18th Chess Olympiad — Lugano 1968

A record field, and the Olympiad Fischer walked out of
17 October – 7 November 1968 · Lugano, Switzerland
The Soviet Union won the 18th Chess Olympiad at Lugano in 1968 with 39½ board points and an 82% overall score, ahead of Yugoslavia (31) and Bulgaria (30). The United States, whom Bobby Fischer left before play began, finished fourth.
Event Index 1905 GAMES

A record fifty-three nations gathered at Lugano for the 18th Chess Olympiad, but the story that endured was a departure: Bobby Fischer flew in to lead the United States, judged the playing conditions unacceptable, and flew home before a move was played. Without him the Americans finished fourth, while the Soviet Union — with Tigran Petrosian again on top board — took gold with 39½ points and an 82% overall score.

A record field at Lugano

Fifty-three nations entered — a new record — and were sorted into seven preliminary groups, each a four-board round robin. The top two from every group advanced to the fourteen-team Championship Final (Final A); the rest were split into Final B, Final C and an eleven-team Final D.

Each final was scored separately, so the board points in the standings are section totals, not cross-field figures. The archive here holds 1,905 of the 1,912 games played, six having been forfeited.

Fischer flies home

Bobby Fischer arrived expecting to play board one for the United States, but he objected to the tables, chairs, chess sets and lighting on offer. When the organisers refused to meet his demands, he left Lugano before the tournament began, forfeiting his appearance fee and abandoning his team. The Americans, deprived of their leader, still reached the Championship Final and finished fourth on 29½ points.

The ninth straight Soviet gold

The Soviet Union, led as ever by world champion Petrosian, was again in a class of its own, running out to 39½ points for its ninth consecutive Olympiad gold. Yugoslavia took silver on 31 and Bulgaria bronze on 30, ahead of the United States (29½), West Germany (29) and Hungary (27½).

The individual honours again went largely to the Soviets and their rivals: Petrosian took the board-one gold with 87.5%, Viktor Korchnoi won board three at 84.6%, and Vasily Smyslov posted 91.7% as second reserve. Bulgaria's Georgi Tringov claimed board two.

Final standings

39½
The Soviet Union won the 18th Chess Olympiad at Lugano in 1968 with 39½ board points and an 82% overall score, ahead of Yugoslavia (31) and Bulgaria (30). The United States, whom Bobby Fischer left before play began, finished fourth.

A record 53 nations played a two-stage, four-board round robin at Lugano: seven preliminary groups, then the top two of each formed the fourteen-team Championship Final (Final A, places 1–14), with the rest split into Final B (15–28), Final C (29–42), and an eleven-team Final D (43–53). Points are within each section, so a lower section's total can exceed a higher one. The archive holds 1,905 of the 1,912 games played (6 were forfeited).

This archive holds 1905 of the 1912 games played; the standings above are the official final result.

# Team Points
1 Soviet Union 39½
2 Yugoslavia 31
3 Bulgaria 30
4 United States 29½
5 West Germany 29
6 Hungary 27½
7 Argentina 26
8 Romania 26
9 Czechoslovakia 24½
10 East Germany 24½
11 Poland 23
12 Denmark 21
13 Canada 19
14 The Philippines 13½
15 Netherlands 33½
16 England 33
17 Austria 30½
18 Israel 30
19 Spain 28½
20 Cuba 27
21 Switzerland 27
22 Iceland 26
23 Finland 24½
24 Sweden 22½
25 Brazil 21½
26 Belgium 20½
27 Mongolia 20
28 Scotland 19½
29 Australia 38
30 Norway 36
31 Italy 31½
32 Venezuela 30
33 Turkey 29½
34 Greece 28½
35 Portugal 27½
36 Republic of South Africa 27½
37 Tunisia 26
38 Ireland 21
39 Luxembourg 20½
40 Puerto Rico 19½
41 Morocco 16
42 Monaco 12½
43 Singapore 32
44 France 30
45 Paraguay 27½
46 Mexico 23½
47 Dominican Republic 23½
48 Hong Kong 22½
49 Costa Rica 14½
50 Lebanon 13½
51 Cyprus 13
52 Virgin Islands 11
53 Andorra 9
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