Polugaevsky, Lev

classical era

Lev Polugaevsky (1934-1995) was a Soviet grandmaster and world-class opening theoretician who remained among the elite from the early 1960s through the late 1980s. He is best known for developing the ultra-sharp Polugaevsky Variation of the Najdorf Sicilian, which he analyzed with tireless devotion for decades and detailed in his classic book "Grandmaster Preparation."

Total Games

1892

Wins

678

Draws

956

Losses

255

35.8% wins50.5% draws13.5% losses

Most Played Openings

E15 - Queen's Indian Defense: Buerger Variation63E12 - Queen's Indian Defense61E11 - Bogo-Indian Defense40B96 - Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation39B85 - Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Classical Main Line36A30 - English Opening: Wing Gambit36A17 - English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense36A07 - King's Indian Attack32E18 - Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Tiviakov Defense27A34 - English Opening: Symmetrical Variation27

Most Faced Opponents

Kortschnoj, Viktor65 gamesGeller, Efim P34 gamesTal, Mihail31 gamesKarpov, Anatoly29 gamesTimman, Jan H25 gamesLjubojevic, Ljubomir24 gamesPortisch, Lajos24 gamesTaimanov, Mark E22 gamesSmyslov, Vassily22 gamesSpassky, Boris V21 games

Featured Games

FCGFCG
1-0

Polugaevsky, Lev vs Beliavsky, Alexander G

Reggio Emilia9192

1992

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FCGFCG
0-1

Polugaevsky, Lev vs Ljubojevic, Ljubomir

Tilburg

1985

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FCGFCG
1-0

Karpov, Anatoly vs Polugaevsky, Lev

Biel

1990

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FCGFCG
1-0

Karpov, Anatoly vs Polugaevsky, Lev

Tilburg

1983

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FCGFCG
1-0

Polugaevsky, Lev vs Short, Nigel D

Amber-rapid 2nd

1993

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FCGFCG
0-1

Timman, Jan H vs Polugaevsky, Lev

Tilburg

1983

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FCGFCG
0-1

Feuerstein, Arthur William vs Polugaevsky, Lev

WchT U26

1957

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FCGFCG
0-1

Polugaevsky, Lev vs Ljubojevic, Ljubomir

Amber-blind 2nd

1993

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FCGFCG
1-0

Polugaevsky, Lev vs Andersen, Borge

WchT U26

1957

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FCGFCG
0-1

Franzoni, Giancarlo vs Polugaevsky, Lev

WchT

1985

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Games (1892)

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Short, Nigel D vs Polugaevsky, Lev★
1-0
Amber-blind 2nd 1993 B80
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Ljubojevic, Ljubomir★
0-1
Amber-blind 2nd 1993 D46
Ljubojevic, Ljubomir vs Polugaevsky, Lev★
1/2-1/2
Amber-rapid 2nd 1993 B82
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Polgar, Zsuzsa★
1/2-1/2
Amber-blind 2nd 1993 D24
Polgar, Judit vs Polugaevsky, Lev★
1-0
Amber-blind 2nd 1993 B82
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Short, Nigel D★
1-0
Amber-rapid 2nd 1993 A91
Polgar, Zsuzsa vs Polugaevsky, Lev★
1/2-1/2
Amber-rapid 2nd 1993 E32
Anand, Viswanathan vs Polugaevsky, Lev★
0-1
Amber-rapid 2nd 1993 B80
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Anand, Viswanathan★
1/2-1/2
Amber-blind 2nd 1993 D27
Ivanchuk, Vassily vs Polugaevsky, Lev★
1-0
Amber-blind 2nd 1993 B87
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Karpov, Anatoly★
1/2-1/2
Amber-blind 2nd 1993 E18
Karpov, Anatoly vs Polugaevsky, Lev★
1/2-1/2
Amber-rapid 2nd 1993 E32
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Polgar, Judit★
1/2-1/2
Amber-rapid 2nd 1993 B07
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Ivanchuk, Vassily★
0-1
Amber-rapid 2nd 1993 A34
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Beliavsky, Alexander G★
1-0
Reggio Emilia9192 1992 E11
Khalifman, Alexander vs Polugaevsky, Lev★
1/2-1/2
Reggio Emilia9192 1992 E12
Anand, Viswanathan vs Polugaevsky, Lev★
1-0
Reggio Emilia9192 1992 B83
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kasparov, Gary★
1/2-1/2
Reggio Emilia9192 1992 D78
Karpov, Anatoly vs Polugaevsky, Lev★
1/2-1/2
Reggio Emilia9192 1992 E15
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Gelfand, Boris★
0-1
Reggio Emilia9192 1992 D78
Ivanchuk, Vassily vs Polugaevsky, Lev★
1/2-1/2
Reggio Emilia9192 1992 A04
Kamsky, Gata vs Polugaevsky, Lev★
0-1
Reggio Emilia91 Top16 1991 B80
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Karpov, Anatoly★
1/2-1/2
Reggio Emilia91 Top16 1991 D59
Karpov, Anatoly vs Polugaevsky, Lev★
1/2-1/2
Reggio Emilia91 Top16 1991 D32
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kamsky, Gata★
1/2-1/2
Reggio Emilia91 Top16 1991 D35
Karpov, Anatoly vs Polugaevsky, Lev★
1-0
Biel 1990 E15
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Karpov, Anatoly★
1/2-1/2
Biel 1990 E18
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Ivanchuk, Vassily★
0-1
Biel 1989 D18
Ivanchuk, Vassily vs Polugaevsky, Lev★
1/2-1/2
Biel 1989 B85
Ionescu, Constantin vs Polugaevsky, Lev★
1/2-1/2
WchT 1985 A30
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Gomez Baillo, Jorge H★
1-0
WchT 1985 D19
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Ljubojevic, Ljubomir★
0-1
Linares 1985 E21
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Ljubojevic, Ljubomir★
0-1
Tilburg 1985 A33
Timman, Jan H vs Polugaevsky, Lev★
1/2-1/2
Tilburg 1985 B46
Plaskett, Jim vs Polugaevsky, Lev★
0-1
WchT 1985 E12
Ljubojevic, Ljubomir vs Polugaevsky, Lev★
1/2-1/2
Tilburg 1985 B26
Csom, Istvan vs Polugaevsky, Lev★
1/2-1/2
WchT 1985 A30
Timman, Jan H vs Polugaevsky, Lev★
1/2-1/2
Linares 1985 E31
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Ye Rongguang★
1/2-1/2
WchT 1985 D07
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Caiafas, Theophilus★
1-0
WchT 1985 A33
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Timman, Jan H★
0-1
Tilburg 1985 D87
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Short, Nigel D★
1-0
Biel Interzonal 1985 E12
Portisch, Lajos vs Polugaevsky, Lev★
1/2-1/2
Linares 1985 E21
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Ljubojevic, Ljubomir★
1-0
Biel Interzonal 1985 D18
Franzoni, Giancarlo vs Polugaevsky, Lev★
0-1
WchT 1985 B23
Spassky, Boris V vs Polugaevsky, Lev★
1/2-1/2
Linares 1985 A46
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Ljubojevic, Ljubomir★
0-1
Tilburg 1983 A47
Timman, Jan H vs Polugaevsky, Lev★
0-1
Tilburg 1983 E29
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Portisch, Lajos★
1/2-1/2
Tilburg 1983 D19
Karpov, Anatoly vs Polugaevsky, Lev★
1-0
Tilburg 1983 D32
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