USSR Championship (1955) |
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. Spassky vs Keres |
 | ½-½ | 28 | 1955 | USSR Championship | D38 Queen's Gambit Declined, Ragozin Variation |
3. Geller vs V Sherbakov |
  | 1-0 | 53 | 1955 | USSR Championship | E64 King's Indian, Fianchetto, Yugoslav System |
4. Flohr vs G Ilivitsky |
| ½-½ | 42 | 1955 | USSR Championship | D59 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tartakower |
5. Simagin vs Korchnoi |
 | 1-0 | 61 | 1955 | USSR Championship | D77 Neo-Grunfeld, 6.O-O |
6. Averbakh vs Lisitsin |
 | ½-½ | 57 | 1955 | USSR Championship | A22 English |
7. Furman vs Taimanov |
 | ½-½ | 20 | 1955 | USSR Championship | A18 English, Mikenas-Carls |
8. Smyslov vs G Borisenko |
 | 1-0 | 41 | 1955 | USSR Championship | A49 King's Indian, Fianchetto without c4 |
9. Kotov vs Antoshin |
| 1-0 | 37 | 1955 | USSR Championship | D46 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav |
10. Petrosian vs Kan |
 | 1-0 | 32 | 1955 | USSR Championship | A08 King's Indian Attack |
11. V Sherbakov vs Kotov |
 | ½-½ | 99 | 1955 | USSR Championship | B85 Sicilian, Scheveningen, Classical |
12. Keres vs Averbakh |
| ½-½ | 26 | 1955 | USSR Championship | A07 King's Indian Attack |
13. V Mikenas vs Spassky |
 | ½-½ | 67 | 1955 | USSR Championship | E16 Queen's Indian |
14. G Borisenko vs Furman |
| ½-½ | 48 | 1955 | USSR Championship | D32 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch |
15. Kan vs G Ilivitsky |
| ½-½ | 30 | 1955 | USSR Championship | B52 Sicilian, Canal-Sokolsky (Rossolimo) Attack |
16. Lisitsin vs Simagin |
  | 0-1 | 36 | 1955 | USSR Championship | A04 Reti Opening |
17. Antoshin vs Botvinnik |
  | 0-1 | 49 | 1955 | USSR Championship | C18 French, Winawer |
18. Korchnoi vs Smyslov |
 | ½-½ | 17 | 1955 | USSR Championship | E17 Queen's Indian |
19. Petrosian vs Geller |
| ½-½ | 26 | 1955 | USSR Championship | A38 English, Symmetrical |
20. Taimanov vs Flohr |
| ½-½ | 28 | 1955 | USSR Championship | E56 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Main line with 7...Nc6 |
21. Smyslov vs Lisitsin |
 | 0-1 | 67 | 1955 | USSR Championship | A13 English |
22. Averbakh vs V Mikenas |
| ½-½ | 24 | 1955 | USSR Championship | A33 English, Symmetrical |
23. Flohr vs G Borisenko |
| ½-½ | 24 | 1955 | USSR Championship | A46 Queen's Pawn Game |
24. G Ilivitsky vs Taimanov |
 | 0-1 | 45 | 1955 | USSR Championship | E65 King's Indian, Fianchetto, Yugoslav, 7.O-O |
25. Geller vs Kan |
  | 1-0 | 44 | 1955 | USSR Championship | B28 Sicilian, O'Kelly Variation |
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page 1 of 8; games 1-25 of 197 |
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