The 6th USSR Championship was held in Odessa from September 2-20, 1929, and was weird. The site was strange enough, with the event being held outside Moscow or Leningrad for the first time. And the set-up was different as well. First, 36 players completed in four quarterfinal sections, with the top three in each section advancing into two six-player semifinals. The top two from each semi section were then to play a double round final to determine the champion.

However, the event was plagued by an accelerated schedule requiring three rounds every two days. Botvinnik later blamed the resulting fatigue and bad nutrition for his failure to qualify for the final.

In addition, three of the favorites--defending champions Bohatirchuk and Romanovsky, plus Levenfish--did not participate. It seems they made "unacceptable financial demands", seeking compensation for their expenses. And maybe the decision of Those At The Top to abolish prizes had something to do with it.

The outcome was a unpredictable free-for-all with surprising results, as many new players were determined to upset the established order. It made for an exciting tournament, but not one which was considered a representative championship. By the next championship in 1931, a system had been set up with preliminary nationwide qualifying tournaments, and the experiment of 1929 was not repeated.

I'm going to take this one section at a time, OK? As usual, many games are missing; those in the collection will be indicated by an asterisk (*) in the round-by-round pairings.

Quarterfinal 1: A S Bernshteyn Alexander Ilyin-Zhenevsky Vasily Panov Yakov Rokhlin Vladislav Silich Nikolay Sorokin Veniamin Sozin Konstantin Vygodchikov Yakov Vilner.

Round 1: Sozin-Bye; Rokhlin 1 Vilner; Bernstein 1 Vigodchikov; Silic 1 Ilyin-Zhenevsky; Panov 0 Sorokin*

Round 2: Bye-Sorokin; Ilyin-Zhenevsky 1/2 Panov; Vigodchikov 1/2 Silic; Vilner 0 Bernstein; Sozin 1 Rokhlin

Round 3: Rokhlin-Bye; Bernstein 0 Sozin*; Silic 0 Vilner; Panov 1/2 Vigodchikov; Sorokin 1/2 Ilyin-Zhenevsky

Round 4: Bye-Ilyin-Zhenevsky; Vigodchikov 1/2 Sorokin; Vilner 0 Panov; Sozin 0 Silic; Rokhlin 1 Bernstein

Round 5: Bernstein-Bye; Silic 0 Rokhlin; Panov 1/2 Sozin; Sorokin 0 Vilner*; Ilyin-Zhenevsky 1/2 Vigodchikov

Round 6: Bye-Vigodchikov; Vilner 1/2 Ilyin-Zhenevsky; Sozin 1/2 Sorokin; Rokhlin 1/2 Panov; Bernstein 0 Silic

Round 7: Silic-Bye; Panov 1 Bernstein*; Sorokin 1/2 Rokhlin; Ilyin-Zhenevsky 1 Sozin; Vigodchikov 1 Vilner

Round 8: Bye-Vilner; Sozin 0 Vigodchikov; Rokhlin 1/2 Ilyin-Zhenevsky; Bernstein 1 Sorokin*; Silic 1 Panov

Round 9: Panov-Bye; Sorokin 1/2 Silic; Ilyin-Zhenevsky 1 Bernstein*; Vigodchikov 1/2 Rokhlin; Vilner 1/2 Sozin

                  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1 Rokhlin         * 1 = = = = 0 1 1 5.0
2 Silic           0 * = 1 1 = 1 0 1 5.0
3 Vigodchikov     = = * = = = 1 1 0 4.5
4 Ilyin-Zhenevsky = 0 = * = = 1 = 1 4.5
5 Panov           = 0 = = * 0 = 1 1 4.0
6 Sorokin         = = = = 1 * = 0 0 3.5
7 Sozin           1 0 0 0 = = * = 1 3.5
8 Vilner          0 1 0 = 0 1 = * 0 3.0
9 Bernstein       0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 * 3.0

click for larger view

Now 37.Qe4+! wins, but the game finished <37.Be4+?? Qf5!!> and black forces mate! Had Rokhlin lost this game, Ilyin-Zhenevsky would have made the semifinals. A proposal was made to admit Ilyin-Zhenevsky to the semis anyway, but was shot down by the 18-year-old Botvinnik who insisted that rules were rules.

Quarterfinal 2: Mikhail Botvinnik Sergey von Freymann Sergei Alexandrovich Mudrev Vladimir Nenarokov Nikolay Pavlov-Pianov Abram Polyak Viacheslav Ragozin Vsevolod Rauzer Nikolai Riumin.

