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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]
Mark Taimanov4.5/9(+3 -3 =3)[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]
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; 15 games  PGN Download 
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. Geller vs Taimanov 1-0651953USSR Training TournamentA22 English
2. Boleslavsky vs Geller 1-0301953USSR Training TournamentB64 Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer Attack
3. Keres vs Kotov  1-0411953USSR Training TournamentA20 English
4. Smyslov vs Keres 1-0921953USSR Training TournamentA21 English
5. Keres vs Ragozin 1-0411953USSR Training TournamentE26 Nimzo-Indian, Samisch
6. Smyslov vs Kotov 1-0261953USSR Training TournamentA25 English
7. Kotov vs Ragozin 1-0351953USSR Training TournamentD31 Queen's Gambit Declined
8. Boleslavsky vs Petrosian 1-0401953USSR Training TournamentB51 Sicilian, Canal-Sokolsky (Rossolimo) Attack
9. Petrosian vs Smyslov 1-0421953USSR Training TournamentD85 Grunfeld
10. Smyslov vs Ragozin 1-0371953USSR Training TournamentA74 Benoni, Classical, 9...a6, 10.a4
11. Tolush vs Ragozin 1-0371953USSR Training TournamentD26 Queen's Gambit Accepted
12. Taimanov vs Averbakh  1-0421953USSR Training TournamentE52 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Main line with ...b6
13. Taimanov vs Tolush 1-0571953USSR Training TournamentD16 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav
14. Averbakh vs Boleslavsky 1-0751953USSR Training TournamentE75 King's Indian, Averbakh, Main line
15. Averbakh vs Tolush  1-0251953USSR Training TournamentA76 Benoni, Classical, 9...Re8
  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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