8 | games |
| 7 | Bielicki, Carlos | 7½/15 | +5 -5 =5 | games |
| 8 | Dominguez, Christobal | 7/15 | +4 -5 =6 | games |
| 9 | Reinhardt, Enrique Heinrich | 6½/15 | +5 -7 =3 | games |
| =10 | Pelikan, Jorge | 6/15 | +4 -7 =4 | games |
| =10 | Perez Perez, Francisco Jose | 6/15 | +4 -7 =4 | games |
| 12 | Wexler, Bernardo | 5½/15 | +4 -8 =3 | games |
| 13 | Goldenberg, Edgardo | 5/15 | +2 -7 =6 | games |
| 14 | Camara, Ronald | 4½/15 | +1 -7 =7 | games |
| 15 | Quinones, Oscar Carillo | 2½/15 | +0 -10 =5 | games |
| 16 | Silva Nazzari, Roberto | 2/15 | +0 -11 =4 | games |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Najdorf, Miguel | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2 | Rossetto, Hector | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 3 | Byrne, Robert Eugene | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 4 | Filip, Miroslav | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 5 | Matanovic, Aleksandar | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 6 | Letelier Martner, Rene | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 7 | Bielicki, Carlos | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 8 | Dominguez, Christobal | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 9 | Reinhardt, Enrique Heinrich | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 10 | Pelikan, Jorge | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | |
| 11 | Perez Perez, Francisco Jose | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 12 | Wexler, Bernardo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 13 | Goldenberg, Edgardo | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 14 | Camara, Ronald | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 15 | Quinones, Oscar Carillo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | |
| 16 | Silva Nazzari, Roberto | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ |
Each cell shows the row player's recorded results against the column player. ● = same player.