| USSR Championship (1955) |
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The 22nd USSR Championship was held in Moscow from February 11 through March 15, 1955. It was certainly one of the strongest of the series, featuring four world champions and nine Soviet champions among its 20 players, and marked the final appearance of Mikhail Botvinnik in a Soviet championship. This tournament was also one of the Zonal events to select players eligible to play in the upcoming Gothenburg Interzonal (1955). 1 The illustrious cast of characters included: Vladimir Antoshin,
Yuri Averbakh,
Georgy Konstantinovich Borisenko,
Mikhail Botvinnik,
Salomon Flohr,
Semyon Abramovich Furman,
Efim Geller,
Georgy Ilivitsky,
Ilia Abramovich Kan,
Paul Keres,
Viktor Korchnoi,
Alexander Kotov,
Georgy Lisitsin,
Vladas Mikenas,
Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian,
Vitaly Sergeevich Sherbakov,
Vladimir Simagin,
Vasily Smyslov,
Boris Spassky,
Mark Taimanov. Geller started quickly and stayed near the top all the way, but every time he got a bit of a lead he would lose, often through over-optimism. Botvinnik, Smyslov, and Spassky all took their turns, with Petrosian never far behind. Coming into the last round Geller had a half-point lead, but proceeded to lose yet one more time and produce the following crosstable:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
1 Smyslov * 1 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ ½ 1 12.0
2 Geller 0 * ½ 0 ½ 1 0 ½ 1 1 0 1 0 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 12.0
3 Ilivitsky 1 ½ * ½ ½ ½ 0 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 11.5
4 Spassky ½ 1 ½ * ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 1 0 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 11.5
5 Petrosian ½ ½ ½ ½ * ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 11.5
6 Botvinnik 0 0 ½ ½ ½ * ½ 0 ½ 1 1 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 11.5
7 Taimanov ½ 1 1 0 0 ½ * 0 1 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 0 1 ½ ½ 11.0
8 Keres 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 1 * 0 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 11.0
9 Mikenas 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 1 * ½ ½ 1 0 ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 10.5
10 Furman ½ 0 0 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ * 0 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ 1 10.0
11 Antoshin ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 1 * 0 1 ½ ½ 0 1 1 ½ 1 10.0
12 Kotov ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 0 1 * 1 ½ 0 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 9.5
13 Borisenko 0 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 1 ½ 0 0 * ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 9.0
14 Flohr ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ * 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 9.0
15 Averbakh ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 * ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 8.5
16 Lisitsin 1 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 0 0 ½ 1 0 ½ ½ ½ * ½ 0 1 1 8.5
17 Kan 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ * 0 1 ½ 7.0
18 Simagin ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 * 1 0 6.5
19 Korchnoi ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 0 * 1 6.0
20 Sherbakov 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 0 * 3.5
A play-off between Smyslov and Geller started with six straight draws before the latter prevailed in game seven, thus earning the gold medal. Those games have now been added.1 Gino Di Felice, Chess Results 1951-1955, McFarland 2010, p. 480; Mark Weeks Zonal List at http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/zon... Original collection: Game Collection: USSR Championship 1955, by User: Phony Benoni.
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| page 1 of 8; games 1-25 of 197 |
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| Game |
| Result | Moves |
Year | Event/Locale | Opening |
| 1. Botvinnik vs V Mikenas |
 | ½-½ | 29 | 1955 | USSR Championship | D30 Queen's Gambit Declined |
| 2. Flohr vs G Ilivitsky |
| ½-½ | 42 | 1955 | USSR Championship | D59 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tartakower |
| 3. Geller vs V Shcherbakov |
 | 1-0 | 53 | 1955 | USSR Championship | E64 King's Indian, Fianchetto, Yugoslav System |
| 4. Spassky vs Keres |
| ½-½ | 28 | 1955 | USSR Championship | D38 Queen's Gambit Declined, Ragozin Variation |
| 5. Simagin vs Korchnoi |
| 1-0 | 61 | 1955 | USSR Championship | D77 Neo-Grunfeld, 6.O-O |
| 6. Kotov vs Antoshin |
| 1-0 | 37 | 1955 | USSR Championship | D46 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav |
| 7. Petrosian vs I Kan |
| 1-0 | 32 | 1955 | USSR Championship | A08 King's Indian Attack |
| 8. Smyslov vs G Borisenko |
| 1-0 | 41 | 1955 | USSR Championship | A49 King's Indian, Fianchetto without c4 |
| 9. Furman vs Taimanov |
| ½-½ | 20 | 1955 | USSR Championship | A18 English, Mikenas-Carls |
| 10. Averbakh vs Lisitsin |
| ½-½ | 57 | 1955 | USSR Championship | A22 English |
| 11. Antoshin vs Botvinnik |
| 0-1 | 49 | 1955 | USSR Championship | C18 French, Winawer |
| 12. Taimanov vs Flohr |
| ½-½ | 28 | 1955 | USSR Championship | E56 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Main line with 7...Nc6 |
| 13. Petrosian vs Geller |
| ½-½ | 26 | 1955 | USSR Championship | A38 English, Symmetrical |
| 14. Keres vs Averbakh |
| ½-½ | 26 | 1955 | USSR Championship | A07 King's Indian Attack |
| 15. Korchnoi vs Smyslov |
| ½-½ | 17 | 1955 | USSR Championship | E17 Queen's Indian |
| 16. V Shcherbakov vs Kotov |
| ½-½ | 99 | 1955 | USSR Championship | B85 Sicilian, Scheveningen, Classical |
| 17. V Mikenas vs Spassky |
| ½-½ | 67 | 1955 | USSR Championship | E16 Queen's Indian |
| 18. Lisitsin vs Simagin |
| 0-1 | 36 | 1955 | USSR Championship | A04 Reti Opening |
| 19. G Borisenko vs Furman |
| ½-½ | 48 | 1955 | USSR Championship | D32 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch |
| 20. I Kan vs G Ilivitsky |
| ½-½ | 30 | 1955 | USSR Championship | B52 Sicilian, Canal-Sokolsky (Rossolimo) Attack |
| 21. Botvinnik vs V Shcherbakov |
| 1-0 | 23 | 1955 | USSR Championship | A16 English |
| 22. Flohr vs G Borisenko |
| ½-½ | 24 | 1955 | USSR Championship | A46 Queen's Pawn Game |
| 23. Geller vs I Kan |
| 1-0 | 44 | 1955 | USSR Championship | B28 Sicilian, O'Kelly Variation |
| 24. Simagin vs Keres |
| 0-1 | 40 | 1955 | USSR Championship | C46 Three Knights |
| 25. Furman vs Korchnoi |
| ½-½ | 28 | 1955 | USSR Championship | E64 King's Indian, Fianchetto, Yugoslav System |
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| page 1 of 8; games 1-25 of 197 |
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