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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 Sveshnikov, Evgeny
0-1
Moscow 1985 D43
Razuvaev, Yuri S vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
Moscow 1985 A33
Dolmatov, Sergey vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Moscow 1985 B93
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Tukmakov, Vladimir B
1/2-1/2
Moscow 1985 D87
Romanishin, Oleg M vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Moscow 1985 E07
Rodriguez, Amador vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Moscow 1985 B44
Speelman, Jonathan S vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Moscow 1985 E48
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Ftacnik, Lubomir
1-0
Moscow 1985 E20
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Vaganian, Rafael A
1/2-1/2
Moscow 1985 D59
Van der Wiel, John TH vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
OHRA 1984 B46
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Seirawan, Yasser
1-0
London 1984 E20
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Haik, Aldo
1-0
Thessaloniki ol (Men) 1984 A42
Speelman, Jonathan S vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Thessaloniki ol (Men) 1984 E11
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Wedberg, Tom
1/2-1/2
OHRA 1984 E32
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Sosonko, Gennadi
1/2-1/2
Thessaloniki ol (Men) 1984 E15
Hon Kah Seng, Christie vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Thessaloniki ol (Men) 1984 E46
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Ribli, Zoltan
1/2-1/2
London 1984 D41
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Garcia Gonzales, Guillermo
1/2-1/2
Thessaloniki ol (Men) 1984 E11
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kortschnoj, Viktor
1/2-1/2
URS-World 1984 E12
Bohm, Hans vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
OHRA 1984 A45
Miles, Anthony J vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
London 1984 E60
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Vaganian, Rafael A
1/2-1/2
London 1984 A34
Tukmakov, Vladimir B vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS Cup 1984 E12
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Christiansen, Larry Mark
1-0
Thessaloniki ol (Men) 1984 E12
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Chandler, Murray G
1/2-1/2
London 1984 D34
Kortschnoj, Viktor vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS-World 1984 A11
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Nunn, John DM
1-0
London 1984 A65
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Nikolic, Predrag
1/2-1/2
OHRA 1984 E20
Campora, Daniel H vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
OHRA 1984 B44
Kortschnoj, Viktor vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
London 1984 E11
Georgiev, Kiril vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Thessaloniki ol (Men) 1984 E48
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Chandler, Murray G
1/2-1/2
OHRA 1984 D89
Hjorth, Greg vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
OHRA 1984 B20
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Torre, Eugenio
1-0
London 1984 D19
Ribli, Zoltan vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Thessaloniki ol (Men) 1984 E15
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kholmov, Ratmir D
1-0
URS Cup 1984 E20
Andersson, Ulf vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
London 1984 A30
Mestel, A Jonathan vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
London 1984 A14
Karlsson, Lars vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Thessaloniki ol (Men) 1984 A36
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Speelman, Jonathan S
0-1
London 1984 E32
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kortschnoj, Viktor
1/2-1/2
URS-World 1984 E12
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Romanishin, Oleg M
1-0
URS-ch50 1983 A73
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Hansen, Curt
1-0
EU-chT Plovdiv 1983 D55
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Balashov, Yuri S
1/2-1/2
URS-ch50 1983 E12
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Malaniuk, Vladimir P
0-1
URS-ch50 1983 A85
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Psakhis, Lev
1-0
URS-ch50 1983 E32
Razuvaev, Yuri S vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch50 1983 E32
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Vaganian, Rafael A
1/2-1/2
URS-ch50 1983 A34
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Nunn, John DM
1/2-1/2
EU-chT Plovdiv 1983 E81
Tringov, Georgi P vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
EU-chT Plovdiv 1983 B85
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