Rubinstein Memorial 1966
Vasily Smyslov, world champion in 1957, came to Polanica-Zdrój for the fourth Rubinstein Memorial and simply outclassed the field, winning eight of his fourteen games without a single loss to finish on 11 — a full two points clear of the chasing pack.
◈A former world champion in Rubinstein's town
Smyslov had held the world title in 1957 before losing the rematch to Botvinnik the following year, and by 1966 he remained one of the strongest players anywhere. His entry alone was a coup for a tournament only four editions old, and a Polish chess press that later looked back on the memorial's history would note simply that every time Smyslov played in Polanica-Zdrój, he won in convincing style.
◈Eight wins, no losses
He proved it again in 1966, going undefeated through fourteen rounds — eight wins and six draws — to finish on 11 points, two clear of the field. East Germany's Heinz Liebert took second on 9, level on points with Hungary's Levente Lengyel, while Poland's own Zbigniew Doda was the best-placed home player among the fifteen competitors.
◈Final Standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smyslov, Vassily V | 11/14 | +8 -0 =6 | games → |
| 2 | Liebert, Heinz | 9/14 | +6 -2 =6 | games → |
| 3 | Lengyel, Levente | 9/14 | +5 -1 =8 | games → |
| 4 | Damjanovic, Mato | 8/14 | +5 -3 =6 | games → |
| 5 | Doda, Zbigniew | 7½/14 | +4 -3 =7 | games → |
| 6 | Smederevac, Petar | 7/14 | +4 -4 =6 | games → |
| 7 | Kluger, Gyula | 7/14 | +3 -3 =8 | games → |
| 8 | Bednarski, Jacek B | 7/14 | +2 -2 =10 | games → |
| 9 | Sliwa, Bogdan Stanislaw | 6½/14 | +5 -6 =3 | games → |
| 10 | Sydor, Andrzej | 6/14 | +4 -6 =4 | games → |
| 11 | Filipowicz, Andrzej | 6/14 | +3 -5 =6 | games → |
| 12 | Neikirkh, Oleg | 6/14 | +2 -4 =8 | games → |
| 13 | Balcerowski, Witold | 5½/14 | +3 -6 =5 | games → |
| 14 | Ujtelky, Maximilian | 5½/14 | +2 -5 =7 | games → |
| 15 | Pietrusiak, Bogdan | 4/14 | +1 -7 =6 | games → |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smyslov, Vassily V | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 2 | Liebert, Heinz | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | |
| 3 | Lengyel, Levente | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 4 | Damjanovic, Mato | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 5 | Doda, Zbigniew | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 6 | Smederevac, Petar | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 7 | Kluger, Gyula | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 8 | Bednarski, Jacek B | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 9 | Sliwa, Bogdan Stanislaw | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 10 | Sydor, Andrzej | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | |
| 11 | Filipowicz, Andrzej | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 12 | Neikirkh, Oleg | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 13 | Balcerowski, Witold | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | |
| 14 | Ujtelky, Maximilian | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | |
| 15 | Pietrusiak, Bogdan | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 |
Each cell shows the row player's per-game results against the column player (in round order). ● = same player.