| USSR Championship (1962) |
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The 30th Soviet Chess Championship was held in the city of Yerevan (Erevan) from November 21st to December 20th, 1962. Twenty of the Soviet Union's strongest grandmasters and masters participated in the round robin event. Seven qualified from semi-final tournaments held earlier in the year: Igor Zaitsev and Vladislav Shiyanovsky qualified from Dnepropetrpvsk (with Shiyanovsky's seat incidently being won in a playoff among three masters who had finished tied for second); German Khodos and Yury Kots qualified from Novosibirsk; and Lev Aronin, Vladas Mikenas, and Leonid Stein qualified from Riga. The remaining thirteen seats went out as invitations, including to the previous year's Soviet champion Boris Spassky, recently deposed world champion and two time Soviet champion Mikhail Tal, winner of the 27th Soviet championship Viktor Korchnoi, winner of the 23rd Soviet championship Mark Taimanov, and perennial Soviet championship participant Ratmir Kholmov. While not as strong as some USSR championships of the past, due to the absence of grandmasters such as Mikhail Botvinnik, Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian, Efim Geller, David Bronstein, Paul Keres, and Lev Polugaevsky, the field assembled was a powerful mix of veterans and up and coming talents. Korchnoi dominated the field with wins against half the participants, starting with 12/14 and coasting to the finish. He had a full-point lead going into the last round, when runners-up Tal and Taimanov made it seem closer by winning their games. Korchnoi's fierce attacking style insured that this second Soviet crown would not be his last, as he would go on to win twice more at Kiev in 1964/65 and Riga in 1970 for a career total of four USSR championship victories. Yerevan, Soviet Union (Armenia), 21 November - 21 December 1962 (1) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
1 Korchnoi * 1 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 0 1 ½ 1 1 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 14.0
2 Tal 0 * 1 1 ½ ½ 0 1 1 0 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1 ½ 1 13.5
3 Taimanov ½ 0 * ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 13.5
4 Kholmov ½ 0 ½ * 0 1 1 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 13.0
5 Spassky 0 ½ 1 1 * 0 1 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 12.5
6 Stein 0 ½ ½ 0 1 * ½ 0 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ 0 1 1 11.5
7 Aronin ½ 1 0 0 0 ½ * ½ 1 ½ 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 ½ ½ ½ 10.5
8 Bannik 0 0 ½ 0 1 1 ½ * 0 1 ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 10.5
9 Kots ½ 0 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 1 * ½ ½ 0 1 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 10.0
10 Mikenas 1 1 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 ½ * 0 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 9.0
11 Krogius 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 1 * ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 8.5
12 Shiyanovsky ½ ½ 0 0 0 ½ 1 0 1 0 ½ * 0 1 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ ½ 8.0
13 Zaitsev, A. 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 * ½ 0 1 0 ½ 1 ½ 8.0
14 Suetin 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 1 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ * 0 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 8.0
15 Novopashin 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 * ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 8.0
16 Khodos ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 1 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ * 1 0 ½ 1 7.0
17 Mnatsakanian ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 0 1 1 ½ ½ 0 * 0 ½ 0 6.5
18 Korelov ½ 0 0 0 0 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 1 1 * 0 ½ 6.5
19 Zaitsev, I. 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 * 0 6.0
20 Savon 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 1 ½ 1 * 5.5
(1) Bernard Cafferty and Mark Taimanov, The Soviet Championships (Cadogan 1998), pp. 116-119.Original collection: Game Collection: USSR Championship 1962, 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. Korchnoi vs A Zaitsev |
  | 1-0 | 29 | 1962 | USSR Championship | D60 Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense |
| 2. Kholmov vs V Mikenas |
| ½-½ | 62 | 1962 | USSR Championship | D94 Grunfeld |
| 3. A Bannik vs Spassky |
| 1-0 | 66 | 1962 | USSR Championship | C63 Ruy Lopez, Schliemann Defense |
