chessgames.com
Members · Prefs · Laboratory · Collections · Openings · Endgames · Sacrifices · History · Search Kibitzing · Kibitzer's Café · Chessforums · Tournament Index · Players · Kibitzing

🏆
TOURNAMENT STANDINGS
USSR Championship Tournament

Vasily Smyslov13/19(+9 -2 =8)[games]
David Bronstein13/19(+8 -1 =10)[games]
Efim Geller12.5/19(+10 -4 =5)[games]
Mark Taimanov12.5/19(+7 -1 =11)[games]
Semyon Furman11.5/19(+9 -5 =5)[games]
Isaac Boleslavsky11.5/19(+6 -2 =11)[games]
Alexander Kotov11.5/19(+8 -4 =7)[games]
Paul Keres11/19(+7 -4 =8)[games]
Lev Aronin10/19(+4 -3 =12)[games]
Ratmir Kholmov10/19(+5 -4 =10)[games]
Salomon Flohr9/19(+3 -4 =12)[games]
Alexey Sokolsky8.5/19(+3 -5 =11)[games]
Andre Lilienthal8/19(+3 -6 =10)[games]
Vladas Mikenas8/19(+4 -7 =8)[games]
Nikolai Kopilov8/19(+5 -8 =6)[games]
Tigran Petrosian7.5/19(+4 -8 =7)[games]
Viacheslav Ragozin6.5/19(+3 -9 =7)[games]
Grigory Levenfish6/19(+3 -10 =6)[games]
Viktor Lyublinsky6/19(+2 -9 =8)[games]
Grigory Goldberg6/19(+2 -9 =8)[games]
*

Chessgames.com Chess Event Description
USSR Championship (1949)

The 17th USSR chess championship took place in the Soviet capital of Moscow from October 16th to November 20th, 1949. Twenty of the Soviet Union's best grandmasters and masters qualified or received invitations to participate in the round robin event. Twelve players qualified from semi-final tournaments held earlier in the year: Igor Bondarevsky, Mark Taimanov, and Grigory Levenfish qualified from Leningrad; Vladas Mikenas, Alexey Sokolsky, and Semyon Furman qualified from Vilnius; Lev Aronin, Grigory Goldberg, and Victor Liublinsky qualified from Moscow; and Efim Geller, Tigran Petrosian, and Ratmir Kholmov qualified from Tbilisi. Bondarevsky could not attend the final, so he was replaced by Leningrad fourth place Nikolai Kopilov. The eight remaining players were invited to fill out the field were: David Bronstein and Alexander Kotov as returning champions from the 16th championship; previous Soviet champions Andre Lilienthal and Paul Keres; and four previous final participants Isaac Boleslavsky, Salomon Flohr, Viacheslav Ragozin, and Vasily Smyslov. This tournament saw two of Mikhail Botvinnik 's greatest rivals finish shared first with thirteen points out of nineteen rounds. It was Bronstein's second consecutive Soviet crown, and his last. He would face Botvinnik two years later for the world crown, coming closer than anyone else to being world champion without succeeding. While this championship was Smyslov's first and last Soviet crown, he too would go on to face Botvinnik, but unlike his fellow shared first, he would defeat Botvinnik in their second of three encounters, earning the highest of all chess honors: the champion of the world.

The final standings and crosstable:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 Pts =1 Smyslov * 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 0 1 1 13 =1 Bronstein 0 * ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 13 =3 Geller ½ ½ * ½ 1 1 1 0 ½ 0 1 0 0 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 12½ =3 Taimanov ½ ½ ½ * 0 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 12½ =5 Furman 1 ½ 0 1 * 1 0 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 11½ =5 Boleslavsky ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 * ½ ½ 1 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 11½ =5 Kotov ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ * ½ 0 ½ 1 0 ½ 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 11½ 8 Keres ½ 0 1 0 0 ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 0 ½ 11 =9 Aronin 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 1 ½ * ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 10 =9 Kholmov 0 0 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ * ½ 0 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 10 11 Flohr 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ * ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 0 ½ 9 12 Sokolsky ½ 0 1 0 ½ ½ 1 0 ½ 1 ½ * ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 8½ =13 Lilienthal 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 0 ½ * ½ 1 0 1 ½ ½ ½ 8 =13 Mikenas ½ 0 ½ 0 1 0 1 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ * 0 0 1 ½ ½ 1 8 =13 Kopilov ½ 0 0 0 1 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 1 0 1 * ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 8 16 Petrosian 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 1 ½ * 0 1 1 0 7½ 17 Ragozin 0 0 0 ½ 1 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 0 0 1 * ½ ½ 1 6½ =18 Levenfish 1 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ * 1 0 6 =18 Liublinsky 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 1 ½ 0 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 * ½ 6 =18 Goldberg 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 0 1 0 1 ½ * 6

This collection would not have been possible without the efforts of <Phony Benoni>.

