Montpellier Candidates Tournament 1985

The Candidates Tournament Montpellier 1985 was a candidate tournament of the world chess association FIDE , which took place in October / November 1985 in Montpellier .

Between 1950 and 1962 there had already been five candidate tournaments, the winners of which were given the right to challenge the world chess champion to a title fight. After the protests of the American world-class player Bobby Fischer , who feared discrimination and collusion with the Soviet participants, these round-robin tournaments were abolished in favor of candidate competitions in knockout mode . In 1985, FIDE returned to the tournament form, but modified it so that the top four winners then determined a winner in knockout mode. The winner then competed against Anatoly Karpov in the so-called superfinal , the winner of which was again allowed to challenge world champion Garry Kasparov (see World Chess Championship 1987 ).

In addition to the players who qualified through a total of three interzonal tournaments in 1985, Viktor Korchnoi , Zoltán Ribli and Vasily Smyslow were eligible to participate in the 1983/84 candidate competitions. Boris Spasski was selected by the organizing French association.

The tournament had an Elo average of 2587, making it a category 14 tournament .

Because of the equality of points in places four and five, a playoff between Jan Timman and Michail Tal was necessary, which took place in December 1985 and ended in a draw. Due to his slightly better evaluation , Timman finally moved into the knockout competitions.

Closing table

space	Surname	Elo	01	02	03	04th	05	06th	07th	08th	09	10	11	12	13	14th	15th	16	Points
1.	Artur Yusupov	2600		0	1	½	½	1	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	1	1	½	9
2.	Rafael Vaganian	2625	1		½	0	½	0	½	½	½	½	½	1	1	½	1	1	9
3.	Andreï Sokolov	2555	0	½		½	½	0	½	1	½	½	½	1	1	1	½	1	9
4th	Jan Timman	2640	½	1	½		½	1	½	½	½	1	1	0	½	½	½	0	8½
5.	Mikhail Tal	2565	½	½	½	½		½	½	½	1	0	½	½	1	1	½	½	8½
6th	Boris Spassky	2590	0	1	1	0	½		½	½	½	1	½	½	½	½	1	0	8th
7th	Alexander Beliavsky	2640	½	½	½	½	½	½		0	½	½	1	½	½	½	½	1	8th
8th.	Vasily Smyslow	2595	½	½	0	½	½	½	1		½	½	½	½	½	½	0	1	7½
9.	Alexander Csernyin	2560	½	½	½	½	0	½	½	½		½	½	½	½	½	½	1	7½
10.	Yasser Seirawan	2570	½	½	½	0	1	0	½	½	½		1	½	0	½	½	½	7th
11.	Nigel Short	2575	½	½	½	0	½	½	0	½	½	0		1	½	1	½	½	7th
12.	Lajos Portisch	2625	½	0	0	1	½	½	½	½	½	½	0		1	0	½	1	7th
13.	Viktor Korchnoi	2630	½	0	0	½	0	½	½	½	½	1	½	0		½	1	½	6½
14th	Zoltan Ribli	2605	0	½	0	½	0	½	½	½	½	½	0	1	½		1	½	6½
15th	Jesús Nogueiras	2545	0	0	½	½	½	0	½	1	½	½	½	½	0	0		1	6th
16.	Kevin Spraggett	2550	½	0	0	1	½	1	0	0	0	½	½	0	½	½	0		5

Timman - Tal

Surname	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	Points
Jan Timman	½	1	½	½	0	½	3
Mikhail Tal	½	0	½	½	1	½	3

Web links

• Individual rounds and final table on schachchronik.de ( Memento from June 2, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
• Highlights on mark-weeks.com
• French page with all the games and original photos from the tournament