Viktor Korchnoi dominated the 38th Soviet Championship at Riga, winning twelve games and losing only one to finish on 16/21 — a point and a half clear of Vladimir Tukmakov — for his fourth Soviet title, in a field that also saw the nineteen-year-old Anatoly Karpov make his championship debut.
A commanding margin
Korchnoi's 16/21 came from twelve wins against a single loss, the most decisive winning score of the event and a point and a half ahead of Vladimir Tukmakov, who took clear second on 14½. Leonid Stein was third on 14. It was Korchnoi's fourth Soviet crown, following Leningrad 1960, Yerevan 1962, and Kiev 1964/65.
The tournament is also remembered for two younger stories. Anatoly Karpov, then nineteen, made his championship debut and shared fifth place on 12, opening with a loss and ten draws across his first eleven games before finding his footing. And the event unfolded in Riga, Mikhail Tal's home city, without Tal himself: the organizers left the former world champion out of the field, doubting whether his health would carry him through the twenty-one-round distance — a decision that rankled for years.
Final standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Korchnoi, Viktor Lvovich | 16/21 | +12 -1 =8 | games |
| 2 | Tukmakov, Vladimir B | 14½/21 | +9 -1 =11 | games |
| 3 | Stein, Leonid | 14/21 | +8 -1 =12 | games |
| 4 | Balashov, Yuri S | 12½/21 | +8 -4 =9 | games |
| =5 | Gipslis, Aivars P | 12/21 | +5 -2 =14 | games |
| =5 | Karpov, Anatoly | 12/21 | +5 -2 =14 | games |
| =5 | Savon, Vladimir A | 12/21 | +5 -2 =14 | games |
| =8 | Averbakh, Yuri L | 11/21 | +4 -3 =14 | games |
| =8 | Podgaets, Mikhail | 11/21 | +4 -3 =14 | games |
| =10 | Bagirov, Vladimir | 10½/21 | +6 -6 =9 | games |
| =10 | Dementiev, Oleg I | 10½/21 | +5 -5 =11 | games |
| =10 | Liberzon, Vladimir Mikhailovich | 10½/21 | +5 -5 =11 | games |
| =13 | Doroshkievich, Vladimir K | 10/21 | +8 -9 =4 | games |
| =13 | Kholmov, Ratmir D | 10/21 | +4 -5 =12 | games |
| =15 | Zaitsev, Igor A | 9½/21 | +6 -8 =7 | games |
| =15 | Antoshin, Vladimir S | 9½/21 | +2 -4 =15 | games |
| =17 | Mikenas, Vladas Ivanovich | 9/21 | +6 -9 =6 | games |
| =17 | Vaganian, Rafael A | 9/21 | +4 -7 =10 | games |
| 19 | Karasev, Vladimir I | 8½/21 | +5 -9 =7 | games |
| 20 | Platonov, Igor V | 7½/21 | +4 -10 =7 | games |
| 21 | Tseitlin, Mark D | 6/21 | +2 -11 =8 | games |
| 22 | Moiseev, Oleg Leonidovich | 5½/21 | +2 -12 =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 | 21 | 22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Korchnoi, Viktor Lvovich | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 2 | Tukmakov, Vladimir B | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 3 | Stein, Leonid | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | |
| 4 | Balashov, Yuri S | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 5 | Gipslis, Aivars P | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 6 | Karpov, Anatoly | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 7 | Savon, Vladimir A | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 8 | Averbakh, Yuri L | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 9 | Podgaets, Mikhail | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | |
| 10 | Bagirov, Vladimir | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 11 | Dementiev, Oleg I | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | |
| 12 | Liberzon, Vladimir Mikhailovich | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | |
| 13 | Doroshkievich, Vladimir K | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 14 | Kholmov, Ratmir D | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 15 | Zaitsev, Igor A | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 16 | Antoshin, Vladimir S | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 17 | Mikenas, Vladas Ivanovich | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 18 | Vaganian, Rafael A | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 19 | Karasev, Vladimir I | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 20 | Platonov, Igor V | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 21 | Tseitlin, Mark D | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 22 | Moiseev, Oleg Leonidovich | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Each cell shows the row player's recorded results against the column player. ● = same player.