Rubinstein Memorial 1979
The seventeenth Akiba Rubinstein Memorial drew sixteen players from seven federations to the Polish spa town, and the strongest of them proved the point. Yuri Razuvaev, the Moscow grandmaster who had spent most of the decade as a second to World Champion Anatoly Karpov, won five games, drew ten, lost none, and finished on 10 from 15 — half a point ahead of the equally unbeaten Czechoslovak veteran Miroslav Filip.
◈A trainer's mind at the board
Razuvaev came to Polanica-Zdrój as a grandmaster of three years' standing who had already lived a career behind the scenes: from 1971 to 1978 he worked as a second to Anatoly Karpov, and he had taken first place at Dubna in 1978. In Poland he showed the discipline that would later make him one of the world's most respected trainers — five wins, no losses, and a half-point margin over the field. Decades on, he would coach Alexandra Kosteniuk to the 2008 Women's World Championship and be named a FIDE Senior Trainer.
Behind him, Miroslav Filip — twice a Candidate for the world championship in the 1950s and 1960s — was the only other player to escape defeat, taking clear second on 9½. Rainer Knaak of East Germany, Hungary's Iván Faragó, and Filip's countryman Vlastimil Jansa shared third on 9.
◈A broad field in the spa town
The sixteen-player field was one of the memorial's larger editions, with 120 games across fifteen rounds and entrants from the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, East Germany, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Iceland, and Poland. Gennadi Timoshchenko, the 1976 winner, finished in the group on 8½ alongside the young Icelander Jón L. Árnason, and the Yugoslav attacking talent Albin Planinc also took part.
Among the six Polish players, Jacek Bielczyk performed best: two wins and thirteen draws left him unbeaten on 8½, in the shared group just behind the leaders.
◈Final Standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Razuvaev, Yuri S | 10/15 | +5 -0 =10 | games → |
| 2 | Filip, Miroslav | 9½/15 | +4 -0 =11 | games → |
| 3 | Knaak, Rainer | 9/15 | +6 -3 =6 | games → |
| 4 | Farago, Ivan | 9/15 | +5 -2 =8 | games → |
| 5 | Jansa, Vlastimil | 9/15 | +4 -1 =10 | games → |
| 6 | Timoscenko, Gennadij A | 8½/15 | +5 -3 =7 | games → |
| 7 | Arnason, Jon Loftur | 8½/15 | +4 -2 =9 | games → |
| 8 | Bielczyk, Jacek | 8½/15 | +2 -0 =13 | games → |
| 9 | Spiridonov, Nikola | 8/15 | +3 -2 =10 | games → |
| =10 | Adamski, Jan | 8/15 | +2 -1 =12 | games → |
| =10 | Spassov, Liuben | 8/15 | +2 -1 =12 | games → |
| 12 | Planinc, Albin | 6/15 | +4 -7 =4 | games → |
| 13 | Schinzel, Wladyslaw | 5½/15 | +2 -6 =7 | games → |
| 14 | Pokojowczyk, Jerzy | 5/15 | +1 -6 =8 | games → |
| 15 | Kruszynski, Wlodzimierz | 4/15 | +2 -9 =4 | games → |
| 16 | Borkowski, Franciszek | 3½/15 | +3 -11 =1 | games → |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Razuvaev, Yuri S | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 2 | Filip, Miroslav | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 3 | Knaak, Rainer | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 4 | Farago, Ivan | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 5 | Jansa, Vlastimil | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 6 | Timoscenko, Gennadij A | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 7 | Arnason, Jon Loftur | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 8 | Bielczyk, Jacek | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 9 | Spiridonov, Nikola | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 10 | Adamski, Jan | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 11 | Spassov, Liuben | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 12 | Planinc, Albin | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 13 | Schinzel, Wladyslaw | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 14 | Pokojowczyk, Jerzy | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | |
| 15 | Kruszynski, Wlodzimierz | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | |
| 16 | Borkowski, Franciszek | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Each cell shows the row player's per-game results against the column player (in round order). ● = same player.