Forever Chess GamesForever Chess Games Logo
CreateGiftsProductsGamesPlayersOpeningsTop 100FAQ

Explore

  • Players
  • Openings
  • Famous Games
  • Top 100 Games
  • World Championships

Create

  • Create Visualisation
  • How It Works
  • Gift Ideas

Eras

  • 1880s – Classical
  • 1960s – Fischer Era
  • 1990s – Kasparov Era
  • 2020s – Modern

Info

  • FAQ
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Use

© 2026 Forever Chess Games. All Rights Reserved

  1. Home
  2. /Players
  3. /Polugaevsky, Lev

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

View Print
FCGFCG
0-1

Polugaevsky, Lev vs Ljubojevic, Ljubomir

Tilburg

1985

View Print
FCGFCG
1-0

Karpov, Anatoly vs Polugaevsky, Lev

Biel

1990

View Print
FCGFCG
1-0

Karpov, Anatoly vs Polugaevsky, Lev

Tilburg

1983

View Print
FCGFCG
1-0

Polugaevsky, Lev vs Short, Nigel D

Amber-rapid 2nd

1993

View Print
FCGFCG
0-1

Timman, Jan H vs Polugaevsky, Lev

Tilburg

1983

View Print
FCGFCG
0-1

Feuerstein, Arthur William vs Polugaevsky, Lev

WchT U26

1957

View Print
FCGFCG
0-1

Polugaevsky, Lev vs Ljubojevic, Ljubomir

Amber-blind 2nd

1993

View Print
FCGFCG
1-0

Polugaevsky, Lev vs Andersen, Borge

WchT U26

1957

View Print
FCGFCG
0-1

Franzoni, Giancarlo vs Polugaevsky, Lev

WchT

1985

View Print

Games (1892)

Search & Filter All Games →
Bronstein, David I vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch31 1963 B44
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Smyslov, Vassily
1/2-1/2
Sochi 1963 E19
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Spassky, Boris V
1/2-1/2
Capablanca mem 1962 A25
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Tal, Mihail
1/2-1/2
URS-chT 1962 D35
Smyslov, Vassily vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Mar del Plata 1962 A27
Najdorf, Miguel vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Mar del Plata 1962 E14
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Najdorf, Miguel
1/2-1/2
Capablanca mem 1962 E12
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Geller, Efim P
1/2-1/2
URS-chT 1962 E92
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Smyslov, Vassily
1/2-1/2
Capablanca mem 1962 D22
Spassky, Boris V vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS-chT 1962 B48
Smyslov, Vassily vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-chT 1962 E15
Smyslov, Vassily vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS-ch29 1961 C26
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Petrosian, Tigran V
0-1
URS-ch28 1961 E55
Smyslov, Vassily vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch28 1961 E14
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Tal, Mihail
1/2-1/2
URS-ch29 1961 A43
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Keres, Paul
1/2-1/2
URS-ch29 1961 C11
Geller, Efim P vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS-ch28 1961 B92
Bronstein, David I vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch29 1961 E15
Spassky, Boris V vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS-ch29 1961 E13
Bronstein, David I vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch28 1961 B96
Spassky, Boris V vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch28 1961 E12
Spassky, Boris V vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch27 1960 B96
Smyslov, Vassily vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch27 1960 E14
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Petrosian, Tigran V
1-0
URS-ch27 1960 E55
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Smyslov, Vassily
0-1
Moscow CCCT 1960 D94
Geller, Efim P vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch27 1960 B42
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Bronstein, David I
1-0
URS-ch27 1960 E45
Tal, Mihail vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS-ch26 1959 B94
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Petrosian, Tigran V
1/2-1/2
URS-ch26 1959 E89
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Geller, Efim P
0-1
URS-ch26 1959 E43
Keres, Paul vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS-ch26 1959 A48
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Bronstein, David I
0-1
URS-ch26 1959 B06
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Spassky, Boris V
1-0
URS-ch26 1959 E42
Spassky, Boris V vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS-ch25 1958 B94
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Petrosian, Tigran V
1/2-1/2
URS-ch25 1958 E25
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Tal, Mihail
1/2-1/2
URS-ch25 1958 E46
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Geller, Efim P
1-0
URS-ch25 1958 D71
Bronstein, David I vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS-ch25 1958 D02
Tal, Mihail vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch23 1956 B66
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Petrosian, Tigran V
0-1
URS-ch sf 1956 E63
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Tal, Mihail
1/2-1/2
URS-ch sf 1956 D40
Spassky, Boris V vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch23 1956 D31
Geller, Efim P vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch sf 1954 B92
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Spassky, Boris V
1/2-1/2
Leningrad 1954 A72
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Piket, Jeroen
1-0
Aruba m 1994 E69
Piket, Jeroen vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Aruba m 1994 E12
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Piket, Jeroen
0-1
Aruba m 1994 B39
Sokolov, Ivan vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
NLD-chT9495 1994 E12
Piket, Jeroen vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
Aruba m 1994 E12
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Piket, Jeroen
1/2-1/2
Aruba m 1994 A11
PreviousPage 11 of 38Next

Explore More

All PlayersAll OpeningsFamous Games