Match of the century, 1970

An absolute blast from the past: a picture posted by the Association Internationale des Echecs Francophones (AIDEF) on their facebook page. The picture was taken during the so-called Match of the Century, played in Belgrade of the old Yugoslavia in 1970. It was quite remarkable that there were six former or reigning world champions featured in this picture, possibly the only time that so many had congregated at any one time. 

I can't figure out who was that seated on the far left but he was no world champion. Moments earlier, the chair was empty and he was standing behind it. Could be that he was asked to occupy the seat for the photograph. But the others on their chairs were the world champions who were, from left, Tigran Petrosian, Mikhail Tal, Boris Spassky (who was then the world champion in 1970), Max Euwe and Vasily Smyslov. So who was the sixth world champion in the picture? He was not seated but he was standing in the background. But I shall get to him later. 

Among those standing were, from left, Wolfgang Uhlmann, Leonid Stein, (unknown), David Bronstein, Bozidar Kazic (side profile), Borislav Ivkov, Samuel Reshevsky, Mark Taimanov (?), Viktor Korchnoi, Bent Larsen, former world champion Mikhail Botvinnik (looking sideways), Paul Keres, Svetozar Gligoric (partially hidden), Lev Polugaevsky, Miguel Najdorf, Milan Matulovic, Effim Geller and Fridrich Olafsson. Rather inconceivable why they couldn't get Botvinnik into that chair on the far left.

Oh yes, the elephant in the room was missing. Bobby Fischer also took part in this Match of the Century, but he was missing in this picture.