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Grigory Levenfish
Number of games in database: 385
Years covered: 1910 to 1954
Overall record: +123 -118 =144 (50.6%)*
   * Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games
      Based on games in the database; may be incomplete.

MOST PLAYED OPENINGS
With the White pieces:
 Nimzo Indian (24) 
    E53 E21 E34 E38 E32
 Ruy Lopez (22) 
    C77 C88 C79 C83 C61
 Orthodox Defense (21) 
    D52 D63 D55 D50 D59
 Sicilian (16) 
    B84 B29 B72 B83 B58
 Grunfeld (15) 
    D85 D94 D81 D98 D84
 Caro-Kann (14) 
    B10 B16 B13 B17 B15
With the Black pieces:
 Ruy Lopez (28) 
    C77 C83 C90 C75 C66
 Nimzo Indian (16) 
    E22 E21 E44 E48 E47
 Slav (14) 
    D10 D15 D14 D11 D19
 French Defense (13) 
    C14 C18 C19 C12 C02
 Ruy Lopez, Closed (12) 
    C90 C99 C88 C86 C98
 Sicilian (12) 
    B24 B23 B21 B45 B29
Repertoire Explorer

NOTABLE GAMES: [what is this?]
   J Rabinovich vs Levenfish, 1927 0-1
   Lasker vs Levenfish, 1925 0-1
   Levenfish vs Botvinnik, 1937 1-0
   Levenfish vs I Rabinovich, 1939 1-0
   Levenfish vs S Gotthilf, 1924 1-0
   Levenfish vs M Yudovich Sr., 1933 1-0
   Levenfish vs Alekhine, 1913 1-0
   Levenfish vs Ragozin, 1935 1-0
   Levenfish vs Riumin, 1935 1-0
   Alatortsev vs Levenfish, 1937 0-1

GAME COLLECTIONS: [what is this?]
   USSR Championship 1937 by suenteus po 147
   USSR Championship 1933 by Phony Benoni
   USSR Championship 1923 by Phony Benoni

GAMES ANNOTATED BY LEVENFISH: [what is this?]
   Rubinstein vs Levenfish, 1912

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GRIGORY LEVENFISH
(born Mar-09-1889, died Feb-09-1961) Poland (citizen of Russia)

[what is this?]
Grigory Yakovlevich Levenfish was born on the 9th of March 1889 in Poland which was then part of the Russian Empire. Awarded the GM title in 1950 he was Leningrad Champion in 1922, 1924 and 1925 (jointly). He also won the USSR Championship in 1934 (jointly) and 1937. Following this he drew a match with Mikhail Botvinnik (+5 -5 =3) in 1937, but this was to be the last major success of his chess career. His play was marked by elegant combinations, unexpected tactical blows and deep endgame analyses and unlike Alexander Alekhine, Efim Bogoljubov, Aron Nimzowitsch and Akiba Rubinstein he was one of the few pre-revolutionary masters who didn't end up abroad. He successfully passed on his knowledge to the first generation of young Soviet players. He passed away in Moscow in 1961.

 page 1 of 16; games 1-25 of 385  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves Year Event/LocaleOpening
1. Znosko-Borovsky vs Levenfish 0-134 1910 St PetersburgC14 French, Classical
2. Levenfish vs P M List 1-030 1910 Vienna (Austria)C83 Ruy Lopez, Open
3. Levenfish vs P F Johner  ½-½74 1911 KarlsbadC79 Ruy Lopez, Steinitz Defense Deferred
4. Levenfish vs Fahrni 1-060 1911 KarlsbadC14 French, Classical
5. Marshall vs Levenfish 1-059 1911 KarlsbadC66 Ruy Lopez
6. O Chajes vs Levenfish  1-045 1911 KarlsbadC14 French, Classical
7. Levenfish vs Leonhardt  1-035 1911 KarlsbadC77 Ruy Lopez
8. H Suechting vs Levenfish  0-142 1911 KarlsbadB01 Scandinavian
9. Alapin vs Levenfish  0-152 1911 KarlsbadD32 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch
10. Alekhine vs Levenfish  ½-½45 1911 KarlsbadC83 Ruy Lopez, Open
11. Levenfish vs Vidmar 0-175 1911 KarlsbadC50 Giuoco Piano
12. Levenfish vs C Jaffe  0-129 1911 KarlsbadD46 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav
13. Duras vs Levenfish  0-164 1911 KarlsbadC77 Ruy Lopez
14. Levenfish vs Schlechter  0-159 1911 KarlsbadC71 Ruy Lopez
15. Levenfish vs Salwe  ½-½52 1911 KarlsbadC88 Ruy Lopez
16. Levenfish vs B Kostic  1-038 1911 KarlsbadD55 Queen's Gambit Declined
17. Nimzowitsch vs Levenfish 1-037 1911 KarlsbadC02 French, Advance
18. Levenfish vs Teichmann  ½-½47 1911 KarlsbadD27 Queen's Gambit Accepted, Classical
19. Levenfish vs Rotlewi  0-138 1911 KarlsbadD32 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch
20. Burn vs Levenfish 0-123 1911 KarlsbadB45 Sicilian, Taimanov
21. Dus Chotimirsky vs Levenfish  0-160 1911 KarlsbadD04 Queen's Pawn Game
22. Levenfish vs E Cohn  ½-½43 1911 KarlsbadB73 Sicilian, Dragon, Classical
23. Spielmann vs Levenfish  1-021 1911 KarlsbadC29 Vienna Gambit
24. A Rabinovich vs Levenfish  ½-½43 1911 KarlsbadC66 Ruy Lopez
25. Levenfish vs Tartakower ½-½74 1911 KarlsbadC60 Ruy Lopez
 page 1 of 16; games 1-25 of 385  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | Levenfish wins | Levenfish loses  

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 3 OF 3 ·  Later Kibitzing >
Mar-11-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: <brankat: <whiteshark> Maybe R.Teichmann just didn't like to be photographed :-)>

In another of Calli's pictures, of the players in St. Petersburg 1909(?), Teichmann stands in profile, so that you can only see his good eye.