| 4. Y Kots vs Stein |
| ½-½ | 17 | 1962 | USSR Championship | B97 Sicilian, Najdorf |
| 5. Suetin vs E Mnatsakanian |
| ½-½ | 38 | 1962 | USSR Championship | B29 Sicilian, Nimzovich-Rubinstein |
| 6. I A Zaitsev vs Taimanov |
| 0-1 | 37 | 1962 | USSR Championship | B46 Sicilian, Taimanov Variation |
| 7. A Korelov vs Tal |
| 0-1 | 43 | 1962 | USSR Championship | B84 Sicilian, Scheveningen |
| 8. Savon vs Aronin |
| ½-½ | 22 | 1962 | USSR Championship | A06 Reti Opening |
| 9. A Novopashin vs G Khodos |
| ½-½ | 23 | 1962 | USSR Championship | B06 Robatsch |
| 10. V Shiyanovsky vs Krogius |
| ½-½ | 33 | 1962 | USSR Championship | B95 Sicilian, Najdorf, 6...e6 |
| 11. Krogius vs Korchnoi |
| 0-1 | 49 | 1962 | USSR Championship | B44 Sicilian |
| 12. V Mikenas vs Suetin |
| ½-½ | 26 | 1962 | USSR Championship | A66 Benoni |
| 13. Stein vs Spassky |
| 1-0 | 43 | 1962 | USSR Championship | C93 Ruy Lopez, Closed, Smyslov Defense |
| 14. Taimanov vs Kholmov |
| ½-½ | 31 | 1962 | USSR Championship | E59 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Main line |
| 15. Tal vs A Bannik |
| 1-0 | 28 | 1962 | USSR Championship | C87 Ruy Lopez |
| 16. A Zaitsev vs Savon |
| ½-½ | 30 | 1962 | USSR Championship | E77 King's Indian |
| 17. E Mnatsakanian vs A Korelov |
| 0-1 | 41 | 1962 | USSR Championship | C52 Evans Gambit |
| 18. Aronin vs A Novopashin |
| 1-0 | 30 | 1962 | USSR Championship | C96 Ruy Lopez, Closed |
| 19. G Khodos vs I A Zaitsev |
| ½-½ | 42 | 1962 | USSR Championship | E58 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Main line with 8...Bxc3 |
| 20. Y Kots vs V Shiyanovsky |
| 0-1 | 62 | 1962 | USSR Championship | C79 Ruy Lopez, Steinitz Defense Deferred |
| 21. Korchnoi vs Y Kots |
| ½-½ | 47 | 1962 | USSR Championship | D10 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav |
| 22. A Korelov vs V Mikenas |
| 0-1 | 41 | 1962 | USSR Championship | A29 English, Four Knights, Kingside Fianchetto |
| 23. Spassky vs Tal |
| ½-½ | 27 | 1962 | USSR Championship | D41 Queen's Gambit Declined, Semi-Tarrasch |
| 24. Suetin vs Taimanov |
| 0-1 | 42 | 1962 | USSR Championship | B44 Sicilian |
| 25. A Novopashin vs A Zaitsev |
| 1-0 | 51 | 1962 | USSR Championship | C81 Ruy Lopez, Open, Howell Attack |
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| page 1 of 8; games 1-25 of 190 |
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Dec-30-12
 | | perfidious: <Korchnoi, despite dominating the field with wins against half the participants, only managed to edge out Tal and Taimanov by half a point for first place.> The above comment is misleading, as Korchnoi made 12/14 for a large lead and finished with four draws and the loss to Mikenas in the sixteenth round. His lead was a full point entering the last round and the runners-up only managed to narrow the gap by winning. |
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Dec-30-12
 | | Phony Benoni: <perfidious> Is it better now? |
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Dec-30-12
| | perfidious: <Phony Benoni> Nice work, and a much better way of conveying the way things went in this event. |
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| Feb-07-13 | | notyetagm: The famous game from this tournament:
Korchnoi vs Tal, 1962 |
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Oct-01-16
 | | Fusilli: I wonder if Savon is the only player to both win the USSR championship (USSR Championship (1971)) and finish in last place in the USSR championship final (here). |
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| Jan-10-17 | | zydeco: <Fusilli> Mark Taimanov finished last in 1948 and won it in 1956. There may be others as well. |
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| Oct-05-19 | | Olavi: <zydeco: <Fusilli>> Beliavsky even did it in consecutive years, 1973 and 1974. |
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| Oct-06-19 | | ewan14: Incredibly disappointing for Korchnoi he was out of form in the zonals in 1963 and 1964. He could have challenged ( and beaten ) Petrosian |
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| Feb-14-20 | | King.Arthur.Brazil: For me, It is very sad that the in the historical event description "the absence of grandmasters such as Mikhail Botvinnik, Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian, Efim Geller, David Bronstein, Paul Keres, and Lev Polugaevsky...", was forgoten the remarkable name of the world chess champion Vasily Vasiliyevich Smyslov. I hope that the Chessgames manager correct it later. |
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