Round 1: Pavlov Pianov-Bye; Poliak 1 Nenarokov*; Freymann 0 Botvinnik*; Rauzer 1 Ragozin; Mudrov 0 Riumin

Round 2: Bye-Riumin; Ragozin 1/2 Mudrov;; Botvinnik 1/2 Rauzer*; Nenarokov 0 Freymann*; Pavlov Pianov 1/2 Poliak*

Round 3: Poliak-Bye; Freymann 1 Pavlov Pianov*; Rauzer 1 Nenarokov; Mudrov 0 Botvinnik*; Riumin 1 Ragozin

Round 4: Bye-Ragozin; Botvinnik Riumin*; Nenarokov 1 Mudrov; Pavlov Pianov 1/2 Rauzer*; Poliak 0 Freymann

Round 5: Freymann-Bye; Rauzer 0 Poliak*; Mudrov 1 Pavlov Pianov*; Riumin 1 Nenarokov; Ragozin 0 Botvinnik*

Round 6: Bye-Botvinnik; Nenarokov 1/2 Ragozin; Pavlov Pianov 0 Riumin; Poliak 1 Mudrov; Freymann 1/2 Rauzer

Round 7: Rauzer-Bye; Mudrov 0 Freymann*; Riumin 0 Poliak*; Ragozin 1 Pavlov Pianov; Botvinnik 1/2 Nenarokov*

Round 8: Bye-Nenarokov; Pavlov Pianov 0 Botvinnik*; Poliak 1 Ragozin; Freymann 1 Riumin; Rauzer 1 Mudrov

Round 9: Mudrov-Bye; Riumin 0 Rauzer*; Ragozin 0 Freymann; Botvinnik 1 Poliak*; Nenarokov 1 Pavlov Pianov

                1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1 Botvinnik     * 1 = 1 1 = 1 1 1 7.0
2 Freymann      0 * = 1 1 1 1 1 1 6.5
3 Rauzer        = = * 0 1 1 1 1 = 5.5
4 Poliak        0 0 1 * 1 1 1 1 = 5.5
5 Riumin        0 0 0 0 * 1 1 1 1 4.0
6 Nenarokov     = 0 0 0 0 * = 1 1 3.0
7 Ragozin       0 0 0 0 0 = * = 1 2.0
8 Mudrov        0 0 0 0 0 0 = * 1 1.5
9 Pavlov Pianov 0 0 = = 0 0 0 0 * 1.0

Quarterfinal 3: Viktor Goglidze Dmitry Grigorenko Ilia Kan Mikhail Andreevich Makogonov Abram Model Grigory Ravinsky Nikolay Nikolaevich Rudnev Boris Verlinsky Nikolay Zubarev.

Round 1: Model-Bye; Rudnev 1/2 M. Makogonov; Zubarev 1/2 Kan; Goglidze 1/2 Verlinsky; Grigorenko 0 Ravinsky

Round 2: Bye-Ravinsky; Verlinsky 1/2 Grigorenko; Kan 1 Goglidze; M. Makogonov 1/2 Zubarev; Model 1 Rudnev*

Round 3: Rudnev-Bye; Zubarev 1 Model; Goglidze 1/2 M. Makogonov; Grigorenko 1/2 Kan; Ravinsky 0 Verlinsky

Round 4: Bye-Verlinsky; Kan 1 Ravinsky*; M. Makogonov 1 Grigorenko; Model 0 Goglidze*; Rudnev 0 Zubarev

Round 5: Zubarev-Bye; Goglidze 1/2 Rudnev; Grigorenko 1/2 Model; Ravinsky M. Makogonov; Verlinsky 0 Kan*

Round 6: Bye-Kan; M. Makogonov 0 Verlinsky; Model 1/2 Ravinsky; Rudnev 1 Grigorenko; Zubarev 1 Goglidze

Round 7: Goglidze-Bye; Grigorenko 1/2 Zubarev; Ravinsky 0 Rudnev; Verlinsky 1/2 Model*; Kan 1/2 M. Makogonov

Round 8: Bye-M. Makogonov; Model 0 Kan*; Rudnev 0 Verlinsky; Zubarev 0 Ravinsky*; Goglidze 1/2 Grigorenko

Round 9: Grigorenko-Bye; Ravinsky 0 Goglidze; Verlinsky 1 Zubarev; Kan 1 Rudnev; M. Makogonov 1 Model*

              1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1 Kan         * 1 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 6.5
2 Verlinsky   0 * 1 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 5.5
3 Makogonov,M ½ 0 * ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 5.5
4 Zubarev     ½ 0 ½ * 1 1 ½ 1 0 4.5
5 Goglidze    0 ½ 0 0 * ½ ½ 1 1 3.5
6 Rudnev      0 0 ½ 0 ½ * 1 0 1 3.0
7 Grigorenko  ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 * ½ 0 2.5
8 Model       0 ½ 0 0 0 1 ½ * ½ 2.5
9 Ravinsky    0 0 0 1 0 0 1 ½ * 2.5

Quarterfinal 4: Solomon Gotthilf Nikolay Grigoriev Pyotr Izmailov Vladimir Kirillov Vladimir Makogonov Solomon Rozental Alexey Selezniev Solomon Slonim bad player ID.

