Candidates Tournament 1953
Introduction '''Zurich 1953''' was a chess tournament won by Vasily Smyslov. It was a Candidates Tournament for the 1954 World Chess Championship, which led to the match between Smyslov and Mikhail Botvinnik. The tournament is famous for the strength of the players, the high quality of the games, and books on the tournament by David Bronstein and Miguel Najdorf that are regarded as among the best tournament books ever written. In May 2022 Yuri Averbakh died at the age of 100, having been the last living player to have played in the tournament.The tournament was a double Round-robin  event. Players were assigned one point for every win and a half-point for each draw. In later years, Bronstein claimed that the Soviet players were accompanied by KGB agents. According to Bronstein, during the tournament, the KGB handlers started to worry that the American candidate, Samuel Reshevsky, would win, and began pressuring some of the Soviet players to throw their games against Smyslov, who was leading the other Soviet players in points. : #  Player  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  Total 1   xx ½½ 11 ½1 ½½ 11 ½½ ½0 ½½½½½½½½1½111½ 18 2   ½½ xx 1½ 11 ½½ ½0 ½½ ½½ 1½½½½½011½½½½½ 16 3   000½xx ½½ ½1 ½1 ½½ ½½ ½½0½111½½1½½11 16 4    ½0 00 ½½ xx ½½ ½½ ½½ 10½½½1½11½½1111½ 16 5   ½½ ½½ ½0 ½½ xx ½½ 0½ ½½ 00½½½½11½11½11 15 6   00½1½0½½ ½½xx 11½001½½011½½101½½ 14½ 7    ½½½½½½½½1½00xx 1½1½½0½½½½½½0½1114½ 8   ½1½½½½01½½½10½xx 101½00101½0½01 14 9   ½½0½½½½½11100½01xx 10½½½½½00½11 14 10    ½½½½1½0½½½½½1½0½01 xx ½½ ½½ 0½ 11 00 13½ 11    ½½½½00½0½½10½½11½½ ½½ xx ½0 ½½ ½1 ½½ 13½ 12    ½½100½0½000½½½01½½ ½½ ½1 xx 1½ ½½ 1½  13 13    0½0½½0½0½0½0½½0½½1 1½ ½½ 0½ xx ½1 11  12½ 14    00½½½½000½101½1½1½ 00 ½0 ½½ ½0 xx 1½  11½ 15    0½½½000½00½½0010 0011 ½½ 0½ 00 0½ xx  8
See also *Zürich 1934 chess tournament*Zurich Chess Challenge
References
External links  Moves and Annotations for every game played during the tournament.