In his first full Soviet championship after the war, Paul Keres won the fifteenth title outright with 14/19, finishing a clear point ahead of the undefeated Isaac Boleslavsky in Leningrad — the emphatic answer of a player whose return to Soviet chess had been under a cloud.
A point clear in Leningrad
Keres took the fifteenth USSR Championship on 14/19, winning ten games, losing only one and drawing eight to finish a full point ahead of the field. Isaac Boleslavsky was second on 13, unbeaten across all nineteen rounds, and Vasily Smyslov took third on 12. It was a commanding result over a line-up that held nearly every leading Soviet player of the day.
For Keres the win meant more than a title. An Estonian whose country had been annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940, he had kept playing in German-occupied Europe during the war, and when he returned to Soviet chess he faced official suspicion and open resentment from some rivals. 1947 was the first of his three Soviet championships.
A field without Botvinnik
Mikhail Botvinnik stayed away from the tournament, absent in protest at what he saw as the authorities' lack of good faith in arranging his long-sought world-championship match. His absence left the strongest field in the world open, and it was Keres who mastered it, ahead of a rising generation that included Smyslov, David Bronstein, Boleslavsky and Bondarevsky.
Keres won the Soviet championship again in 1950 and 1951 and was a world-championship candidate for two decades, always a step short of the title. Leningrad 1947 was one of his best tournament wins, and it put him back at the top of Soviet chess.
Final standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keres, Paul | 14/19 | +10 -1 =8 | games |
| 2 | Boleslavsky, Isaak | 13/19 | +7 -0 =12 | games |
| 3 | Smyslov, Vasily V | 12/19 | +7 -2 =10 | games |
| 4 | Bondarevsky, Igor Tsakharovich | 11½/18 | +6 -1 =11 | games |
| =5 | Tolush, Alexander V | 11/18 | +7 -3 =8 | games |
| =5 | Bronstein, David Ionovich | 11/19 | +5 -2 =12 | games |
| =7 | Flohr, Salo | 10½/19 | +5 -3 =11 | games |
| =7 | Lilienthal, Andor | 10½/19 | +4 -2 =13 | games |
| 9 | Ragozin, Viacheslav | 10/19 | +7 -6 =6 | games |
| =10 | Kasparian, Genrikh Moiseevich | 9/19 | +7 -8 =4 | games |
| =10 | Levenfish, Grigory | 9/19 | +4 -5 =10 | games |
| =10 | Makogonov, Vladimir Andreevich | 9/19 | +3 -4 =12 | games |
| =13 | Ufimtsev, Anatoly Gavrilovich | 8/19 | +4 -7 =8 | games |
| =13 | Kan, Ilia Abramovich | 8/19 | +3 -6 =10 | games |
| =13 | Yudovich, Mikhail Mikhailovic | 8/19 | +2 -5 =12 | games |
| 16 | Alatortsev, Vladimir | 7½/19 | +4 -8 =7 | games |
| =17 | Aronin, Lev Solomonovich | 7/19 | +3 -8 =8 | games |
| =17 | Goldenov, Boris Petrovich | 7/19 | +2 -7 =10 | games |
| =19 | Klaman, Konstantin | 6½/19 | +4 -10 =5 | games |
| =19 | Dubinin, Peter Vasilievich | 6½/19 | +3 -9 =7 | games |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keres, Paul | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 2 | Boleslavsky, Isaak | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 3 | Smyslov, Vasily V | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 4 | Bondarevsky, Igor Tsakharovich | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ||
| 5 | Tolush, Alexander V | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ||
| 6 | Bronstein, David Ionovich | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 7 | Flohr, Salo | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 8 | Lilienthal, Andor | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | |
| 9 | Ragozin, Viacheslav | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 10 | Kasparian, Genrikh Moiseevich | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 11 | Levenfish, Grigory | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 12 | Makogonov, Vladimir Andreevich | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 13 | Ufimtsev, Anatoly Gavrilovich | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | |
| 14 | Kan, Ilia Abramovich | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | |
| 15 | Yudovich, Mikhail Mikhailovic | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | |
| 16 | Alatortsev, Vladimir | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | |
| 17 | Aronin, Lev Solomonovich | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | |
| 18 | Goldenov, Boris Petrovich | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | |
| 19 | Klaman, Konstantin | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | |
| 20 | Dubinin, Peter Vasilievich | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ |
Each cell shows the row player's recorded results against the column player. ● = same player.