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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 Tukmakov, Vladimir B
1/2-1/2
URS-ch46 1978 A32
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Lein, Anatoly
1/2-1/2
Lone Pine op 1978 D56
Kagan, Shimon vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Buenos Aires ol (Men) 1978 B91
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Pfleger, Helmut
0-1
Buenos Aires ol (Men) 1978 D34
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Ogaard, Leif
1/2-1/2
Reykjavik 1978 A16
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Dorfman, Josif D
1-0
URS-ch46 1978 D70
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Romanishin, Oleg M
1-0
URS-ch46 1978 D19
Miles, Anthony J vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Reykjavik 1978 A19
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kortschnoj, Viktor
0-1
Candidats sf1 1977 E19
Mecking, Henrique vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Candidats qf2 1977 D42
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Mecking, Henrique
1/2-1/2
Candidats qf2 1977 D43
Kortschnoj, Viktor vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Candidats sf1 1977 D47
Kortschnoj, Viktor vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
Candidats sf1 1977 D47
Kortschnoj, Viktor vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Candidats sf1 1977 A17
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Mecking, Henrique
1/2-1/2
Candidats qf2 1977 A16
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kortschnoj, Viktor
1/2-1/2
Candidats sf1 1977 D87
Kortschnoj, Viktor vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
Candidats sf1 1977 D47
Mecking, Henrique vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Candidats qf2 1977 E18
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kortschnoj, Viktor
1/2-1/2
Candidats sf1 1977 E11
Tukmakov, Vladimir B vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch45 1977 D47
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Mecking, Henrique
1/2-1/2
Candidats qf2 1977 E18
Mecking, Henrique vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Candidats qf2 1977 B67
Bagirov, Vladimir vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch45 1977 D32
Kortschnoj, Viktor vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
Candidats sf1 1977 A17
Mecking, Henrique vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Candidats qf2 1977 A17
Mecking, Henrique vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Candidats qf2 1977 B67
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Gulko, Boris F
1/2-1/2
URS-ch45 1977 B07
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Mecking, Henrique
1/2-1/2
Candidats qf2 1977 E19
Mecking, Henrique vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Candidats qf2 1977 E52
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kochyev, Alexander
1/2-1/2
URS-ch45 1977 E96
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kortschnoj, Viktor
1-0
Candidats sf1 1977 E11
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Romanishin, Oleg M
1-0
URS-ch45 1977 D02
Sveshnikov, Evgeny vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch45 1977 B22
Kuzmin, Gennadi P vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch45 1977 B87
Kortschnoj, Viktor vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Candidats sf1 1977 A17
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Mecking, Henrique
1/2-1/2
Candidats qf2 1977 A77
Sax, Gyula vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
EU-chT 1977 B51
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kortschnoj, Viktor
1/2-1/2
Candidats sf1 1977 D02
Kortschnoj, Viktor vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Candidats sf1 1977 A21
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Balashov, Yuri S
1-0
URS-ch45 1977 A27
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Alburt, Lev O
1/2-1/2
URS-ch45 1977 A30
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Plachetka, Jan
1-0
EU-chT 1977 D86
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kortschnoj, Viktor
0-1
Candidats sf1 1977 A40
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Mecking, Henrique
1/2-1/2
Candidats qf2 1977 D88
Matanovic, Aleksandar vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
EU-chT 1977 B92
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Unzicker, Wolfgang
1/2-1/2
EU-chT 1977 D58
Dorfman, Josif D vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch45 1977 B51
Grigorian, Karen Ashotovich vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS-ch45 1977 A21
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Gulko, Boris F
1-0
URS-ch44 1976 E19
Taimanov, Mark E vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch44 1976 A49
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