Tilburg 1979
With the Soviets back at the board, the third Interpolis returned to full strength — a Category XV round-robin averaging around 2606 Elo. World Champion Anatoly Karpov won it on 7½/11, holding off a spirited challenge from Oleg Romanishin.
◈The series comes of age
By its third year the Interpolis tournament had established itself as one of the premier round-robins in the game, and the 1979 field reflected it: an average rating around 2606, good for Category XV. World Champion Anatoly Karpov headed a cast that included former champions Boris Spassky and Vasily Smyslov, alongside Lajos Portisch, Jan Timman, Bent Larsen, Vlastimil Hort, Robert Hübner, Lubomir Kavalek, Gyula Sax, Oleg Romanishin and Gennadi Sosonko.
The event was staged, as the Interpolis series was throughout, in Tilburg under the insurer's sponsorship — a fixture that would keep drawing the world's best through the following decade.
◈Karpov holds off Romanishin
Karpov again proved the strongest, finishing on 7½/11 to take clear first. The revelation was Oleg Romanishin, whose enterprising play carried him to sole second on 7 — one of the finest performances of his career — with Lajos Portisch a further half-point back in third on 6½.
The win underlined Karpov's command of the elite circuit during his championship years, and confirmed Tilburg's place at the heart of it.
◈Final Standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karpov, Anatoly | 7½/11 | +4 -0 =7 | games → |
| 2 | Romanishin, Oleg M | 7/11 | +4 -1 =6 | games → |
| 3 | Portisch, Lajos | 6½/11 | +3 -1 =7 | games → |
| 4 | Sax, Gyula | 6/11 | +2 -1 =8 | games → |
| 5 | Larsen, Bent | 5½/11 | +4 -4 =3 | games → |
| =6 | Sosonko, Gennadi | 5½/11 | +3 -3 =5 | games → |
| =6 | Timman, Jan H | 5½/11 | +3 -3 =5 | games → |
| 8 | Spassky, Boris Vasilievich | 5½/11 | +1 -1 =9 | games → |
| 9 | Hort, Vlastimil | 5/11 | +2 -3 =6 | games → |
| 10 | Huebner, Robert | 5/11 | +1 -2 =8 | games → |
| 11 | Kavalek, Lubomir | 4½/11 | +0 -2 =9 | games → |
| 12 | Smyslov, Vassily V | 2½/11 | +1 -7 =3 | games → |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karpov, Anatoly | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 2 | Romanishin, Oleg M | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 3 | Portisch, Lajos | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 4 | Sax, Gyula | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 5 | Larsen, Bent | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | |
| 6 | Sosonko, Gennadi | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | |
| 7 | Timman, Jan H | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 8 | Spassky, Boris Vasilievich | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | |
| 9 | Hort, Vlastimil | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 10 | Huebner, Robert | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 11 | Kavalek, Lubomir | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 12 | Smyslov, Vassily V | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ |
Each cell shows the row player's per-game results against the column player (in round order). ● = same player.