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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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Polugaevsky, Lev vs Piket, Jeroen
1/2-1/2
Aruba m 1994 A11
Piket, Jeroen vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Aruba m 1994 E12
Polugaevsky, Lev vs David, Alberto
0-1
FRA-chT 1994 A15
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Piket, Jeroen
1-0
Aruba m 1994 E69
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kaidanov, Grigory S
0-1
Groningen PCA 1993 A11
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Sadler, Matthew
1-0
FRA 1993 A25
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Ruban, Vadim
1/2-1/2
Groningen PCA 1993 A13
Mokry, Karel vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
EUCup f 1993 B82
Winants, Luc vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Antwerp 1993 E39
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Van Wely, Loek
1/2-1/2
Groningen PCA 1993 A15
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kortschnoj, Viktor
1/2-1/2
Antwerp 1993 D30
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Gelpke, Peter
1-0
NLD-chT 1993 B06
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Scheeren, Peter
1/2-1/2
NLD-chT 1993 E08
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Yudasin, Leonid
1/2-1/2
Groningen PCA 1993 D53
Van der Wiel, John TH vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
Antwerp 1993 B42
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Anic, Darko
1-0
FRA 1993 A81
Kortschnoj, Viktor vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Groningen PCA 1993 A46
Sokolov, Ivan vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
EUCup f 1993 E21
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Gurevich, Mikhail
1/2-1/2
Antwerp 1993 D47
Piket, Jeroen vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Antwerp 1993 E15
Hjartarson, Johann vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Groningen PCA 1993 D41
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Georgiev, Kiril
1/2-1/2
Groningen PCA 1993 E19
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Ivkov, Borislav
1/2-1/2
FRA 1993 A40
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Rozentalis, Eduardas
1/2-1/2
Groningen PCA 1993 A17
Christiansen, Larry Mark vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
Antwerp 1993 E15
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Guyot, Philippe
1-0
FRA 1993 A08
Nijboer, Friso vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Groningen PCA 1993 B52
Wolff, Patrick G vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Groningen PCA 1993 B96
Piket, Jeroen vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Roquebrune rapid 1992 D00
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Chiburdanidze, Maia
1/2-1/2
Women-Veterans 1992 E70
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Piket, Jeroen
0-1
Roquebrune rapid 1992 D11
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Speelman, Jonathan S
1-0
Roquebrune rapid 1992 D47
Pinter, Jozsef vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
FRA-chT 1992 E15
Galliamova, Alisa vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Women-Veterans 1992 E48
Kortschnoj, Viktor vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
Roquebrune rapid 1992 E15
Speelman, Jonathan S vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
Hastings9293 1992 E52
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kallai, Gabor
1/2-1/2
FRA-chT 1992 D21
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kortschnoj, Viktor
1/2-1/2
Roquebrune rapid 1992 E11
Nunn, John DM vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
Hastings9293 1992 B80
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Lautier, Joel
1/2-1/2
FRA-chT 1992 E52
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Galliamova, Alisa
1-0
Women-Veterans 1992 A13
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Cramling, Pia
1-0
Women-Veterans 1992 A30
Kortschnoj, Viktor vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
Roquebrune 1992 A10
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Crouch, Colin S
1-0
Hastings9293 1992 A07
Sadler, Matthew vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Hastings9293 1992 E52
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Romero Holmes, Alfonso
1-0
Oviedo rapid45 1992 B07
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Neiman, Emmanuel
1-0
FRA-chT 1992 D68
Cramling, Pia vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Women-Veterans 1992 E12
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Gurevich, Ilya
0-1
Hastings9293 1992 A15
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Piket, Jeroen
1-0
Roquebrune 1992 A49
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