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🏆 USSR Championship (1944)

Chessgames.com Chess Event Description
The 13th Soviet Chess Championship was held in the capital of Moscow from May 21st to June 17th. Twelve of the Soviet Union's best chess masters qualified from three semifinal tournaments played earlier in the year. Andor Lilienthal, Vladimir Makogonov, Vladas Mikenas, and David Bronstein qualified from Baku. Alexander Kotov, Salomon Flohr, Gavriil Veresov, and Vladimir Alatortsev qualified from Moscow. Alexey Sokolsky, Abram Khavin, Isaac Boleslavsky, and Alexander Tolush qualified from Omsk, and Mikhail B ... [more]

Player: David Bronstein

 page 1 of 1; 16 games  PGN Download 
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. Tolush vs Bronstein 0-1401944USSR ChampionshipA54 Old Indian, Ukrainian Variation, 4.Nf3
2. Bronstein vs Alatortsev 0-1391944USSR ChampionshipC92 Ruy Lopez, Closed
3. Lisitsin vs Bronstein  ½-½461944USSR ChampionshipE94 King's Indian, Orthodox
4. Bronstein vs Botvinnik 1-0641944USSR ChampionshipC92 Ruy Lopez, Closed
5. A Sokolsky vs Bronstein 1-0291944USSR ChampionshipB10 Caro-Kann
6. Bronstein vs Lilienthal 1-0371944USSR ChampionshipC92 Ruy Lopez, Closed
7. G Ravinsky vs Bronstein ½-½411944USSR ChampionshipC76 Ruy Lopez, Modern Steinitz Defense, Fianchetto Variation
8. Bronstein vs A Khavin 0-1441944USSR ChampionshipD37 Queen's Gambit Declined
9. Veresov vs Bronstein 1-01051944USSR ChampionshipD63 Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense
10. Bronstein vs Flohr 0-1351944USSR ChampionshipC82 Ruy Lopez, Open
11. Smyslov vs Bronstein ½-½301944USSR ChampionshipC61 Ruy Lopez, Bird's Defense
12. Bronstein vs Boleslavsky  ½-½341944USSR ChampionshipB56 Sicilian
13. V Mikenas vs Bronstein 1-0641944USSR ChampionshipE46 Nimzo-Indian
14. Bronstein vs V Makogonov ½-½431944USSR ChampionshipC83 Ruy Lopez, Open
15. Kotov vs Bronstein 1-0311944USSR ChampionshipE67 King's Indian, Fianchetto
16. Bronstein vs Ragozin 1-0411944USSR ChampionshipB72 Sicilian, Dragon
 page 1 of 1; 16 games  PGN Download 
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | Bronstein wins | Bronstein loses  

Kibitzer's Corner
Jun-12-14  ughaibu: Anyone know why Ravinsky was invited?
Jul-01-14  zydeco: <ughaibu> Ravinsky was apparently well-respected as a trainer and theorist. No idea why he was invited specifically......but somebody obviously felt he deserved a spot as a wild card.
Jul-01-14  ughaibu: Okay, thanks. I don't remember another occasion when an invitee didn't seem clearly indicated, though I guess in this tournament, Lisitsin too might raise some eyebrows.
Jul-01-14  zydeco: Looking at the crosstables of a couple of the other USSR championships, Boris Ratner is another inexplicable invitee (for the 1945 championship). I can't figure out who the hell Ratner is.....although he did marginally better than Ravinsky.
Jul-02-14  ughaibu: I've looked through a few more, starting from this championship, and the only oddities I've noticed are Ravinsky, in 1944, and in 1945, Ratner pointed out by you and also Koblents.

I think Koblents can be explained, as he was Latvian champion that year and Latvia would have just become part of the Soviet Union. Unfortunately Ratner's page isn't wildly informative, but it does state that he was Ukrainian. However, the Ukranian championship of 1945 was won by Bannik, so that doesn't seem to help. And in any case, Ravinsky was Russian, so no further light there either.