Original collection: Game Collection: USSR Championship 1949, by User: suenteus po 147.

 page 3 of 8; games 51-75 of 190  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
51. Bronstein vs Flohr ½-½191949USSR ChampionshipD22 Queen's Gambit Accepted
52. G Goldberg vs Geller  0-1501949USSR ChampionshipA16 English
53. V Mikenas vs Keres 0-1211949USSR ChampionshipE20 Nimzo-Indian
54. Boleslavsky vs Kotov ½-½411949USSR ChampionshipB85 Sicilian, Scheveningen, Classical
55. Levenfish vs Smyslov 1-0341949USSR ChampionshipD98 Grunfeld, Russian
56. Petrosian vs Lilienthal 1-0441949USSR ChampionshipC49 Four Knights
57. A Sokolsky vs Ragozin ½-½1031949USSR ChampionshipA90 Dutch
58. N Kopilov vs Taimanov  0-1521949USSR ChampionshipD12 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav
59. Kholmov vs Aronin  ½-½201949USSR ChampionshipB74 Sicilian, Dragon, Classical
60. Furman vs V Lyublinsky  1-0341949USSR ChampionshipD41 Queen's Gambit Declined, Semi-Tarrasch
61. Geller vs Bronstein ½-½431949USSR ChampionshipD44 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav
62. Flohr vs Levenfish  1-0731949USSR ChampionshipA12 English with b3
63. Keres vs G Goldberg  ½-½611949USSR ChampionshipE00 Queen's Pawn Game
64. Kotov vs Furman 1-0411949USSR ChampionshipA34 English, Symmetrical
65. Lilienthal vs V Mikenas  ½-½431949USSR ChampionshipD52 Queen's Gambit Declined
66. Aronin vs Petrosian  ½-½181949USSR ChampionshipB11 Caro-Kann, Two Knights, 3...Bg4
67. Ragozin vs N Kopilov 0-1581949USSR ChampionshipE00 Queen's Pawn Game
68. Smyslov vs Boleslavsky  ½-½441949USSR ChampionshipD97 Grunfeld, Russian
69. Taimanov vs Kholmov  ½-½361949USSR ChampionshipD95 Grunfeld
70. V Lyublinsky vs A Sokolsky  ½-½391949USSR ChampionshipB12 Caro-Kann Defense
71. Bronstein vs Keres 1-0351949USSR ChampionshipC97 Ruy Lopez, Closed, Chigorin
72. Boleslavsky vs Flohr  ½-½181949USSR ChampionshipC91 Ruy Lopez, Closed
73. Levenfish vs Geller 0-1511949USSR ChampionshipD48 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, Meran
74. G Goldberg vs Lilienthal  ½-½401949USSR ChampionshipD79 Neo-Grunfeld, 6.O-O, Main line
75. V Mikenas vs Aronin 0-1561949USSR ChampionshipE90 King's Indian
 page 3 of 8; games 51-75 of 190  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2)  

Kibitzer's Corner
Aug-06-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  GrahamClayton: Bronstein started the tournament with 6/11, but a run of 7/8 propelled him to the title.
Jul-25-16
Premium Chessgames Member
  Sally Simpson: Small error in the text.

"While this championship was Smyslov's first and last Soviet crown."

Smyslov shared it again in 1955.

Game Collection: USSR Championship 1955

Jul-26-16  ughaibu: But Smyslov lost the play-off, in 1955.

How did Bronstein come closer to being world champion, without succeeding, than Schlechter or Leko?

Jul-27-16  whiteshark: Fair question!
Jul-27-16
Premium Chessgames Member
  Sally Simpson: 'Smyslov lost the play-off'

Then the small error is in the Smyslov Bio.

USSR Championship (1949)

Soviet champion in 1955 sharing the first place with Efim Geller.

(no mention of a play-off.)

Apr-26-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  Chessical: Petrosian's first Soviet Championship, he qualified from the semi-final held in Tiflis.
Apr-26-17  Nosnibor: This was Geller`s debut and he scored 10 wins which exceeded both of the joint winners decisive games.Also noticeable is that he scored 4.5 points against the first six without losing a single game.
Sep-02-17  Arconax: Goldberg got lost in all the variations.
Sep-02-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  fiercebadger: Petrosian lost five games
Sep-02-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  Check It Out: <fiercebadger: Petrosian lost five games>

Not eight as listed here?

Sep-02-18  siimens: Well, closest probably because Bronstein didn't lose Botvinnik but tied the 1951 title match
Feb-16-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: <fiercebadger: Petrosian lost five games>

He lost the first five.

Sep-30-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  kingscrusher: Petrosian got hammered in this tournament - no wonder if created a more defensive style later!

NOTE: Create an account today to post replies and access other powerful features which are available only to registered users. Becoming a member is free, anonymous, and takes less than 1 minute! If you already have a username, then simply login login under your username now to join the discussion.

Please observe our posting guidelines:

  1. No obscene, racist, sexist, or profane language.
  2. No spamming, advertising, duplicate, or gibberish posts.
  3. No vitriolic or systematic personal attacks against other members.
  4. Nothing in violation of United States law.
  5. No cyberstalking or malicious posting of negative or private information (doxing/doxxing) of members.
  6. No trolling.
  7. The use of "sock puppet" accounts to circumvent disciplinary action taken by moderators, create a false impression of consensus or support, or stage conversations, is prohibited.
  8. Do not degrade Chessgames or any of it's staff/volunteers.

Please try to maintain a semblance of civility at all times.

Blow the Whistle

See something that violates our rules? Blow the whistle and inform a moderator.


NOTE: Please keep all discussion on-topic. This forum is for this specific tournament only. To discuss chess or this site in general, visit the Kibitzer's Café.

Messages posted by Chessgames members do not necessarily represent the views of Chessgames.com, its employees, or sponsors.
All moderator actions taken are ultimately at the sole discretion of the administration.

Spot an error? Please suggest your correction and help us eliminate database mistakes!

Copyright 2001-2025, Chessgames Services LLC