Lev Polugaevsky
Notable Games

Lev Polugaevsky

17 celebrated games · 801 in the full archive
Player Index ◈ Biography 801 CURATED GAMES

Notable Games

  • 1960.02.16 Polugaevsky, Lev vsPetrosian, Tigran V 1-0 Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Gligoric System, Exchange Variation 24 moves URS-ch27 Final USSR Championship 1960: a 24-move demolition of the famously impregnable Tigran Petrosian — 11.d5! rips open the centre and 16.Bxf7+ 17.Ne6 launches the attack. Kasparov identifies 18...Ba6? as the decisive error, with 18...Qxd8! offering a defence, three years before Petrosian took the world title.
  • 1961 Polugaevsky, Lev vsNezhmetdinov, Rashid 1-0 Benoni Defense: Classical Variation, Czerniak Defense, Tal Line 39 moves RSFSR-ch 21st Omsk 1961: three years after Nezhmetdinov's famous queen-sacrifice immortal against him, Polugaevsky beats his old trainer in the Benoni and wins the RSFSR Championship outright.
  • 1961.01.26 Spassky, Boris Vasilievich vsPolugaevsky, Lev 0-1 Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation 50 moves URS-ch28 Final & Zonal USSR Championship 1961: with Black in the Queen's Indian, Polugaevsky weathers a fierce kingside pawn-storm and outplays the young Boris Spassky, eight years before Spassky became World Champion.
  • 1963.08.09 Polugaevsky, Lev vsMaslov, Leonid P 1-0 King's Indian Attack: Pachman System 33 moves URS-chT Republics 09th Group2 A textbook King's Indian Attack: Polugaevsky rolls the h-pawn up the board, sacrifices with 26.Be6! and hunts the black king down to a forced mate.
  • 1967.08.02 Polugaevsky, Lev vsGeller, Efim P 1-0 King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Normal Defense 22 moves URS-chT Republics 10th final A A 22-move miniature against the elite theoretician Efim Geller: 9.e5 and 15.c6! tear open the King's Indian, and the knight tour 19.Nd7/20.Nxf8 wins decisive material.
  • 1969.09.07 Polugaevsky, Lev vsTal, Mikhail 1-0 Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Exchange Variation 37 moves URS-ch37 Final USSR Championship 1969, ranked by Kasparov among Polugaevsky's finest: armed with home analysis prepared with Spassky — Geller recognised the position after move 25 from that morning's hotel-room analysis — he beats the great attacker Mikhail Tal at his own game with 19.Bxh7+ and a crushing kingside hunt.
  • 1969.05.01 Polugaevsky, Lev vsBilek, Istvan 1-0 English Opening: Symmetrical Variation 32 moves Anderssen Memorial-02 Anderssen Memorial 1969: a crisp Symmetrical English in which 14.Nd5 and the central break win a piece, finished off with 30.Bxf6 and 32.Bd5+.
  • 1969 Polugaevsky, Lev vsIvkov, Borislav 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon, Maróczy Bind, Gurgenidze Variation 41 moves Belgrade Belgrade 1969: a pure positional squeeze — Polugaevsky trades queens early, marches his king to b3 and rolls the kingside pawns until Borislav Ivkov's game collapses.
  • 1971.03.22 Polugaevsky, Lev vsMecking, Henrique 1-0 Semi-Slav Defense: Chigorin Defense 59 moves Mar del Plata International-29 From Polugaevsky's victorious Mar del Plata 1971: a marathon technical win over Henrique Mecking, decided only when both sides queen a pawn and 58.Qf7+/59.Qf8+ wins the queen ending.
  • 1973.08.17 Polugaevsky, Lev vsPortisch, Lajos 1-0 Réti Opening: Advance Variation 39 moves Interzonal-09b Petropolis Interzonal 1973: on the road to the Candidates, Polugaevsky outplays Lajos Portisch in a queenless Réti, his rooks and knight overrunning the queenside (19.Nxa7, 39.Rxe6).
  • 1980.03.23 Polugaevsky, Lev vsTal, Mikhail 1-0 Queen's Gambit Declined: Tartakower Defense 42 moves Candidates qf Polugaevsky-Tal +3-0=5 Candidates quarterfinal 1980: 24.Nxd5! wins a pawn and Polugaevsky grinds it out to help eliminate former World Champion Mikhail Tal (+3−0=5) — a high point of his three Candidates campaigns.
  • 1981.04 Polugaevsky, Lev vsTorre, Eugenio 1-0 Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation 40 moves Moscow Moscow 1981, one of the most celebrated games of his career: in the sharp Semi-Slav he lets Torre win a whole rook (15…Bxh1) and replies with the astonishing 17.h4!! and 18.f4!! — a positional rook sacrifice whose pawn chain leaves Black helpless, an idea he had prepared years in advance.
  • 1984.04.28 Polugaevsky, Lev vsTorre, Eugenio 1-0 Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Classical System, Main Line 33 moves London Phillips&Drew London 1984: three years after their Moscow classic, Polugaevsky dismantles Eugenio Torre again — this time by direct assault, 19.Bxh7+! and 22.Rxg6+! ripping open the black king for a decisive attack.
  • 1970.07.20 Gligoric, Svetozar vsPolugaevsky, Lev 0-1 Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Gligoric System, Exchange Variation 108 moves IBM Amsterdam 1970 — a 108-move win with Black against Svetozar Gligoric. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part III, game 22 (PDF page 43).
  • 1973.09.06 Geller, Efim P vsPolugaevsky, Lev 0-1 Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation 38 moves Interzonal-09b playoff plac3 2+3 Portoroz 1973, Interzonal playoff, round 1 — a 38-move win with Black against Efim P Geller. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part III, game 25 (PDF page 47).
  • 1980.03.27 Tal, Mikhail vsPolugaevsky, Lev 0-1 Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Polugaevsky Variation 70 moves Candidates qf Polugaevsky-Tal +3-0=5 Almaty 1980, Candidates match game 2 — a 70-move win with Black against Mikhail Tal. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part III, game 26 (PDF page 49).
  • 1980.07 Polugaevsky, Lev vsKorchnoi, Viktor Lvovich 1-0 Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Polugaevsky Gambit 73 moves Candidates sf Kortschnoj-Polugaevsky3-2 Buenos Aires 1980, Candidates match game 12 — a 73-move win with White against Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part III, game 27 (PDF page 51).
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