Jul-02-14
Premium Chessgames Member		  jessicafischerqueen:

<zydeco, ughaibu>

Part of the mystery might be related to an over-representation from the <Moscow Semifinal 1944>: http://al20102007.narod.ru/ch_urs/1...

You'll note that 7 of the 8 top finishers made it in to the championship, including <Lisitsin> in 7th and <Ravinsky> in 8th.

Compare this representation to that from the other two semifinals.

<Baku 1944> http://al20102007.narod.ru/ch_urs/1...

<Omsk 1944> http://al20102007.narod.ru/ch_urs/1...

Curious eh?

Jul-02-14  ughaibu: That looks reasonable. I guess there were transport and accommodation difficulties around that time.
Jul-02-14
Premium Chessgames Member		  jessicafischerqueen:

<ughaibu> Yes, good point. The <Baku 1944> semifinal, for example, was played literally in the footsteps of the retreating Germans.

<David Bronstein's> route from <Baku> to the USSR Championship (1944) was somewhat adventurous in terms of "travel and accomodation":

<"By February 1944 the Germans had been driven back to the Dneiper River, and <<<Bronstein>>> joined the USSR Championship Semifinal in Baku. His 4th place finish qualified him for the final and drew the interest of Boris Vainstein, who quickly became an avid promoter of Bronstein's chess career. Vainstein was an influential member of the Communist Party, and he managed to have Bronstein relocated to Moscow from his job rebuilding a steel factory in the ruins of Stalingrad. Bronstein managed only 15th place at the USSR Championship (1944), but he was hardly disgraced, since he won his game against the incumbent "Absolute Soviet champion": Bronstein vs Botvinnik, 1944.">

David Bronstein

Jul-02-14
Premium Chessgames Member		  perfidious: <One> draw for Tolush in sixteen games, and one big win, against no less than Botvinnik, Tolush's only career victory against the future world champion.
Aug-27-16  ughaibu: 13th: "his second consecutive win (counting the absolute championship)"

14th: "his second consecutive title"

Either the 14th was his third consecutive title or the 13th was not his second consecutive title.

Sep-05-19
Premium Chessgames Member		  jessicafischerqueen:

<perfidious>

<<One> draw for Tolush in sixteen games, and one big win, against no less than Botvinnik, Tolush's only career victory against the future world champion.>

Tolush vs Botvinnik, 1944

According to <Tal>, <Tolush> was a fearsome blitz player, in no small part due to his habit of shouting "ON, KAZIMIROVICH!" after each move.

Jan-16-20  AlexPomor: <jessicafischerqueen>

<According to <Tal>, <Tolush> was a fearsome blitz player, in no small part due to his habit of shouting "ON, KAZIMIROVICH!" after each move.>

According to <Botvinnik>: "Go ahead, Kazimiryich!" (not "Kazimirovich" - in russian it sounds too official) - when he pushed his passed pawn. In russian: "Âïåðåä, Êàçèìèðû÷!" "Cannon fodder resists!" - when the Tolush's position was winning, but his rival didn't resign. In russian: "Ïóøå÷íîå ìÿñî ñîïðîòèâëÿåòñÿ!" "Last Amen to pies" - when his rival resigned. In russian: "Àìèíü ïèðîæêàì". "Zing-Zilyevich is catched up!" - when he resigned. In russian: "Äçûíü-Äçèëåâè÷ ñõâà÷åí!" "The infantry is divided from the tanks!" - when he forced rival's Queen was passive in a game. In russian: "Ïåõîòà îòðåçàåòñÿ îò òàíêîâ".

Mar-18-21
Premium Chessgames Member		  keypusher: <It was [Botvinnik's] third consecutive title (counting the absolute championship) >

That can't be right, unless the 12th USSR Championship is excluded. USSR Championship (1940)

The Absolute Championship didn't deprive the 12th Championship of its status, did it? USSR Absolute Championship (1941)

Jul-01-25
Premium Chessgames Member		  GrahamClayton: Article about the style and design of the chess pieces used in the tournament:

https://sovietchesssets.com/2022/05...

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