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TOURNAMENT STANDINGS
USSR Championship 1961b Tournament

Boris Spassky14.5/20(+10 -1 =9)[games]
Lev Polugaevsky14/20(+10 -2 =8)[games]
David Bronstein12.5/20(+6 -1 =13)[games]
Evgeni Vasiukov12/20(+7 -3 =10)[games]
Mikhail Tal12/20(+7 -3 =10)[games]
Yuri Averbakh11.5/20(+7 -4 =9)[games]
Mark Taimanov11.5/20(+7 -4 =9)[games]
Aivars Gipslis11/20(+5 -3 =12)[games]
Paul Keres11/20(+4 -2 =14)[games]
Vasily Smyslov11/20(+6 -4 =10)[games]
Ratmir Kholmov11/20(+7 -5 =8)[games]
Leonid Shamkovich10.5/20(+7 -6 =7)[games]
Abram Khasin9.5/20(+5 -6 =9)[games]
Boris Vladimirov8/20(+6 -10 =4)[games]
Yuri Kots8/20(+5 -9 =6)[games]
Vladislav Shiyanovsky8/20(+3 -7 =10)[games]
Anatoly Lein7.5/20(+2 -7 =11)[games]
Vladimir Savon7.5/20(+4 -9 =7)[games]
Rashid Nezhmetdinov7/20(+4 -10 =6)[games]
Vladimir Bagirov6/20(+1 -9 =10)[games]
Bukhuti Gurgenidze6/20(+3 -11 =6)[games]
*

Chessgames.com Chess Event Description
USSR Championship 1961b

The 29th Soviet Chess Championship was the second of two championships held in the calendar year 1961. Twenty-one of the Soviet Union's strongest masters and grandmasters participated, many of whom had participated in the previous championship earlier in the year, which had also been counted as a zonal tournament. In particular were Boris Spassky and Vasily Smyslov, who had both barely lost seats to the Stockholm interzonal to be played in 1962. Spassky had had an amazing run until he was derailed by a loss to Lev Polugaevsky, then lost his last two games of the previous championship to finish sixth behind Smyslov. In this championship, with the absence of Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian, Viktor Korchnoi, Leonid Stein, and Efim Geller (who had all respectively finished in the top four, securing their participation at Stockholm), Spassky and Smyslov dominated from the start by leading 3½/4 after the first four rounds. Spassky then defeated Smyslov in their head-to-head encounter in round five, securing his lead for the rest of the tournament. Another significant victory on his road to the crown was his rematch with Polugaevsky, who had put a stop to his previous run. This time Spassky defeated Polugaevsky, which ended up being the decisive game of the tournament, as Polugaevsky went 7/8 in the final rounds, but was not enough to overcome Spassky's superb play. The future world champion won his first of two career Soviet crowns with an impressive 14½/20, having scored wins against half the field. Spassky's success was credited in part to his taking on Igor Bondarevsky as his trainer after his disappointing result at the Moscow championship. Spassky would eventually triumph at the next Soviet zonal and begin his journey to becoming champion of the world.

Baku, Soviet Union (Azerbaijan), 16 November - 20 December 1961 (1)

S P B V T A T G K S K S K V K S L S N B G Pts 1 Spassky * 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 14½ 2 Polugaevsky 0 * ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 14 3 Bronstein ½ ½ * 0 1 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 12½ =4 Vasiukov ½ 0 1 * ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 12 =4 Tal 0 ½ 0 ½ * ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 0 ½ 1 12 =6 Averbakh ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ * ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 0 11½ =6 Taimanov ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ * ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1 0 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ 1 11½ =8 Gipslis 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ * ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 11 =8 Keres ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ 0 1 1 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 11 =8 Smyslov 0 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 0 ½ * 1 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ ½ 11 =8 Kholmov ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 * 0 1 1 0 0 1 ½ 1 1 1 11 12 Shamkovich 1 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 1 ½ 0 1 * 0 1 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 1 1 10½ 13 Khasin ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 1 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 1 * 0 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 9½ =14 Vladimirov 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 1 0 0 1 * ½ ½ 1 1 1 0 1 8 =14 Kots 0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 0 0 ½ * 1 0 0 0 1 1 8 =14 Shiyanovsky 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 * ½ ½ 1 1 0 8 =17 Lein ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ * 0 1 ½ ½ 7½ =17 Savon 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 1 0 0 0 ½ ½ 1 0 1 ½ 1 * ½ ½ ½ 7½ 19 Nezhmetdinov ½ 0 ½ 0 1 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 1 ½ 0 1 0 0 ½ * 1 0 7 =20 Bagirov 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 0 ½ 1 0 0 ½ ½ 0 * ½ 6 =20 Gurgenidze 0 0 ½ 0 0 1 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 0 0 0 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ * 6

