Reggio Emilia 1974/75

◈Two unbeaten leaders

Rodríguez Vargas and Zichichi finished with identical scorelines — five wins, six draws, no losses — a full point clear of the field. Wikipedia's roll of tournament winners records the edition under the Peruvian's name, and his own biography counts first place at Reggio Emilia 1974/75 among his results; Zichichi's records it just as firmly as a shared first.

The chase on 7 was led by the tournament's fighters: America's Edward Formanek and Yugoslavia's Stanimir Nikolić each scored six wins but paid for it with three defeats, while Switzerland's André Lombard — third here in the 1971/72 edition — took the steadier route. Tournament founder Enrico Paoli, a week short of his 67th birthday, posted a plus score of 6/11 in sixth place in the event he had created.

◈The Peruvian pioneer

Orestes Rodríguez Vargas, born in Lima in 1943, arrived as the dominant player of his country: Peruvian champion five years running from 1968 to 1972 and an international master since 1972, with a second place at Buenos Aires 1973 behind him. Reggio Emilia 1974/75 became one of the signature victories of his European emergence.

In 1978 he became the first Peruvian ever awarded the grandmaster title, the same year he won an individual silver medal on top board at the Buenos Aires Olympiad. He settled in Spain and represented his adopted country from 1982, remaining active for decades until his death in 2024.

◈Zichichi's home triumph

For Alvise Zichichi, the Milan-born stalwart of Italian chess, the shared first place was the high point of a long relationship with the Capodanno: he had shared third in 1969/70 and shared seventh in 1972/73 before breaking through. A bronze medalist in the 1973 Italian Championship, he received the international master title in 1977, won the Italian Championship outright in 1984, and represented Italy in seven Olympiads between 1966 and 1986.