Leonid Stein
Notable Games

Leonid Stein

18 celebrated games · 418 in the full archive
Player Index ◈ Biography 418 CURATED GAMES

Notable Games

  • 1960 Krogius, Nikolai V vsStein, Leonid 0-1 King's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation 43 moves Match/Nation RSFSR-UKR A King's Indian tour de force with Black: Stein storms the kingside and sacrifices with 20...Ng3+, the kind of attack that made him feared in the opening he loved best.
  • 1961.01.19 Stein, Leonid vsPetrosian, Tigran V 1-0 French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation 26 moves URS-ch28 Final & Zonal USSR Championship 1961 — a French Winawer demolition of future World Champion Tigran Petrosian, sealed by 26.Bxe6.
  • 1961.02.10 Stein, Leonid vsSpassky, Boris Vasilievich 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Classical Variation, Central Variation 41 moves URS-ch28 Final & Zonal USSR Championship 1961 — a Ruy Lopez win over future World Champion Boris Spassky, part of the plus score Stein famously held against him.
  • 1961.12.25 Stein, Leonid vsTal, Mikhail 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation 32 moves URS-chT Cup 03rd Final An ultra-sharp Najdorf against Mikhail Tal: the central break 17.Nd5! opens the attack. Stein was one of the very few to hold a plus score over Tal.
  • 1962.02.14 Stein, Leonid vsPortisch, Lajos 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Modern Variation 21 moves Interzonal-05 Stockholm Interzonal 1962 — a Sicilian Kan torn open by the knight sacrifice 19.Nxg7; Lajos Portisch was rarely, if ever, beaten in fewer moves.
  • 1964 Spassky, Boris Vasilievich vsStein, Leonid 0-1 Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Simagin's Improved Variation 33 moves URS-ch31 playoff-1pl The Grünfeld that clinched Stein's first Soviet title: a Black win over Boris Spassky in the 1964 playoff for the 1963 USSR Championship.
  • 1964 Stein, Leonid vsKorchnoi, Viktor Lvovich 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Classical Variation 47 moves Moscow Zonal A Scheveningen Sicilian king-hunt against Viktor Korchnoi at the 1964 Moscow Zonal, launched by the piece sacrifice 19.Nf6+.
  • 1965.08.03 Botvinnik, Mikhail vsStein, Leonid 0-1 Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Bayreuth Variation 49 moves Trade Union Spartakiad-08 Preliminaries A win with Black over former World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik in the Ruy Lopez, from the 1965 Trade Union Spartakiad.
  • 1966.10.04 Stein, Leonid vsBirbrager, Isaak 1-0 Caro-Kann Defense: Breyer Variation 20 moves URS-chT Cup 05th A 20-move Caro-Kann king-hunt: Stein let Black's queen gorge on both rooks (12...Qxh1) and mated in the open field — a jewel of a miniature.
  • 1967.06.07 Stein, Leonid vsKeres, Paul 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Open, St. Petersburg Variation 40 moves October Revolution 50years Moscow 1967, one of the strongest tournaments ever held — an Open Ruy Lopez win over Paul Keres, against whom Stein kept a plus score.
  • 1969.10.02 Stein, Leonid vsFurman, Semen Abramovich 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Knight Variation 44 moves URS-ch37 Final USSR Championship 1969 — a Sicilian Kan sacrifice (11.Nd5) against Semen Furman, later Anatoly Karpov's trainer.
  • 1970.07.03 Stein, Leonid vsBenko, Pal C 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation 36 moves Caracas Caracas 1970 — Pal Benko's daring ...e5 Sicilian refuted in precise, technical fashion.
  • 1971.10.14 Stein, Leonid vsTal, Mikhail 1-0 English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Neo-Catalan Declined 33 moves URS-ch39 Final USSR Championship 1971 — a mature, positional English against former World Champion Mikhail Tal: initiative without wild risk, Stein's later style.
  • 1972.03.09 Stein, Leonid vsSmyslov, Vasily V 1-0 English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Queen's Indian Formation 35 moves URS-chT Republics 12th final A An English Opening turned violent: h4–h5, Bxh6 and Rxh7 crash through against former World Champion Vasily Smyslov.
  • 1973.04.18 Ljubojevic, Ljubomir vsStein, Leonid 0-1 Nimzo-Larsen Attack: Modern Variation 25 moves Las Palmas-02 Las Palmas 1973 — a crisp Black win against Ljubomir Ljubojevic's Nimzo-Larsen, from Leonid Stein's final tournament season before his sudden death at 38.
  • 1962.02.20 Bisguier, Arthur Bernard vsStein, Leonid 0-1 English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Spielmann Defense 32 moves Interzonal-05 Stockholm 1962, Interzonal — a 32-move win with Black against Arthur Bernard Bisguier. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part III, game 59 (PDF page 116).
  • 1962 Gligoric, Svetozar vsStein, Leonid 0-1 King's Indian Defense: Normal Variation 57 moves Match/Nation URS-YUG Lvov 1962 — a 57-move win with Black against Svetozar Gligoric. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part III, game 60 (PDF page 116).
  • 1965.12.20 Khasin, Abram Iosifovich vsStein, Leonid 0-1 Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Classical Variation 37 moves URS-ch33 Final Tallinn 1965 — a 37-move win with Black against Abram Iosifovich Khasin. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part III, game 65 (PDF page 124).
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