Notable Games
Anatoly Lein
15 celebrated games · 486 in the full archive
◈The games that made the legend
Lein – Tal · 1955 · 1–0
USSR Championship 23 quarter-final, 1955. As White in a Richter–Rauzer Sicilian, the young Lein grinds down 18-year-old Mikhail Tal — the future eighth World Champion, five years before he took the crown — in a 92-move queen-ending marathon.
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Ujtumen – Lein · 1965 · 0–1
Chigorin Memorial (Sochi) 1965. A Ruy Lopez Bird Variation in which Lein's black pieces storm the king — 14…Qf2 and 16…Bxd1 win material and a mating attack in just 24 moves. It sits high on his chessgames notable list.
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Lein – Polugaevsky · 1966 · 1–0
USSR Championship 34 final, 1966. A Symmetrical English where Lein's queen harvests the kingside (26.Qxg6, 27.Qxf5) before 32.Ng6+ and 36.Bd5+ finish off the great theoretician Lev Polugaevsky.
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Lein – Savon · 1967 · 1–0
USSR Championship 34 final, 1967. A Torre Attack kingside demolition — 18.Bxg6 rips open the king and Lein mates future Soviet champion Vladimir Savon on the board, 34.Qg7#.
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Lein – Smyslov · 1967 · 1–0
USSR Championship 34 final, 1967. A 108-move endgame grind that wears down former World Champion Vassily Smyslov, who had answered 1.e4 with the Alekhine Defence.
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Lein – Averbakh · 1969 · 1–0
USSR Championship 36 final, 1969. A central passed e-pawn overruns endgame theoretician Yuri Averbakh; the pawn marches to e7 and Black resigns.
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Lein – Taimanov · 1971 · 1–0
USSR Championship 39 final, 1971. Lein escorts a passed e-pawn home (33.e5, 37.e6) to beat Mark Taimanov, finishing 41.Rxa7.
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Lein – Bronstein · 1972 · 1–0
USSR Championship 40 final, 1972. Lein outplays David Bronstein — the 1951 World Championship challenger — in a sharp Modern Defence, winning the exchange and closing with 41.Qxc8.
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Formanek – Lein · 1977 · 0–1
Lone Pine 1977. A patient Ruy Lopez endgame Lein wins with Black, marching the queenside pawns (…b4, …c4, …c2) home; it tops his chessgames notable-games list.
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Lein – Regan · 1978 · 1–0
US Championship 1978. A Queen's Indian kingside demolition — Lein sacrifices a rook on h6 (23.Rxh6) and another on h7 to shred Kenneth Regan's king, resigning move 28 to 28.Qe4+.
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Lein – Barle · 1979 · 1–0
Lone Pine 1979. A wild Bishop's Opening attack chessgames dubbed “Life in the Fast Lein” — Lein's assault (24.Qh5, 25.Qxh7+) outruns Black's own passed a-pawn (30…a1=Q+) to a winning finish, 42.Ng5+.
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Lein – Miles · 1979 · 1–0
Johannesburg 1979. A 16-move miniature: top English grandmaster Tony Miles goes pawn-grabbing with his queen (10…Qxe3+, 11…Qxd4), Lein snares it, and Miles resigns on move 16 to 16.Ng5.
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Lein – Browne · 1982 · 1–0
Chicago 1982. A 66-move technical win over six-time US champion Walter Browne, Lein's king marching in at the finish (66.Kg6).
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Lein – Benjamin · 1986 · 1–0
US Championship 1986. A Queen's Indian where Lein's passed d-pawn breaks through: after 33.d5 both sides queen (36.d8=Q+, 37…b1=Q+) but Lein's attack crashes home, 40.Qd7+, beating Joel Benjamin.
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Ashley – Lein · 1989 · 0–1
New York 1989. A sharp Black win over Maurice Ashley — the future grandmaster and renowned commentator — capped by the sacrifices 30…Rxh3+ and 33…Rxg3+.
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