Mar-11-08   MichAdams: Teichmann's eye, Tal's claw hand and Karpov's teeth. And in Vladimir Petrov's case, so reticent was he, that his name and picture stopped appearing in Soviet chess print entirely.
Mar-11-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  Gypsy: <... Teichmann stands in profile, so that you can only see his good eye. >

My "Duras' book" makes a comment to that expent: Teichmann did not like to be photographed and when he consented, he nearly always presented his left (port) profile. The pictures in the book also support that.

Mar-11-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  Gypsy: A one more comment about the signatures: It looks that that Oldrich Duras actually signed his name on the photograph as 'Duuraz' (with long u and z at the and); that is Czech word for 'emphasis' or 'pressure'.
Mar-11-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  Calli: Found a pic of Teichmann, Tietz and Schlechter at Karlsbad 1911. http://picasaweb.google.com/Caissa1...
Mar-11-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  brankat: <Calli> A beautiful photo!

And they were actually "allowed" to smoke in public. An era before Humanity knew what was correct. I wish I lived then.

Mar-12-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  Calli: One question - How did all this get on the Levenfish page? {-:)

Why was Levenfish known as "Löwenfisch" in the German publications and in European tournaments. As far as I know, Levenfish (English) or Левенфи&- #1096; (Russian) do not translate to "lionfish".

Mar-12-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  vonKrolock: His birthplace is given as <Piotrków> and his name in Polish <Gerszik Lewenfisz> - complete name in Russian: <Григори&- #1081; Яковлев&- #1080;ч Левенфи&- #1096;>

<Calli> I'm supposing that the German form was furnished by L. himself, probably when he entered in the Carlsbad Tournament ... of course it's an etymological transliteration!

<pic of Teichmann, Tietz and Schlechter at Karlsbad 1911.> I saw this photo in Verkhovski's "Carl Schlechter", a book printed in the 80's in now (more than yellowished) almost brownished "fine" Soviet-paper ...

Mar-12-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  brankat: <Calli> <One question - How did all this get on the Levenfish page? {-:)>

March 09 was Mr.Levenfish's birthday, so I said "Happy Birthday", and made a comment on Levenfish, the chess player, upon which <whiteshark> provided a photo of Carlsbad, 1911, with Levenfish in it....:-)

Mar-12-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  Calli: "his name in Polish <Gerszik Lewenfisz>"

<Von K> Thank you very much, I did not know his Polish origins. "Lew" is lion in Polish! It appears that the Russian is just a transliteration from Polish without regard to meaning. My understanding is that many people were given Russian names by the authorities including a Russian patronymic. Perhaps Gerszik Lewenfisz became Grigory Jakovlevic Levenfish (in Cyrillic) only by Russian registration. Possibly, then, he tried to restore the meaning of his name playing as Löwenfisch in tournaments outside of Russia.

Mar-12-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  Calli: Correcting my last post. LEB is also lion in Russian. Therefore, the meaning of Lionfish is present in Polish, Russian and German. Only English is different.
Mar-12-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  brankat: <Calli> I think Russion for "lion" is actually "LEV", not LeB. Like in:

- LEV Tolstoy, or

- LEV Trotsky, or

- LEV Polugaevsky.

Mar-12-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  Calli: Da da da - I meant to write it in Cyrillic, Лев
Mar-13-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  vonKrolock: Well, it arrives that a page with <Piotrkow Surnames 1889 - 1902> is available online here http://www.jewishgen.org/JRI-PL/psa...
Mar-13-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  Karpova: "Lion" in Yiddish is "Leyb".
Mar-13-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  Calli: <vonKrolock> I didn't see him. There is a Hersz LEWENFISZ born 1883 but not 1889.
Mar-13-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  vonKrolock: <Calli> You found 'till the first names!? - That's most extraordinary!
Mar-13-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  Calli: The search page is here: http://www.jewishgen.org/JRI-PL/jri...

I entered LEWENFISZ in for surname and got 30 matches.

Aug-11-08   myschkin: . . .

Site of Sports Statistics:
http://www.sport-stat.ru/chess/play...

Dec-10-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  Karpova: After Moscow 1936

Jose Raul Capablanca: <I rate Levenfish very hughly. I think that he is the strongest Soviet master after Botvinnik. But, unfortunately, he lacks composure.>

From the Russian Bulletin of the event (special issue of "64"), No. 20, 13 June 1936.

Source: Page 275 of Winter, Edward: "Capablanca: a compendium of games, notes, articles, correspondence, illustrations and other rare archival materials on the Cuban chess genius Jose Raul Capablanca, 1888-1942.", Jefferson, North Carolina, 1989

Dec-25-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  Karpova: In the above post, it should read <I rate Levenfish very highly. [...]> (instead of hughly). Sorry.
Feb-21-09   I Like Fish: are you...
rilly...
a levenfish...
Mar-09-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  brankat: R.I.P. Master Grigory.
Mar-09-09   TugasKamagong: Happy birthday, Grigory Yakovlevich. I note you have the same birthdate, March 9th, as a certain Robert James Fischer. It's too bad you never got to play him. But then, the 54-year difference between the two of you meant you had stopped playing even before that kid started getting good.
Mar-09-09   number 23 NBer: Happy birthday to a great Soviet grandmaster.
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