Isaac Boleslavsky

Boleslavsky – Lilienthal · 1941 · 1–0

USSR Absolute Championship, Leningrad/Moscow 1941 — a crushing 17-move miniature. Meeting Lilienthal's 2...d5 with the piece-grabbing 3.Nxe5, Boleslavsky let his pieces swarm the centre; after 15.N4g5 and 16.Bxe5 the black position collapsed and 17.Bxc7 forced resignation.

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Boleslavsky – Ragozin · 1942 · 1–0

22nd Moscow Championship, 1942 — a sharp Open Ruy Lopez. Ragozin's knight sacrifice ...Ng3 was answered by Boleslavsky's cold-blooded queen counter-sacrifice 19.Qxf5; left with rook and bishop for the queen, he coordinated his forces and pushed the passed pawns through to win.

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Boleslavsky – Fine · 1945 · 1–0

USSR–USA radio match, 1945 — the game that took the prize for the best of the match. In a Ruy Lopez Boleslavsky secured a superior pawn structure out of the opening, traded into a favourable ending with 23.Qxf6+, and outplayed Reuben Fine without allowing counterplay.

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Boleslavsky – Smyslov · 1950 · 1–0

Candidates Tournament, Budapest 1950 — a 22-move positional demolition of the future World Champion Vasily Smyslov. In a Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, Boleslavsky exploited an early central break, planted his knights on b5 and d6, and by 21.Nf6 Smyslov was lost. Boleslavsky finished the event as its only undefeated player, tied for first.

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Boleslavsky – Flohr · 1950 · 1–0

Candidates Tournament, Budapest 1950 — a Ruy Lopez from the run that carried Boleslavsky to shared first place. He won Flohr's queenside pawns with 25.Qxc6 and 26.Qxb5, then marched the passed b-pawn to b6 to force resignation.

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Alatortsev – Boleslavsky · 1950 · 0–1

18th USSR Championship, Moscow 1950 — playing the Old Indian with Black, Boleslavsky opened the position with 13...f5, sacrificed to lay the white king bare, and finished with a direct attack (24...Rg2+, 26...Rxf8) after 27.Qf1+ Rf2+.

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Boleslavsky – Botvinnik · 1952 · 1–0

Soviet training tournament, Gagra 1952 — a win over the reigning World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik. In a Semi-Slav Meran, Boleslavsky nursed a protected passed d-pawn, wore down Botvinnik's counterplay over a long struggle, and queened it with 61.d6.

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Boleslavsky – Kotov · 1953 · 1–0

Candidates Tournament, Zürich 1953 — from the great tournament immortalised in Bronstein's book. In a Queen's Gambit Accepted, Boleslavsky's central break 14.d5 won a pawn and the initiative against Alexander Kotov, and he ground out the minor-piece endgame.

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Euwe – Boleslavsky · 1953 · 0–1

Candidates Tournament, Zürich 1953 — a win over former World Champion Max Euwe. Playing his beloved King's Indian with Black, Boleslavsky answered Euwe's queenside play with 15...b5 and 30...Bh6, broke through with 31...Rxb4, and won the minor-piece ending with his extra passed pawns.

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Boleslavsky – Kortschnoj · 1955 · 1–0

23rd USSR Championship semifinal, Riga 1955 — a clean 21-move win over the young Viktor Korchnoi. Out of a Sicilian, Boleslavsky steered into a favourable position, exchanged into a winning ending with 17.Qxb4, and won material with 20.Rxe5 to force resignation.

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Boleslavsky – Lisitsin · 1956 · 1–0

23rd USSR Championship, Leningrad 1956 — Boleslavsky's signature attacking game (titled 'Isaac Lootin'' on chessgames.com). In a Yugoslav-Attack Dragon he opened lines with a central knight and a kingside pawn storm, and the blow 29.Rxh6 netted Georgy Lisitsin's queen by move 30.

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Tal – Boleslavsky · 1958 · 0–1

25th USSR Championship, Riga 1958 — a win over Mikhail Tal, World Champion two years later, in Tal's home city. Defending a Sämisch King's Indian with Black, Boleslavsky met the g4–h4 storm with the central counter 8...Ne8 and 11...Bxf5, forced the queens off with 14...Qxe3+, and won the endgame a pawn up. He never lost a classical game to Tal.

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Boleslavsky – Gurgenidze · 1960 · 1–0

28th USSR Championship semifinal, Rostov-on-Don 1960 — a 13-move miniature. After Gurgenidze's dubious 3...d5, Boleslavsky's knights swarmed to b5 and the centre; 12.Bxa7 and the fork 13.Nd6+ forced immediate resignation.

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Boleslavsky – Petrosian · 1966 · 1–0

Moscow training tournament, 1966 — a win over the reigning World Champion Tigran Petrosian, whose long-time trainer and second was Boleslavsky himself. Against Petrosian's Alekhine Defence he built a kingside attack with g3–g4 and h4–h5, broke in with 36.Nf6+ and 41.Qxg6+, and reached a winning ending.

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Boleslavsky – Dzindzichashvili · 1967 · 1–0

Soviet event, 1967 — a Queen's Gambit Accepted against the young Roman Dzindzichashvili, later a grandmaster. Boleslavsky sacrificed a rook with 22.Rd8+ and hunted the black king across the board (23.Nxf7+, 24.Qg4+, 25.Qe6+) to a decisive finish.

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