Wijk aan Zee 1968 (Hoogovens)
In 1968 the Hoogovens tournament settled into the North Sea village of Wijk aan Zee, the seaside home it has kept ever since. The inaugural edition belonged entirely to Viktor Korchnoi, whose 12/15 left the field three full points behind — one of the most dominant winning scores in the tournament's history.
◈A new home at Wijk aan Zee
After three decades in Beverwijk, the tournament outgrew its founding town and moved a few kilometres west to the coastal village of Wijk aan Zee for 1968. The event kept its patron, the Koninklijke Hoogovens steelworks, and its January slot; it simply gained more space for its players and spectators. The move proved permanent, and Wijk aan Zee became one of the most familiar addresses in the chess calendar.
As before, sixteen players met in a single round-robin over fifteen rounds — 120 games in all.
◈Korchnoi's runaway victory
Viktor Korchnoi turned the first Wijk aan Zee tournament into a procession, scoring 12/15 to finish three full points clear of the chasing pack. Lajos Portisch, Mikhail Tal, and Vlastimil Hort shared second place on 9, with Florin Gheorghiu just behind on 8½.
Korchnoi was already one of the world's leading players, a multiple Soviet champion who would twice challenge for the World Championship in the following decade. A margin of three points over a field this strong marked the new venue's opening with an emphatic result.
◈Final Standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kortschnoj, Viktor Lvovich | 12/15 | +10 -1 =4 | games → |
| 2 | Portisch, Lajos | 9/15 | +6 -3 =6 | games → |
| 3 | Tal, Mihail | 9/15 | +5 -2 =8 | games → |
| 4 | Hort, Vlastimil | 9/15 | +3 -0 =12 | games → |
| 5 | Gheorghiu, Florin | 8½/15 | +2 -0 =13 | games → |
| 6 | Ciric, Dragoljub M | 8/15 | +4 -3 =8 | games → |
| 7 | Matanovic, Aleksandar | 8/15 | +2 -1 =12 | games → |
| 8 | Ree, Hans | 7½/15 | +4 -4 =7 | games → |
| 9 | Ivkov, Borislav | 7½/15 | +2 -2 =11 | games → |
| 10 | Donner, Jan Hein | 7/15 | +3 -4 =8 | games → |
| 11 | Bobotsov, Milko Georgiev | 7/15 | +2 -3 =10 | games → |
| 12 | Padevsky, Nikola Bochev | 7/15 | +1 -2 =12 | games → |
| 13 | Karaklajic, Nikola | 6½/15 | +2 -4 =9 | games → |
| 14 | Rossolimo, Nicolas | 6/15 | +2 -5 =8 | games → |
| 15 | Langeweg, Kick | 5/15 | +0 -5 =10 | games → |
| 16 | Van Geet, Dick Daniel | 3/15 | +0 -9 =6 | games → |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kortschnoj, Viktor Lvovich | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 2 | Portisch, Lajos | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | |
| 3 | Tal, Mihail | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 4 | Hort, Vlastimil | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | |
| 5 | Gheorghiu, Florin | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 6 | Ciric, Dragoljub M | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 7 | Matanovic, Aleksandar | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 8 | Ree, Hans | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 9 | Ivkov, Borislav | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 10 | Donner, Jan Hein | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 11 | Bobotsov, Milko Georgiev | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 12 | Padevsky, Nikola Bochev | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 13 | Karaklajic, Nikola | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | |
| 14 | Rossolimo, Nicolas | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | |
| 15 | Langeweg, Kick | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 16 | Van Geet, Dick Daniel | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ |
Each cell shows the row player's per-game results against the column player (in round order). ● = same player.