USSR Championship (1947) |
The 15th Soviet Chess Championship took place in Leningrad from February 2nd to March 8th, 1947. Among those invited to participate were Mikhail Botvinnik, Isaac Boleslavsky, Vasily Smyslov, Salomon Flohr, and Viacheslav Ragozin. Paul Keres, who had returned to Estonia after World War II was also extended an invitation. This was after he had been punished for participating in Nazi tournaments during the war by being denied an invitation to Groningen (1946). Participants for the championship also qualified from the various semifinals held in major Soviet cities. Alexander Tolush, David Bronstein, Grigory Levenfish, and Peter Dubinin qualified from the Leningrad semifinal. Igor Bondarevsky, Andre Lilienthal, Ilia Kan, Mikhail Yudovich Sr., and Vladimir Alatortsev qualified from Moscow. Genrikh Kasparian, Vladimir Makogonov, Anatoly Ufimtsev, Lev Aronin, and Konstantin Klaman qualified from Tiflis. Upon learning that the world championship would not be held in 1947, Botvinnik furiously withdrew from the championship, allowing Boris Goldenov to replace him. Games were reported in Shakhmaty v SSSR. For Keres, the championship would herald his return to the elite, both in his "rehabilition" to the Soviet School, and in his superior performance over the best Soviet grandmasters of the day (excepting Botvinnik). Keres scored an impressive 14/19 to take home the Soviet chess crown. 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 Keres * ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 0 1 14
2 Boleslavsky ½ * ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 13
=3 Smyslov 0 ½ * ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 12
=3 Bondarevsky ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 0 1 12
5 Tolush 0 0 0 ½ * ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 11½
6 Bronstein ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ * 0 ½ ½ 1 1 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 11
=7 Lilienthal ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 1 * ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 10½
=7 Flohr ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ * ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 10½
9 Ragozin 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ * ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 10
=10 Makogonov 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ * ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 9
=10 Levenfish 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ * 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 0 1 9
=10 Kasparian 0 ½ 0 0 0 1 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 * 1 0 1 ½ 1 0 1 1 9
=13 Yudovich ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 1 ½ 0 * ½ ½ 0 0 ½ 1 ½ 8
=13 Kan ½ 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ * 0 0 1 ½ ½ 0 8
=13 Ufimtsev 0 0 1 0 0 ½ ½ 1 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 * 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 8
16 Alatortsev 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ 1 1 1 * 1 ½ ½ 0 7½
=17 Aronin ½ ½ 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 0 1 0 ½ 0 * ½ 1 0 7
=17 Goldenov 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 0 0 0 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ * 0 1 7
=19 Klaman 1 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 1 * ½ 6½
=19 Dubinin 0 ½ ½ 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 0 ½ * 6½ Original tournament: Game Collection: USSR Championship 1947, by User: suenteus po 147.
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page 1 of 8; games 1-25 of 190 |
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Game |
| Result | Moves |
Year | Event/Locale | Opening |
1. Flohr vs Bronstein |
 | ½-½ | 30 | 1947 | USSR Championship | A53 Old Indian |
2. G Kasparian vs Keres |
  | 0-1 | 30 | 1947 | USSR Championship | B23 Sicilian, Closed |
3. A Ufimtsev vs Levenfish |
| ½-½ | 40 | 1947 | USSR Championship | A34 English, Symmetrical |
4. Bondarevsky vs Lilienthal |
| ½-½ | 27 | 1947 | USSR Championship | D85 Grunfeld |
5. Aronin vs Ragozin |
| ½-½ | 35 | 1947 | USSR Championship | A22 English |
6. Tolush vs Smyslov |
 | 0-1 | 27 | 1947 | USSR Championship | D15 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav |
7. V Makogonov vs M Yudovich Sr |
| 0-1 | 55 | 1947 | USSR Championship | C68 Ruy Lopez, Exchange |
8. B Goldenov vs P Dubinin |
| 1-0 | 72 | 1947 | USSR Championship | C77 Ruy Lopez |
9. Boleslavsky vs Alatortsev |
 | 1-0 | 75 | 1947 | USSR Championship | C77 Ruy Lopez |
10. I Kan vs K Klaman |
| ½-½ | 67 | 1947 | USSR Championship | D28 Queen's Gambit Accepted, Classical |
11. Bronstein vs Tolush |
 | ½-½ | 34 | 1947 | USSR Championship | D55 Queen's Gambit Declined |
12. Alatortsev vs Flohr |
| 0-1 | 35 | 1947 | USSR Championship | D71 Neo-Grunfeld |
13. Keres vs Ragozin |
  | 1-0 | 87 | 1947 | USSR Championship | D50 Queen's Gambit Declined |
14. Levenfish vs V Makogonov |
 | ½-½ | 50 | 1947 | USSR Championship | D59 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tartakower |
15. Lilienthal vs I Kan |
 | ½-½ | 66 | 1947 | USSR Championship | E04 Catalan, Open, 5.Nf3 |
16. G Kasparian vs A Ufimtsev |
| 1-0 | 49 | 1947 | USSR Championship | A12 English with b3 |
17. M Yudovich Sr vs Boleslavsky |
| ½-½ | 51 | 1947 | USSR Championship | A48 King's Indian |
18. K Klaman vs Aronin |
| 0-1 | 48 | 1947 | USSR Championship | B20 Sicilian |
19. P Dubinin vs Bondarevsky |
| 0-1 | 53 | 1947 | USSR Championship | C17 French, Winawer, Advance |
20. Smyslov vs B Goldenov |
| ½-½ | 32 | 1947 | USSR Championship | C75 Ruy Lopez, Modern Steinitz Defense |
21. B Goldenov vs Bronstein |
| ½-½ | 33 | 1947 | USSR Championship | C17 French, Winawer, Advance |
22. A Ufimtsev vs Keres |
  | 0-1 | 69 | 1947 | USSR Championship | E28 Nimzo-Indian, Samisch Variation |
23. Boleslavsky vs Levenfish |
| ½-½ | 43 | 1947 | USSR Championship | C83 Ruy Lopez, Open |
24. Aronin vs Lilienthal |
| ½-½ | 34 | 1947 | USSR Championship | D91 Grunfeld, 5.Bg5 |
25. Ragozin vs K Klaman |
| 1-0 | 40 | 1947 | USSR Championship | D27 Queen's Gambit Accepted, Classical |
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page 1 of 8; games 1-25 of 190 |
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Apr-03-19 | | Nosnibor: Klaman although sharing last place beat three Soviet Champions and drew with a forthcoming Champion (Smyslov). |
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Jan-27-25
 | | perfidious: Klaman then, curiously, was bottom marker at URS-ch sf Leningrad (1947) with Vladimir Kirillov. Till now, I had not known of Botvinnik's reason for not playing this event; it must be that he was enraged due to his carefully prepared regimen being upset by the decision to defer the world title fray to 1948. |
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