USSR First League — Tbilisi 1973
The Soviet championship system was reorganized into Higher and First Leagues in 1973, and the new second tier opened with an extraordinarily strong eighteen-player round robin at Tbilisi. Rafael Vaganian and Roman Dzindzichashvili shared first on 11½/17, one point ahead of Evgeni Vasiukov.
A new rung in the Soviet pyramid
The 41st championship added a league below the Higher League final. Tbilisi's First League was played alongside the famous Moscow championship and offered a way into the next cycle, but its field was strong in its own right: David Bronstein, Semyon Furman, Evgeni Vasiukov, Eduard Gufeld, Mark Dvoretsky, Yuri Razuvaev and Vitaly Tseshkovsky all played.
Vaganian scored seven wins, one loss, and nine draws; Dzindzichashvili reached the same 11½ with eight wins, two losses, and seven draws. The computed display orders the tie by its internal sorting rules, while the historical record correctly treats the two players as joint winners.
One hundred fifty-three games intact
All 153 games of the eighteen-player round robin survive. They add up to the shared winning score of 11½ and Vasiukov's 10½ in third. Meanwhile, in Moscow, Boris Spassky won the Higher League title in a field often called one of the strongest Soviet championships ever.
Final standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Dzindzichashvili, Roman | 11½/17 | +8 -2 =7 | games |
| =1 | Vaganian, Rafael A | 11½/17 | +7 -1 =9 | games |
| 3 | Vasiukov, Evgeni | 10½/17 | +6 -2 =9 | games |
| =4 | Furman, Semen Abramovich | 10/17 | +5 -2 =10 | games |
| =4 | Razuvaev, Yuri S | 10/17 | +5 -2 =10 | games |
| 6 | Bronstein, David Ionovich | 9½/17 | +6 -4 =7 | games |
| =7 | Podgaets, Mikhail | 9/17 | +4 -3 =10 | games |
| =7 | Dvoretzky, Mark | 9/17 | +2 -1 =14 | games |
| =9 | Klovans, Janis | 8½/17 | +4 -4 =9 | games |
| =9 | Tseshkovsky, Vitaly | 8½/17 | +3 -3 =11 | games |
| 11 | Gufeld, Eduard | 8/17 | +2 -3 =12 | games |
| 12 | Zilberstein, Valery I | 7½/17 | +3 -5 =9 | games |
| =13 | Palatnik, Semon | 7/17 | +4 -7 =6 | games |
| =13 | Bagirov, Vladimir | 7/17 | +3 -6 =8 | games |
| =13 | Giorgadze, Tamaz | 7/17 | +3 -6 =8 | games |
| =16 | Makarichev, Sergey | 6½/17 | +2 -6 =9 | games |
| =16 | Osnos, Viatcheslav | 6½/17 | +2 -6 =9 | games |
| 18 | Kuindzhy, Alexander | 5½/17 | +3 -9 =5 | games |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dzindzichashvili, Roman | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 2 | Vaganian, Rafael A | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | |
| 3 | Vasiukov, Evgeni | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 4 | Furman, Semen Abramovich | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 5 | Razuvaev, Yuri S | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 6 | Bronstein, David Ionovich | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 7 | Podgaets, Mikhail | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 8 | Dvoretzky, Mark | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 9 | Klovans, Janis | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 10 | Tseshkovsky, Vitaly | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 11 | Gufeld, Eduard | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 12 | Zilberstein, Valery I | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 13 | Palatnik, Semon | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 14 | Bagirov, Vladimir | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | |
| 15 | Giorgadze, Tamaz | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | |
| 16 | Makarichev, Sergey | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | |
| 17 | Osnos, Viatcheslav | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 18 | Kuindzhy, Alexander | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 |
Each cell shows the row player's recorded results against the column player. ● = same player.