Borislav Ivkov entered history as the first World Junior Champion (1951), and by 1961 he was a proven grandmaster and soon to be a Candidate for the world crown, classical and thorough, but dangerous the moment he sensed a chance.
Bled 1961 is one of the strongest tournaments ever played: Tal won it with a single loss, precisely to the young Fischer, the only unbeaten player of the event, ahead of Keres, Petrosian, Gligoric and Geller. In such company Ivkov beat Lajos Portisch, Hungary's leading player, with White in a French Defence, a game that still stands in his biography as one of his trademarks.