| USSR Championship (1952) |
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The 20th Soviet chess championship took place in Moscow from November 29th to December 29th 1952. The field was composed of twenty players: Six were invited, including the world champion Mikhail Botvinnik and the five Soviet grandmasters from the Olympiad, Isaac Boleslavsky, David Bronstein, Efim Geller, Paul Keres, and Vasily Smyslov. The other fourteen players qualifed from semi-final play. Mark Taimanov took an early lead of two points over the field, due in part to a win against Botvinnik, the heavy favorite, in the third round. Taimanov remained with a clear lead until the final round when Geller defeated him, allowing Botvinnik his chance to tie by defeating Alexey Suetin. A playoff match was held to determine an outright winner, so a concert hall was scheduled for the six game encounter, held from January 25th to February 5th, 1953. Botvinnik beat Taimanov +2 -1 =3 to win his sixth and last Soviet Championship. The final standings and crosstable:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 Pts
=1 Botvinnik * 0 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 13½
=1 Taimanov 1 * 0 0 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 13½
3 Geller 0 1 * 1 1 ½ ½ 0 0 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 12
=4 Boleslavsky ½ 1 0 * 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 0 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 11½
=4 Tolush ½ ½ 0 1 * ½ 0 1 1 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ 0 1 1 ½ 1 1 11½
6 Korchnoi ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ * 0 ½ 1 0 0 1 1 1 ½ 0 1 1 1 1 11
=7 Bronstein 0 0 ½ ½ 1 1 * 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 10½
=7 Moiseev 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 0 * ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 10½
=7 Smyslov ½ ½ 1 0 0 0 ½ ½ * 1 1 ½ 0 1 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 10½
=10 Keres 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 * 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 0 1 ½ 1 9½
=10 Suetin 0 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 0 0 * ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 0 1 1 ½ 9½
=12 Aronin ½ 0 ½ 1 1 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ * ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 9
=12 Byvshev ½ 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 ½ * 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 9
=14 Ilivitsky 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 0 * 1 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 8½
=14 Simagin ½ 0 0 0 1 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 0 * 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 8½
16 Konstantinopolsky 0 0 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ 0 ½ 0 1 0 1 0 0 * 1 ½ ½ ½ 7½
17 Lipnitsky ½ 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 * 1 ½ 0 7
18 Kan 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 * 1 1 6½
19 Kasparian ½ 0 ½ 0 0 0 1 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 * ½ 5½
20 Goldenov 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 0 ½ * 5
The USSR Championship Playoff (1953) determined the winner: 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 Botvinnik 1 ½ ½ 1 0 ½ 3½
2 Taimanov 0 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ 2½
Original collection: Game Collection: USSR Championship 1952, by User: suenteus po 147.
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| page 1 of 8; games 1-25 of 190 |
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| Game |
| Result | Moves |
Year | Event/Locale | Opening |
| 1. Botvinnik vs A Konstantinopolsky |
  | 1-0 | 73 | 1952 | USSR Championship | B01 Scandinavian |
| 2. Bronstein vs I Kan |
| ½-½ | 25 | 1952 | USSR Championship | D51 Queen's Gambit Declined |
| 3. Aronin vs Geller |
| ½-½ | 15 | 1952 | USSR Championship | C07 French, Tarrasch |
| 4. Keres vs G Kasparian |
| ½-½ | 19 | 1952 | USSR Championship | B18 Caro-Kann, Classical |
| 5. Smyslov vs Korchnoi |
| 0-1 | 51 | 1952 | USSR Championship | A31 English, Symmetrical, Benoni Formation |
| 6. Simagin vs G Ilivitsky |
| 0-1 | 37 | 1952 | USSR Championship | D87 Grunfeld, Exchange |
| 7. B Goldenov vs Suetin |
| ½-½ | 16 | 1952 | USSR Championship | D80 Grunfeld |
| 8. Taimanov vs O Moiseev |
| ½-½ | 20 | 1952 | USSR Championship | D67 Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense, Bd3 line |
| 9. I Lipnitsky vs Boleslavsky |
