Why lead the absurdly hysterical, expatriated, nomadic existence I do if you're going to let a measly 400k bus-ride stop you partaking in a tournament etched firmly into the history of chess? The Mar Del Plata international has been won by: Fischer, Spassky, Najdorf, Keres, Larsen, Polugaevsky, Smyslov, Panno, Timman and a bunch of other heroes I probably should know but don't.
9 1956
Julio Bolbochán (Argentina)
Miguel Najdorf (Argentina)20 1957
Paul Keres (Soviet Union)21 1958
Bent Larsen (Denmark)22 1959
Luděk Pachman (Czechoslovakia)
Miguel Najdorf (Argentina)23 1960
Boris Spassky (Soviet Union)
Robert Fischer (United States)24 1961
Miguel Najdorf (Argentina)25 1962
Lev Polugaevsky (Soviet Union)26 1965
Miguel Najdorf (Argentina)27 1966
Vasily Smyslov (Soviet Union)28 1969
Oscar Panno (Argentina)
Miguel Najdorf (Argentina)29 1971
Lev Polugaevsky (Soviet Union)30 1976
Raúl Sanguinetti (Argentina)
Victor Brond (Argentina)31 1982
Jan Timman (Netherlands)32 1989
Marcelo Tempone (Argentina)33 1990
Marino Alejandro Cid (Argentina)34 1997
Fernando Braga (Italy)35 2001
Juan Facundo Pierrot (Argentina)
Ruben Felgaer (Argentina)
The city's name means "Sea of Silver" (if my Spanish is any good) and you can see why: 
The mass-migration of the summer months should be over by April and hopefully I'll be able to find a cheap place to rent for a while and avoid Surfers-Paradise esque scenes.
I haven't seriously studied chess for a while now, just basked in the joys of playing, and I don't plan a lot of theoretical study for this tournament either. That's not what this is about. It's about massively talking up a spiritual pilgrimage to a place Miguel Najdorf's ghost clearly resides or at least visits once a year, and lighting the halls with some Tal-esque sacrifices. Yeah... it's a month of Tal study coming up and then some fitting play for the occasion- see you in 24 days Najdorf!!!

Good on ya, Paul. Everyone should make a chess pilgrimage at some stage in their life. I've played Hastings, and OHRA Amsterdam, and visited the King's Head and Marshall Chess Clubs but I really envy you the chance to visit Mar del Plata. Have a great time :)
ReplyDeleteYes! Good memories I'm sure. I went to the "chess bars" in Amsterdam and had a great time. Also Max Euwe plein or square or whatever it's called! I'll be sure to take some photos. It's not the chess-Mecca it once was but 15 titled players already bodes well:)
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