USSR Zonal 1964

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USSR Zonal 1964
Compiled by Phony Benoni

While the USSR Championship generally served as the country's Zonal tournament in appropriate years, 1964 saw a separate event. The top six finishers from the recently concluded 1963 Championship (Leonid Stein, Boris Spassky, Ratmir Kholmov, David Bronstein, Efim Geller, Alexey Suetin) were joined by Viktor Korchnoi for a double-round robin tournament to determine the three qualifiers. It was close all the way with no player being outclassed, and only two points separating first from last at the finish.

Kholmov started the quickest. By round 5, he had three points and was a full point up on the field. Literally. Everyone else had two points. However, he suffered a loss in round 7, leaving these standings at the end of the first half:

4.0: Bronstein; <3.5>: Kholmov; <3.0>: Geller, Suetin; <2.5>: Korchnoi, Spassky, Stein

However, Spassky got serious in part two and scored 4.5 points in six games to just sprint past the field. Stein also came back strongly, and was able to claim an Interzonal spot with the fading Bronstein.

             1  2  3  4  5  6  7
1 Spassky   ** == == 01 1= =1 01 7.0
2 Stein     == ** == == =1 =1 0= 6.5
3 Bronstein == == ** == 1= 10 == 6.5
4 Kholmov   10 == == ** 0= 1= == 6.0
5 Suetin    0= =0 0= 1= ** == 1= 5.5
6 Korchnoi  =0 =0 01 0= == ** 11 5.5
7 Geller    10 1= == == 0= 00 ** 5.0

Round 1, Game #1
Korchnoi vs Kholmov, 1964
(A30) English, Symmetrical, 41 moves, 0-1
Round 1, Game #2
Spassky vs Bronstein, 1964
(E21) Nimzo-Indian, Three Knights, 31 moves, 1/2-1/2
Round 1, Game #3
Suetin vs Geller, 1964
(B35) Sicilian, Accelerated Fianchetto, Modern Variation with Bc4, 38 moves, 1-0
Round 2, Game #4
Geller vs Korchnoi, 1964
(D27) Queen's Gambit Accepted, Classical, 35 moves, 0-1
Round 2, Game #5
Kholmov vs Spassky, 1964
(B84) Sicilian, Scheveningen, 57 moves, 1-0
Round 2, Game #6
Stein vs Suetin, 1964
(B47) Sicilian, Taimanov (Bastrikov) Variation, 30 moves, 1/2-1/2
Round 3, Game #7
Bronstein vs Kholmov, 1964
(E19) Queen's Indian, Old Main line, 9.Qxc3, 27 moves, 1/2-1/2
Round 3, Game #8
Korchnoi vs Stein, 1964
(D93) Grunfeld, with Bf4 & e3, 32 moves, 1/2-1/2
Round 3, Game #9
Spassky vs Geller, 1964
(C85) Ruy Lopez, Exchange Variation Doubly Deferred (DERLD), 74 moves, 0-1
Round 4, Game #10
Geller vs Bronstein, 1964
(A13) English, 96 moves, 1/2-1/2
Round 4, Game #11
Stein vs Spassky, 1964
(C89) Ruy Lopez, Marshall, 32 moves, 1/2-1/2
Round 4, Game #12
Suetin vs Korchnoi, 1964
(B28) Sicilian, O'Kelly Variation, 37 moves, 1/2-1/2
Round 5, Game #13
Bronstein vs Stein, 1964
(D79) Neo-Grunfeld, 6.O-O, Main line, 31 moves, 1/2-1/2
Round 5, Game #14
Kholmov vs Geller, 1964
(C96) Ruy Lopez, Closed, 42 moves, 1/2-1/2
Round 5, Game #15
Spassky vs Suetin, 1964
(B48) Sicilian, Taimanov Variation, 41 moves, 1-0
Round 6, Game #16
Korchnoi vs Spassky, 1964
(A29) English, Four Knights, Kingside Fianchetto, 41 moves, 1/2-1/2
Round 6, Game #17
Stein vs Kholmov, 1964
(C43) Petrov, Modern Attack, 30 moves, 1/2-1/2
Round 6, Game #18
Suetin vs Bronstein, 1964
(B18) Caro-Kann, Classical, 83 moves, 0-1
Round 7, Game #19
Bronstein vs Korchnoi, 1964
(D24) Queen's Gambit Accepted, 36 moves, 1-0
Round 7, Game #20
Geller vs Stein, 1964
(D86) Grunfeld, Exchange, 39 moves, 1-0
Round 7, Game #21
Kholmov vs Suetin, 1964
(B99) Sicilian, Najdorf, 7...Be7 Main line, 41 moves, 0-1
Round 8, Game #22
Bronstein vs Spassky, 1964
(D27) Queen's Gambit Accepted, Classical, 30 moves, 1/2-1/2
Round 8, Game #23
Geller vs Suetin, 1964
(A39) English, Symmetrical, Main line with d4, 90 moves, 1/2-1/2
Round 8, Game #24
Kholmov vs Korchnoi, 1964
(B83) Sicilian, 42 moves, 1/2-1/2
Round 9, Game #25
Korchnoi vs Geller, 1964
(D55) Queen's Gambit Declined, 54 moves, 1-0
Round 9, Game #26
Spassky vs Kholmov, 1964
(A21) English, 44 moves, 1-0
Round 9, Game #27
Suetin vs Stein, 1964
(C96) Ruy Lopez, Closed, 59 moves, 0-1
Round 10, Game #28
Geller vs Spassky, 1964
(C72) Ruy Lopez, Modern Steinitz Defense, 5.O-O, 30 moves, 0-1
Round 10, Game #29
Kholmov vs Bronstein, 1964
(D32) Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch, 42 moves, 1/2-1/2
Round 10, Game #30
Stein vs Korchnoi, 1964
(B84) Sicilian, Scheveningen, 47 moves, 1-0
Round 11, Game #31
Bronstein vs Geller, 1964
(A33) English, Symmetrical, 68 moves, 1/2-1/2
Round 11, Game #32
Korchnoi vs Suetin, 1964
(D32) Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch, 64 moves, 1/2-1/2
Round 11, Game #33
Spassky vs Stein, 1964
(D86) Grunfeld, Exchange, 30 moves, 1/2-1/2
Round 12, Game #34
Geller vs Kholmov, 1964
(A21) English, 33 moves, 1/2-1/2
Round 12, Game #35
Stein vs Bronstein, 1964
(C16) French, Winawer, 44 moves, 1/2-1/2
Round 12, Game #36
Suetin vs Spassky, 1964
(C93) Ruy Lopez, Closed, Smyslov Defense, 89 moves, 1/2-1/2
Round 13, Game #37
Bronstein vs Suetin, 1964
(A48) King's Indian, 38 moves, 1/2-1/2
Round 13, Game #38
Kholmov vs Stein, 1964
(E75) King's Indian, Averbakh, Main line, 46 moves, 1/2-1/2
Round 13, Game #39
Spassky vs Korchnoi, 1964
(E18) Queen's Indian, Old Main line, 7.Nc3, 24 moves, 1-0
Round 14, Game #40
Korchnoi vs Bronstein, 1964
(A14) English, 49 moves, 1-0
Round 14, Game #41
Stein vs Geller, 1964
(C48) Four Knights, 30 moves, 1/2-1/2
Round 14, Game #42
Suetin vs Kholmov, 1964
(C43) Petrov, Modern Attack, 25 moves, 1/2-1/2
42 games

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