46th USSR Championship — Tbilisi 1978

A shared title, and a famous debut
1–28 December 1978 · Tbilisi, Soviet Union
Mikhail Tal and Vitaly Tseshkovsky shared first on 11/17
Event Index 153 GAMES

Mikhail Tal and Vitaly Tseshkovsky tied for first at Tbilisi 1978, each scoring 11/17 to share the 46th Soviet Championship — Tal unbeaten across all seventeen rounds — in an edition also marked by the championship debut of the fifteen-year-old Garry Kasparov.

A title shared

The 46th Soviet Championship, its field drawn together through a Swiss qualifier at Daugavpils and the First League at Ashkhabad, brought eighteen players to Tbilisi for a full round robin. Mikhail Tal and Vitaly Tseshkovsky finished level on 11/17 — Tal unbeaten with five wins and twelve draws, Tseshkovsky a shade more combative at six wins, ten draws and a single loss — and with no play-off scheduled the two shared the crown.

For Tal it was the sixth and last of his Soviet titles, a record tally no other player matched; for Tseshkovsky, the first of two national championships. Lev Polugaevsky came clear third on 10, ahead of Tamaz Giorgadze on 9½.

Kasparov's debut

The tournament is also remembered as the Soviet-championship debut of the fifteen-year-old Garry Kasparov, who had earned his place by topping the Swiss qualifier. On his first appearance among the country's elite he scored 9/17, in seventh place — an early marker on the road that would carry him to the world title seven years later.

Final standings

11/17
Mikhail Tal and Vitaly Tseshkovsky shared first on 11/17
# Player Score Record
=1 Tseshkovsky, Vitaly 11/17 +6 -1 =10 games
=1 Tal, Mikhail 11/17 +5 -0 =12 games
3 Polugaevsky, Lev 10/17 +4 -1 =12 games
4 Giorgadze, Tamaz 9½/17 +2 -0 =15 games
=5 Romanishin, Oleg M 9/17 +6 -5 =6 games
=5 Beliavsky, Alexander G 9/17 +5 -4 =8 games
=5 Kasparov, Garry 9/17 +4 -3 =10 games
=5 Geller, Efim P 9/17 +3 -2 =12 games
=5 Sveshnikov, Evgeny 9/17 +3 -2 =12 games
=10 Gulko, Boris F 8/17 +2 -3 =12 games
=10 Bagirov, Vladimir 8/17 +1 -2 =14 games
=10 Makarichev, Sergey 8/17 +1 -2 =14 games
=13 Mikhalchishin, Adrian 7½/17 +3 -5 =9 games
=13 Razuvaev, Yuri S 7½/17 +1 -3 =13 games
=13 Timoscenko, Gennadij A 7½/17 +1 -3 =13 games
=13 Tukmakov, Vladimir B 7½/17 +1 -3 =13 games
17 Dorfman, Josif D 6½/17 +1 -5 =11 games
18 Kuzmin, Gennadi P 6/17 +2 -7 =8 games

Cross Table

Player 123456789101112131415161718
1 Tseshkovsky, Vitaly ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 1 1 ½ ½ 1 ½
2 Tal, Mikhail ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1
3 Polugaevsky, Lev ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1
4 Giorgadze, Tamaz ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½
5 Romanishin, Oleg M ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 0
6 Beliavsky, Alexander G 0 0 ½ ½ 1 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 1 ½ 1
7 Kasparov, Garry 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 1 1
8 Geller, Efim P ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1
9 Sveshnikov, Evgeny ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 0 1 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½
10 Gulko, Boris F 1 ½ ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½
11 Bagirov, Vladimir ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1
12 Makarichev, Sergey 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½
13 Mikhalchishin, Adrian 0 0 ½ ½ 0 1 1 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 0 ½ ½
14 Razuvaev, Yuri S 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0
15 Timoscenko, Gennadij A ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ ½
16 Tukmakov, Vladimir B ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ ½
17 Dorfman, Josif D 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1
18 Kuzmin, Gennadi P ½ 0 0 ½ 1 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 0

Each cell shows the row player's recorded results against the column player. ● = same player.

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