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 →
Taimanov, Mark E vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS Spartakiad 1979 E12
Averkin, Orest N vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS Spartakiad 1979 E14
Ree, Hans vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Hoogovens 1979 A36
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Gaprindashvili, Nona
1-0
Hoogovens 1979 A31
Andersson, Ulf vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Hoogovens 1979 A34
Hort, Vlastimil vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Hoogovens 1979 E18
Sosonko, Gennadi vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Hoogovens 1979 E05
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Huebner, Robert
1/2-1/2
Hoogovens 1979 D59
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Veingold, Aleksandr
1-0
URS Spartakiad 1979 E01
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Gipslis, Aivars
1-0
URS Spartakiad 1979 E11
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Miles, Anthony J
1/2-1/2
Hoogovens 1979 D87
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Garcia, Gildardo
1-0
Hoogovens 1979 E15
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Gufeld, Eduard
0-1
URS Spartakiad 1979 A48
Nikolac, Juraj vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Hoogovens 1979 A07
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Dzindzichashvili, Roman
1/2-1/2
Hoogovens 1979 E15
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Vilela, Jose Luis
1-0
Buenos Aires ol (Men) 1978 A75
Petursson, Margeir vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Reykjavik 1978 A21
Lein, Anatoly vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Buenos Aires ol (Men) 1978 B20
Browne, Walter S vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
Reykjavik 1978 D47
Formanek, Edward W vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Lone Pine op 1978 B81
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Janosevic, Dragoljub
1-0
Lone Pine op 1978 E91
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Ree, Hans
1-0
Telechess ol1 7778 1978 E19
Mestel, A Jonathan vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Lone Pine op 1978 B85
Makarichev, Sergey vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch46 1978 E16
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Bagirov, Vladimir
1/2-1/2
URS-ch46 1978 D86
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Timoshchenko, Gennadi A
1/2-1/2
URS-ch46 1978 D18
Lombardy, William James vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
Reykjavik 1978 A17
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Williams, Arthur H
1/2-1/2
Buenos Aires ol (Men) 1978 A30
Tseshkovsky, Vitaly vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch46 1978 B50
Suba, Mihai vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Buenos Aires ol (Men) 1978 A17
Bogdanovic, Rajko vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Lone Pine op 1978 B85
Sosonko, Gennadi vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Buenos Aires ol (Men) 1978 E11
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Razuvaev, Yuri S
1/2-1/2
URS-ch46 1978 D87
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Olafsson, Helgi
1-0
Reykjavik 1978 A26
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Seirawan, Yasser
1-0
Lone Pine op 1978 A42
Sigurjonsson, Gudmundur vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Reykjavik 1978 B84
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Ornstein, Axel
1-0
Buenos Aires ol (Men) 1978 A30
Sveshnikov, Evgeny vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch46 1978 B22
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Smejkal, Jan
0-1
Reykjavik 1978 A33
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Sax, Gyula
1/2-1/2
Buenos Aires ol (Men) 1978 B08
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kuzmin, Gennadi P
1/2-1/2
Reykjavik 1978 E05
Ermenkov, Evgenij vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Buenos Aires ol (Men) 1978 B81
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Gulko, Boris F
1/2-1/2
URS-ch46 1978 D86
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Day, Lawrence A
1-0
Buenos Aires ol (Men) 1978 D34
Olafsson, Fridrik vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Reykjavik 1978 B96
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Arnason, Jon L
1-0
Reykjavik 1978 A34
Kuzmin, Gennadi P vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch46 1978 B91
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Mikhalchishin, Adrian
1/2-1/2
URS-ch46 1978 D56
Hort, Vlastimil vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Reykjavik 1978 E18
Giorgadze, Tamaz vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch46 1978 B44
PreviousPage 20 of 38Next

Explore More

All PlayersAll OpeningsFamous Games