BUGOJNO TOURNAMENTS

pgn-file of the events (71 games)      zip-file of CBase-files

Bugojno was a sleepy Bosnian town in the quiet Yugoslavia of Marshall Tito. Great chess was played from 26 ii until 16 iii 1978. Main player was world champion Karpov. A series of five biannual events had started. One game per round plus an extra game have been selected for each tournament. 

Principal sponsor 'Slavko Radic' produced typewriters and metal parts. Chess gave prestige to Bugojno. Television devoted half-an-hour per day to the event. Although Karpov and Spassky had each lost one game, they led at the end of the penultimate round. They triumphed in their last game and scored 10/15 (each won $2500), one point before Timman ($1500).

The second Bugojno super tournament lasted from 3 until 24 v 1980. Tito’s death on 4 v, a day after the first round, caused an interruption. The twelve participants were driven to Dubrovnik for a holiday. Gligoric went to the funeral in Belgrade. Round two was played after one week of national mourning. 

"Karpov won in his old-fashioned shitty way", Timman wrote full of envy about the last round. Karpov won the tournament by 8/11. Larsen had scored 7½ and Timman 6½ points. 

The third event was played in May 1982. Gary Kasparov was the young star. He triumphed in a grand style by 9½/13, 1½ points before Polugaevsky and Ljubojevic, and 2 points before Spassky and Hübner. 

Bugojno number four occurred from 25 v until 10 vi 1984.  Primovac, manager of 'Slavko Radic',  and Domancinovic, head of the town council, were been the main organisers of the previous three events. They had left Bugojno. The extravagant director Bjelica acted strangely in their places. Timman walked on crotches due to a broken leg, but he went forwards in the tournament by big steps. Jan triumphed by 8½/13, half-a-point before Ribli and one point before Torre. 

The fifth and final Bugojno tournament lasted from 25 v until 14 vi 1986. When Hübner heard about the starting fees and prizes on the phone, he demanded a written document. Bjelica invited Portisch instead. Lajos came and enjoyed a paid tennis vacation with Boris on the court near Hotel Akvarium. But the holy goal of a category 16 tournament had been achieved. Eight grandmasters played double rounds. Karpov won the tournament by 8½/14. Sokolov and Ljubojevic followed by one point. 70% of the games was drawn. 

Bugojno 1986   1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8 
1 Karpov      ** 0½ 1½ ½½ 1½ ½1 ½½ ½1  8½
2 Sokolov     1½ ** ½½ ½½ ½½ ½½ ½½ ½½  7½
3 Ljubojevic  0½ ½½ ** ½½ 1½ ½½ 01 1½  7½
4 Portisch    ½½ ½½ ½½ ** 0½ ½½ ½½ ½1  7
5 Jussupow    0½ ½½ 0½ 1½ ** ½½ 11 ½0  7
6 Spassky     ½0 ½½ ½½ ½½ ½½ ** ½½ 1½  7
7 Miles       ½½ ½½ 10 ½½ 00 ½½ ** 10  6
8 Timman      ½0 ½½ 0½ ½0 ½1 0½ 01 **  5½

The organisers had great plans for an event in 1988, but nothing happened. Even a tournament book for 1986 was not published. When Yvette Nagel complained about the extreme dullness of Bugojno, she did not have the coming events in mind at all. The preparation of hostilities began in 1986. Verbal animosities raged from 1988 until 1991. Outright warfare occurred near Bugojno from 1993 until 1995. The battle for the strategic Donji Vakuf affected the northern side of Bugojno. Bosnia was divided by the Dayton agreement.

When Maarten de Zeeuw visited Bugojno in 1996, he found a largely destroyed Hotel Akvarium. Only the large Rook had survived the war (this monument celebrated the 1978 event). All organisers had left, because they were Serbians. 

 

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