Alexander Beliavsky and Valery Salov could not be separated over the 54th Soviet Championship at Minsk, each finishing on 11/17 atop an eighteen-player field, and the title was decided only weeks later when Beliavsky beat Salov 3–1 in a four-game play-off at Vilnius.
Level at the top
Beliavsky and Salov each scored 11/17 — seven wins, two losses, and eight draws apiece — to finish half a point clear of Vyacheslav Eingorn and Jaan Ehlvest, who tied for third on 10½. The eighteen-player final at Minsk had been fed by semifinals at Sevastopol and Pinsk and by First League tournaments at Kuibyshev and Irkutsk.
With the two leaders inseparable and no tiebreak deciding the title itself, the championship was left to be settled in a separate play-off match.
The Vilnius play-off
The two met in a four-game play-off at Vilnius from 29 April to 4 May 1987. Beliavsky prevailed 3–1 to be declared the 54th champion of the Soviet Union, denying Salov — one of the brightest of the emerging Soviet generation — the national title.
Final standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Beliavsky, Alexander G | 11/17 | +7 -2 =8 | games |
| =1 | Salov, Valery | 11/17 | +7 -2 =8 | games |
| =3 | Ehlvest, Jaan | 10½/17 | +7 -3 =7 | games |
| =3 | Eingorn, Vereslav S | 10½/17 | +5 -1 =11 | games |
| =5 | Yusupov, Artur | 10/17 | +6 -3 =8 | games |
| =5 | Chernin, Alexander | 10/17 | +5 -2 =10 | games |
| 7 | Dolmatov, Sergey | 9½/17 | +6 -4 =7 | games |
| =8 | Kupreichik, Viktor D | 9/17 | +6 -5 =6 | games |
| =8 | Tukmakov, Vladimir B | 9/17 | +5 -4 =8 | games |
| =8 | Lputian, Smbat G | 9/17 | +4 -3 =10 | games |
| =8 | Psakhis, Lev | 9/17 | +4 -3 =10 | games |
| 12 | Bareev, Evgeny | 8/17 | +6 -7 =4 | games |
| =13 | Gavrikov, Viktor | 6½/17 | +2 -6 =9 | games |
| =13 | Malaniuk, Vladimir P | 6½/17 | +2 -6 =9 | games |
| =13 | Rashkovsky, Nukhim N | 6½/17 | +1 -5 =11 | games |
| 16 | Khalifman, Alexander | 6/17 | +2 -7 =8 | games |
| =17 | Gurevich, Mikhail | 5½/17 | +1 -7 =9 | games |
| =17 | Tseshkovsky, Vitaly | 5½/17 | +1 -7 =9 | games |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beliavsky, Alexander G | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 2 | Salov, Valery | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 3 | Ehlvest, Jaan | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 4 | Eingorn, Vereslav S | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 5 | Yusupov, Artur | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 6 | Chernin, Alexander | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | |
| 7 | Dolmatov, Sergey | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 8 | Kupreichik, Viktor D | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 9 | Tukmakov, Vladimir B | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | |
| 10 | Lputian, Smbat G | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | |
| 11 | Psakhis, Lev | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 12 | Bareev, Evgeny | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | |
| 13 | Gavrikov, Viktor | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 14 | Malaniuk, Vladimir P | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | |
| 15 | Rashkovsky, Nukhim N | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | |
| 16 | Khalifman, Alexander | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | |
| 17 | Gurevich, Mikhail | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 18 | Tseshkovsky, Vitaly | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 |
Each cell shows the row player's recorded results against the column player. ● = same player.