Round 1: Selezniev-Bye; Kirillov 1 Gottgilf; Grigoriev 1 Rozental; Slonim 1 Yuriev; Izmailov 1 V. Makogonov

Round 2: Bye-V. Makogonov; Yuriev 0 Izmailov; Rozental 1 Slonim; Gotthilf 1/2 Grigoriev; Selezniev 1 Kirillov

Round 3: Kirillov-Bye; Grigoriev 1/2 Selezniev; Slonim 1 Gotthilf; Izmailov 1/2 Rozental; V. Makogonov 1 Yuriev

Round 4: Bye-Yuriev; Rozental 1 V. Makogonov; Gotthilf 1 Izmailov; Selezniev 1/2 Slonim; Kirillov 1 Grigoriev*

Round 5: Grigoriev-Bye; Slonim 0 Kirillov; Izmailov 1 Selezniev; V. Makogonov 1 Gotthilf; Yuriev 1/2 Rozental

Round 6: Bye-Rozental; Gotthilf 1/2 Yuriev; Selezniev 0 V. Makogonov; Kirillov 0 Izmailov; Grigoriev 1 Slonim

Round 7: Slonim-Bye; Izmailov 0 Grigoriev; V. Makogonov 1 Kirillov; Yuriev 1/2 Selezniev; Rozental 1/2 Gotthilf

Round 8: Bye-Gotthilf; Selezniev 0 Rozental; Kirillov 1 Yuriev; 9 Grigoriev 1/2 V. Makogonov; Slonim 1/2 Izmailov

Round 9: Izmailov-Bye; V. Makogonov 1 Slonim; Yuriev 0 Grigoriev; Rozental 0 Kirillov; Gotthilf 1/2 Selezniev

              1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1 Grigoriev   * = 1 0 1 = = 1 1 5.5
2 Makogonov,V = * 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 5.5
3 Izmailov    0 1 * 1 = 0 1 = 1 5.0
4 Kirillov    1 0 0 * 1 1 0 1 1 5.0
5 Rozental    0 1 = 0 * = 1 1 = 4.5
6 Gotthilf    = 0 1 0 = * = 0 = 3.0
7 Selezniev   = 0 0 1 0 = * = = 3.0
8 Slonim      0 0 = 0 0 1 = * 1 3.0
9 Yuriev      0 0 0 0 = = = 0 * 1.5

click for larger view

is from <Izmailov-Grigoriev>, with White needing to get out of check. Obviously, he must go to a dark square, but his choice of 1.Ke3 led to 1...Re2+! winning on the spot. But then, none of the other moves saves White. 1.Kg3 Rg2+!; 1.Kg1 Rg2+! 2.Kh1 Rg4 3.Nf3 e4; and, prettiest of all, 1.Ke1 Re2+! 2.Kd1 Bg4 3.Qb6 (where else?) Ra7!!, and black wins.

Semifinals

It was impossible to construct round-by-round pairings for these sections, so only crosstables will be presented. An asterisk (*) following the result indicates the game is in this collection.

Semifinal 1

               1  2  3  4  5  6
1 Izmailov     X  =  =  1* 1  =  3.5
2 Kan          =  X  =* 1* =  1* 3.5
3 Vigodchikov  =  =* X  =  =  =* 2.5
4 Botvinnik    0* 0* =* X  1  1* 2.5
5 Makogonov,V. 0  =  =  0  X  =  1.5
6 Silic        =  0* =  0* =  X  1.5

Semifinal II

              1  2  3  4  5  6
1 Freymann    X  1  0  1* 1* 1  4.0
2 Verlinsky   0  X  1* 1* 1* 1  4.0
3 Rauzer      1  0* X  0* 1* 1* 3.0
4 Makogonov,M 0* 0* 1* X  0* =  1.5
5 Grigoriev   0* 0* 0* 1* X  =  1.5
6 Rokhlin     0  0  0* =  =  X  1.0

Finals

             1    2    3
1 Verlinsky XX   1*1  1*=  3.5
2 Freymann  0*0  XX   1*1  2.0
3 Kan       0*=  0*0  XX   0.5

At any rate, this should not detract from Verlinsky's dominating performance in the finals.