Keres finally draws level with Alekhine

Salzburg 1943

9–19 June 1943 · Salzburg, Austria
Shared first (Alekhine, Keres) — 7½/10

A year after the first Salzburg grandmasters' event, the same wartime series returned with another six-player double round-robin. This time Paul Keres caught World Champion Alexander Alekhine — both finished undefeated on 7½/10 to share first place, ending a run in which Keres had trailed the champion into second at Salzburg 1942, Munich 1942 and Prague earlier in 1943.

Dates
9–19 June 1943
Venue
Salzburg
Format
Double round-robin, 6 players (10 rounds)
Winners
Alekhine & Keres, 7½/10 (shared)
Third
Paul Felix Schmidt, 4½/10

The series continues

Salzburg 1943 was the sequel to the previous year's grandmasters' meeting, again gathering six players for a full double round-robin over ten rounds. Alekhine, Keres, Paul Felix Schmidt and Efim Bogoljubow returned from 1942, while Jan Foltys and Ludwig Rellstab came in for Gösta Stoltz and Klaus Junge.

A shared first

Both leaders went through all ten rounds without defeat and finished level on 7½ — the first time in their wartime meetings that Keres matched Alekhine rather than finishing a step behind him.

The rest of the field was left far in their wake: Schmidt took third on 4½, followed by Bogoljubow (4), Foltys (3½) and Rellstab (3).

6
Players
30
Games
10
Rounds
Joint-winning score

Final Standings

7½/10
Shared first (Alekhine, Keres) — 7½/10
# Player Score Record Games
=1 Alekhine, Alexander /10 +5 -0 =5
=1 Keres, Paul /10 +5 -0 =5
3 Schmidt, Paul Felix /10 +2 -3 =5
4 Bogoljubow, Efim 4/10 +2 -4 =4
5 Foltys, Jan /10 +1 -4 =5
6 Rellstab, Ludwig Sr 3/10 +1 -5 =4

Cross Table

Rank Player 123456
1 Alekhine, Alexander ½½ ½1 ½1 11
2 Keres, Paul ½½ ½1 11 ½1
3 Schmidt, Paul Felix ½0 10 ½½
4 Bogoljubow, Efim ½0 00 01 ½½
5 Foltys, Jan ½0 ½0 ½½ 10
6 Rellstab, Ludwig Sr 00 ½½ 01

Each cell shows the row player's per-game results against the column player (in round order). ● = same player.