Vladimir Savon, a little-known international master, went through the 39th Soviet Championship at Leningrad without losing a game, winning nine and drawing twelve for 15/21 — a point and a half clear of Mikhail Tal and Vassily Smyslov — to take the title ahead of a field of former world champions and the rising Anatoly Karpov.
An outsider's title
Drawn from semifinals at Daugavpils, Ivano-Frankivsk, Novosibirsk, and Perm, the Leningrad final was expected to belong to its grandmasters. Instead the title fell to Savon, an international master who had learned the game only at thirteen and grown up far from strong competition. He lost none of his twenty-one games, winning nine and drawing twelve, and his 15/21 stood a clear point and a half above the chasing pack.
Behind him, Mikhail Tal and Vassily Smyslov shared second on 13½, and the twenty-year-old Anatoly Karpov took fourth on 13, with Leonid Stein and Yuri Balashov next on 12. Achieved unbeaten against a field that held three former world champions, Savon's victory remains among the most unexpected in the championship's history.
Final standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Savon, Vladimir A | 15/21 | +9 -0 =12 | games |
| =2 | Tal, Mikhail | 13½/21 | +9 -3 =9 | games |
| =2 | Smyslov, Vasily V | 13½/21 | +6 -0 =15 | games |
| 4 | Karpov, Anatoly | 13/21 | +7 -2 =12 | games |
| =5 | Balashov, Yuri S | 12/21 | +8 -5 =8 | games |
| =5 | Stein, Leonid | 12/21 | +8 -5 =8 | games |
| =7 | Bronstein, David Ionovich | 11½/21 | +7 -5 =9 | games |
| =7 | Polugaevsky, Lev | 11½/21 | +6 -4 =11 | games |
| 9 | Taimanov, Mark E | 11/21 | +6 -5 =10 | games |
| =10 | Kapengut, Albert Z | 10½/21 | +6 -6 =9 | games |
| =10 | Krogius, Nikolai V | 10½/21 | +5 -5 =11 | games |
| =12 | Lein, Anatoly | 10/21 | +6 -7 =8 | games |
| =12 | Platonov, Igor V | 10/21 | +4 -5 =12 | games |
| 14 | Geller, Efim P | 9½/21 | +4 -6 =11 | games |
| =15 | Shamkovich, Leonid Alexandrovich | 9/21 | +5 -8 =8 | games |
| =15 | Karasev, Vladimir I | 9/21 | +4 -7 =10 | games |
| =17 | Nikolaevsky, Yuri V | 8½/21 | +5 -9 =7 | games |
| =17 | Tukmakov, Vladimir B | 8½/21 | +4 -8 =9 | games |
| =17 | Vaganian, Rafael A | 8½/21 | +4 -8 =9 | games |
| =20 | Tseitlin, Mark D | 8/21 | +6 -11 =4 | games |
| =20 | Grigorian, Karen Ashotovich | 8/21 | +4 -9 =8 | games |
| =20 | Dzindzichashvili, Roman | 8/21 | +2 -7 =12 | 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 | Savon, Vladimir A | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 2 | Tal, Mikhail | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | |
| 3 | Smyslov, Vasily V | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 4 | Karpov, Anatoly | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 5 | Balashov, Yuri S | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 6 | Stein, Leonid | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 7 | Bronstein, David Ionovich | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | |
| 8 | Polugaevsky, Lev | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | |
| 9 | Taimanov, Mark E | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 10 | Kapengut, Albert Z | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 11 | Krogius, Nikolai V | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 12 | Lein, Anatoly | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | |
| 13 | Platonov, Igor V | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 14 | Geller, Efim P | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | |
| 15 | Shamkovich, Leonid Alexandrovich | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | |
| 16 | Karasev, Vladimir I | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 17 | Nikolaevsky, Yuri V | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | |
| 18 | Tukmakov, Vladimir B | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | |
| 19 | Vaganian, Rafael A | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | |
| 20 | Tseitlin, Mark D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | |
| 21 | Grigorian, Karen Ashotovich | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | |
| 22 | Dzindzichashvili, Roman | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 |
Each cell shows the row player's recorded results against the column player. ● = same player.