AFort Lauderdale News Fort Lauderdale, Florida Sunday, November 08, 1959
Mikhail Tal, former champion of Russia, captured first place in the Candidates Tournament concluded last week in Yugoslavia. This victory netted him the right to play Mikhail Botvinnik, present world champion, for his title next year.
Russian Paul Keres, Estonian grandmaster, finished second only one and a half point
behind Tal. Third was Tigran Petrosian, champion of Russia. Fourth was Vassily Smyslov, former world champion, also of Russia.
Bobby Fischer of the United States and Svetozar Gligoric of Yugoslavia tied for fifth and six places. Friedrich Olafsson of Icleand came in seventh, and Paul Benko, formerly of Hungary and now of the USA, was eighth.
It is refreshing to note that there were very few “grandmaster draws” in this clash of the chess world's elite. In spite of cynical forecasts that the Russians would collaborate so that one of their countrymen would win, they battled each other just as fiercely as they did the others.
