Leonid Stein, Boris Spassky, and Ratmir Kholmov had finished level on 12/19 at the 31st USSR Championship in Leningrad, so the federation sent all three to Moscow for a triangular play-off to settle the title outright. Stein opened by beating Spassky, then drew his remaining three games to close the six-game mini-tournament on 2½/4 — half a point ahead of Spassky and a full point clear of Kholmov.
Three men tied at 12
Stein, Spassky, and Kholmov had all finished the 31st USSR Championship on 12/19, a half point ahead of the field, with no tiebreak rule in place to separate them for the title itself. The federation's answer was direct: send the three straight into a double round robin, each pair meeting twice, six games in all, in Moscow that January.
Stein never lets go
Stein won the opening game against Spassky as Black, then drew his remaining three — against Kholmov twice and Spassky once more — to finish on 2½/4 without a loss. Spassky closed with a win over Kholmov to secure outright second, while Kholmov's three draws and one loss left him last. It was as close as Kholmov, long regarded as one of the strongest Soviet players never to win the national title, ever came to the crown.
The result gave Stein the first of his three Soviet championships; he went on to win outright at Tallinn in 1965 and Tbilisi in 1966, without needing a play-off either time.
Final standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stein, Leonid | 2½/4 | +1 -0 =3 | games |
| 2 | Spassky, Boris Vasilievich | 2/4 | +1 -1 =2 | games |
| 3 | Kholmov, Ratmir D | 1½/4 | +0 -1 =3 | games |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stein, Leonid | 1½ | ½½ | |
| 2 | Spassky, Boris Vasilievich | 0½ | ½1 | |
| 3 | Kholmov, Ratmir D | ½½ | ½0 |
Each cell shows the row player's recorded results against the column player. ● = same player.