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TOURNAMENT STANDINGS
USSR Training Tournament

Vasily Smyslov6.5/9(+5 -1 =3)[games]
Tigran Petrosian6/9(+4 -1 =4)[games]
Isaac Boleslavsky5.5/9(+3 -1 =5)[games]
Yuri Averbakh4.5/9(+2 -2 =5)[games]
Efim Geller4.5/9(+3 -3 =3)[games]
Alexander Kotov4.5/9(+2 -2 =5)[games]
Mark Taimanov4.5/9(+3 -3 =3)[games]
Paul Keres4/9(+2 -3 =4)[games]
Alexander Tolush3.5/9(+2 -4 =3)[games]
Viacheslav Ragozin1.5/9(+1 -7 =1)[games]

Chessgames.com Chess Event Description
USSR Training Tournament (1953)

Bondarevsky withdrew after three rounds. His games can be found here: Training Tournament+ (1953).

 page 1 of 1; 18 games  PGN Download 
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. Kotov vs Taimanov  ½-½421953USSR Training TournamentA22 English
2. Tolush vs Boleslavsky  ½-½711953USSR Training TournamentE86 King's Indian, Samisch, Orthodox, 7.Nge2 c6
3. Kotov vs Boleslavsky  ½-½331953USSR Training TournamentA16 English
4. Boleslavsky vs Taimanov  ½-½321953USSR Training TournamentD52 Queen's Gambit Declined
5. Smyslov vs Tolush  ½-½411953USSR Training TournamentA07 King's Indian Attack
6. Boleslavsky vs Smyslov  ½-½421953USSR Training TournamentE54 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System
7. Petrosian vs Averbakh  ½-½231953USSR Training TournamentD91 Grunfeld, 5.Bg5
8. Petrosian vs Tolush ½-½441953USSR Training TournamentA61 Benoni
9. Petrosian vs Kotov  ½-½561953USSR Training TournamentD43 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav
10. Smyslov vs Averbakh ½-½391953USSR Training TournamentA26 English
11. Averbakh vs Kotov  ½-½411953USSR Training TournamentA21 English
12. Taimanov vs Keres ½-½821953USSR Training TournamentD24 Queen's Gambit Accepted
13. Petrosian vs Keres ½-½601953USSR Training TournamentA09 Reti Opening
14. Keres vs Boleslavsky  ½-½431953USSR Training TournamentA16 English
15. Averbakh vs Keres ½-½411953USSR Training TournamentC87 Ruy Lopez
16. Ragozin vs Geller  ½-½411953USSR Training TournamentB64 Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer Attack
17. Kotov vs Geller  ½-½251953USSR Training TournamentC48 Four Knights
18. Geller vs Averbakh  ½-½161953USSR Training TournamentE14 Queen's Indian
 page 1 of 1; 18 games  PGN Download 
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2)  

Kibitzer's Corner
Jul-06-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: A training tournament is a high-quality tournament with zero awards and zero prizes.

Attendance is MANDATORY.

In the 1950s the politburo liked to go there. It is on the Black Sea, and near to Sochi.

Moscow is only a short hop flight to Gagra, it's 7 hours. Outside toilets.

You go for the Khash, but you'll stay for the Khash.

Jul-06-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: You no play, off to gulag or, if you give really hard time, Lubyanka.
Mar-22-24  Cassandro: This was probably the strongest training tournament ever. Just look at the incredible participants!

Because no awards and prizes were up for grabs, it also contains lots of somewhat wild and hugely entertaining games since the players could let themselves loose a bit, so to speak.

Mar-22-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  Sally Simpson: Sounds a bit suspicious this one. A 'Training Tournament a few months before the Zuerich Candidates (1953)

Eight of the players here played in Zurich, the only missing Soviet player from those playing in Zurich is Bronstein who was not party to the rigging of the games which was clearly going on to ensure that Smyslov won the candidates.

Bronstein and Veinstein were no doubt busy just after this 'training tournament' writing the book of the 1953 candidates because they knew the results and the score of the games between the Soviet players long before the Zurich candidates had even started.

And there is more than one suspicious circumstance here.

1953. Stalin dies, Elizabeth II is crowned, Hilary and Tenzing Norgay conquer Everest and Bondarevsky goes missing during a chess training exorcise. (May 1953 was also the 'Stanley Mathews' Cup Final. Blackpool 4 Bolton Wanderers 3 but I do not think Bondarevsky had anything to do with that.)

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