(1) Bernard Cafferty and Mark Taimanov, The Soviet Championships (Cadogan 1998), pp. 112-115.

Original collection: Game Collection: USSR Championship 1961 b, by User: suenteus po 147.

 page 8 of 9; games 176-200 of 210  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
176. Shamkovich vs Taimanov  0-1401961USSR Championship 1961bB46 Sicilian, Taimanov Variation
177. Tal vs A Khasin 1-0511961USSR Championship 1961bB32 Sicilian
178. Savon vs Kholmov  ½-½361961USSR Championship 1961bC92 Ruy Lopez, Closed
179. Vasiukov vs A Lein  1-0411961USSR Championship 1961bC00 French Defense
180. V Shiyanovsky vs B Gurgenidze  0-1521961USSR Championship 1961bE20 Nimzo-Indian
181. A Khasin vs Bagirov  ½-½211961USSR Championship 1961bB13 Caro-Kann, Exchange
182. Bronstein vs Savon 1-0301961USSR Championship 1961bA48 King's Indian
183. Polugaevsky vs Gipslis  ½-½211961USSR Championship 1961bB48 Sicilian, Taimanov Variation
184. Kholmov vs Keres ½-½171961USSR Championship 1961bC48 Four Knights
185. R Nezhmetdinov vs Vasiukov 0-1631961USSR Championship 1961bB07 Pirc
186. B Vladimirov vs Shamkovich 0-1251961USSR Championship 1961bE26 Nimzo-Indian, Samisch
187. Spassky vs V Shiyanovsky 1-0311961USSR Championship 1961bA49 King's Indian, Fianchetto without c4
188. Taimanov vs Tal 0-1401961USSR Championship 1961bA32 English, Symmetrical Variation
189. B Gurgenidze vs Averbakh  1-0661961USSR Championship 1961bD32 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch
190. A Lein vs Y Kots  1-0401961USSR Championship 1961bA08 King's Indian Attack
191. Bagirov vs Taimanov  ½-½411961USSR Championship 1961bE84 King's Indian, Samisch, Panno Main line
192. Keres vs Bronstein  ½-½211961USSR Championship 1961bC42 Petrov Defense
193. Gipslis vs A Lein  1-0591961USSR Championship 1961bC03 French, Tarrasch
194. Y Kots vs R Nezhmetdinov  0-1361961USSR Championship 1961bE60 King's Indian Defense
195. Savon vs Polugaevsky 0-1721961USSR Championship 1961bA04 Reti Opening
196. Smyslov vs Kholmov  1-0431961USSR Championship 1961bA13 English
197. Averbakh vs Spassky ½-½191961USSR Championship 1961bE14 Queen's Indian
198. Tal vs B Vladimirov 1-0411961USSR Championship 1961bD01 Richter-Veresov Attack
199. Vasiukov vs B Gurgenidze 1-0371961USSR Championship 1961bC77 Ruy Lopez
200. V Shiyanovsky vs A Khasin  ½-½211961USSR Championship 1961bE34 Nimzo-Indian, Classical, Noa Variation
 page 8 of 9; games 176-200 of 210  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2)  

Kibitzer's Corner
Mar-19-24  notyetagm: First!
Mar-19-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: Boris Spassky was first.
A major achievement.

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