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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 6 of 8; games 126-150 of 190  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
126. V Mikenas vs Levenfish  ½-½861949USSR ChampionshipD17 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav
127. Petrosian vs Boleslavsky ½-½371949USSR ChampionshipD85 Grunfeld
128. Smyslov vs V Lyublinsky 1-0331949USSR ChampionshipC79 Ruy Lopez, Steinitz Defense Deferred
129. Aronin vs Furman ½-½311949USSR ChampionshipC86 Ruy Lopez, Worrall Attack
130. Lilienthal vs A Sokolsky ½-½231949USSR ChampionshipE52 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Main line with ...b6
131. Kholmov vs Bronstein 0-1431949USSR ChampionshipC63 Ruy Lopez, Schliemann Defense
132. V Lyublinsky vs Flohr  1-0411949USSR ChampionshipB13 Caro-Kann, Exchange
133. Ragozin vs Geller 0-1401949USSR ChampionshipC59 Two Knights
134. Taimanov vs Keres 1-0411949USSR ChampionshipD31 Queen's Gambit Declined
135. Kotov vs Smyslov  ½-½541949USSR ChampionshipE32 Nimzo-Indian, Classical
136. Levenfish vs G Goldberg  0-1441949USSR ChampionshipE21 Nimzo-Indian, Three Knights
137. N Kopilov vs Lilienthal 0-1441949USSR ChampionshipA54 Old Indian, Ukrainian Variation, 4.Nf3
138. Boleslavsky vs V Mikenas  1-0411949USSR ChampionshipC15 French, Winawer
139. Furman vs Petrosian 1-0411949USSR ChampionshipE67 King's Indian, Fianchetto
140. A Sokolsky vs Aronin  ½-½541949USSR ChampionshipA54 Old Indian, Ukrainian Variation, 4.Nf3
141. Bronstein vs Levenfish 1-0761949USSR ChampionshipB59 Sicilian, Boleslavsky Variation, 7.Nb3
142. Flohr vs Kotov 0-1331949USSR ChampionshipA97 Dutch, Ilyin-Genevsky
143. Geller vs V Lyublinsky  1-0811949USSR ChampionshipA56 Benoni Defense
144. Keres vs Ragozin 1-0381949USSR ChampionshipA13 English
145. Lilienthal vs Taimanov  ½-½321949USSR ChampionshipD45 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav
146. V Mikenas vs Furman 1-0391949USSR ChampionshipA18 English, Mikenas-Carls
147. Petrosian vs A Sokolsky ½-½511949USSR ChampionshipB10 Caro-Kann
148. Smyslov vs Kholmov 1-0471949USSR ChampionshipB59 Sicilian, Boleslavsky Variation, 7.Nb3
149. G Goldberg vs Boleslavsky  ½-½411949USSR ChampionshipA15 English
150. Aronin vs N Kopilov 1-0401949USSR ChampionshipC74 Ruy Lopez, Modern Steinitz Defense
 page 6 of 8; games 126-150 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!

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