| 0-1 | 46 | 1952 | USSR Championship | E68 King's Indian, Fianchetto, Classical Variation, 8.e4 |
| 10. Tolush vs V Byvshev |
| 1-0 | 36 | 1952 | USSR Championship | E28 Nimzo-Indian, Samisch Variation |
| 11. Botvinnik vs B Goldenov |
| 1-0 | 35 | 1952 | USSR Championship | A13 English |
| 12. G Ilivitsky vs Bronstein |
| ½-½ | 33 | 1952 | USSR Championship | A53 Old Indian |
| 13. Geller vs Simagin |
| 1-0 | 50 | 1952 | USSR Championship | E90 King's Indian |
| 14. I Kan vs Keres |
| 0-1 | 49 | 1952 | USSR Championship | A47 Queen's Indian |
| 15. A Konstantinopolsky vs Korchnoi |
| 1-0 | 29 | 1952 | USSR Championship | D03 Torre Attack (Tartakower Variation) |
| 16. Suetin vs Tolush |
| ½-½ | 21 | 1952 | USSR Championship | C61 Ruy Lopez, Bird's Defense |
| 17. V Byvshev vs Taimanov |
| 0-1 | 44 | 1952 | USSR Championship | B65 Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer Attack, 7...Be7 Defense, 9...Nxd4 |
| 18. Boleslavsky vs Smyslov |
| 1-0 | 42 | 1952 | USSR Championship | D18 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, Dutch |
| 19. G Kasparian vs I Lipnitsky |
| ½-½ | 67 | 1952 | USSR Championship | A04 Reti Opening |
| 20. O Moiseev vs Aronin |
| ½-½ | 24 | 1952 | USSR Championship | D78 Neo-Grunfeld, 6.O-O c6 |
| 21. Tolush vs Botvinnik |
| ½-½ | 40 | 1952 | USSR Championship | C05 French, Tarrasch |
| 22. Bronstein vs Geller |
| ½-½ | 33 | 1952 | USSR Championship | C90 Ruy Lopez, Closed |
| 23. Keres vs G Ilivitsky |
| ½-½ | 21 | 1952 | USSR Championship | A15 English |
| 24. Korchnoi vs Boleslavsky |
| ½-½ | 16 | 1952 | USSR Championship | B63 Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer Attack |
| 25. Simagin vs O Moiseev |
| 0-1 | 48 | 1952 | USSR Championship | A13 English |
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| page 1 of 8; games 1-25 of 190 |
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| May-26-13 | | ughaibu: The outstanding result in this tournament was Byshev's. His eight wins was only bettered by Botvinnik with nine and Taimanov with eleven. And one of his only two(!) draws was with the winner Botvinnik. On the other hand, he lost more than anyone but the two tailenders. Here are three amusing unkibitzed games; a win, a draw and a loss: Byvshev vs Boleslavsky, 1952 Aronin vs Byvshev, 1952 Tolush vs Byvshev, 1952 |
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| Jul-30-14 | | RookFile: When you look up and see guys like Keres and Smyslov in the middle of the pack, it makes you realize how ridiculously strong these Soviet championships were. |
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| Jul-30-14 | | kia0708: yes, the Soviet Union was a power house in chess
probably no other country will ever match their dominance |
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| Jan-23-15 | | Fanques Fair: What a result for Taimanov ! He managed to have not less than 4 (!!!) points more than third place ! Botvinik went marveously well also, winning with an astonishing result ... But Taimanov inflicted one of his only 2 losses. |
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Jan-23-15
 | | perfidious: Both, actually: the only defeat of Botvinnik in the regular event and a win in the playoff. |
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Mar-12-15
 | | keypusher: <Fanques Fair: What a result for Taimanov ! He managed to have not less than 4 (!!!) points more than third place !> The six extra playoff games helped. As you can see from the crosstable, in the tournament Botvinnik and Taimanov actually finished a more modest (but still impressive!) 1 1/2 points ahead of third place Geller. |
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| Sep-28-19 | | me to play: < A playoff match was held to determine an outright winner, so a concert hall was scheduled for the six game encounter, held from January 25th to February 5th, 1953. Botvinnik beat Taimanov +2 -1 =3 to win his sixth and last Soviet Championship.> Wow, a 6 game play-off match just to break the tie for this 1952 USSR championship! Now, we only get 12 for the World Championship. Oh well. |
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| Oct-11-19 | | Ryan Razo: Could easily be otherwise a super tournament in itself |
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| Oct-11-19 | | hemy: The book of Michail Judovich "20 первенство СССР по шахматам" (The 20th USSR Chess Championship): https://www.dropbox.com/s/vfcjgdxuq... |
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