23rd Chess Olympiad — Buenos Aires 1978

◇The federations reunited

After the boycott-riven Haifa Olympiad, Buenos Aires 1978 brought the Western and Eastern chess worlds back together under the new Swiss format: sixty-five nations across fourteen rounds on four boards. As the host, Argentina entered a second reserve team, Argentina "B," which played outside the competition and is shown here unranked.

The Olympiad also marked the debut of China, which finished 20th with six untitled players — the modest beginning of a rise that would one day carry the country to Olympic gold.

◇Hungary ends the Soviet streak

The Soviet Union were huge favourites, fielding a squad that averaged well above Hungary's on rating. But Portisch's team held its nerve across the long Swiss and finished a full point clear: Hungary 37, the Soviet Union 36, the United States 35. West Germany, Israel and Romania rounded out the top six.

It was Hungary's first Olympiad gold in half a century, since Hamburg 1928, and it ended a Soviet run of titles unbroken since Helsinki 1952. It was one of the great team results of Cold War chess.

◇Board medals

The individual board prizes spread widely. Viktor Korchnoi, by then playing under the Swiss flag, took board-one gold with 9/11. Poland's Adam Kuligowski won board two on 10/13, Bulgaria's Georgi Tringov board three, and the Philippines' Glenn Bordonada board four. On the reserve boards, James Tarjan of the United States posted a superb 9½/11. In the women's event the Soviet Union won team gold, and Elena Akhmilovskaya scored a flawless 10/10 on the reserve board — the only perfect score in Olympiad history.