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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 Zaitsev, Igor A
1-0
Sochi 1976 A49
Kupreichik, Viktor D vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch44 1976 B51
Maric, Rudolf vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
Vinkovci 1976 B06
Kuzmin, Gennadi P vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Sochi 1976 E54
Vaganian, Rafael A vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch44 1976 E14
Balashov, Yuri S vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS-ch44 1976 E15
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kirov, Nino
1-0
Sochi 1976 B39
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Rashkovsky, Nukhim N
1/2-1/2
URS-ch44 1976 A26
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Adorjan, Andras
1-0
Sochi 1976 A10
Dorfman, Josif D vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch44 1976 B23
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Tseshkovsky, Vitaly
1/2-1/2
Sochi 1976 D78
Krogius, Nikolai V vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Sochi 1976 A14
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Minic, Dragoljub
1-0
Vinkovci 1976 E96
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Nemet, Ivan
1-0
Vinkovci 1976 E96
Hort, Vlastimil vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Vinkovci 1976 B51
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Sveshnikov, Evgeny
1/2-1/2
Sochi 1976 A06
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Grigorian, Karen Ashotovich
1-0
URS-ch44 1976 E91
Gheorghiu, Florin vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Sochi 1976 B52
Sakharov, A. vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Sochi 1976 E17
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Estevez, Guillermo
1/2-1/2
Sochi 1976 A22
Jansa, Vlastimil vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Sochi 1976 B42
Sveshnikov, Evgeny vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch44 1976 B22
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Zakharov, Alexander V
1-0
URS-ch44 1976 D58
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Romanishin, Oleg M
0-1
URS-ch44 1976 A29
Kovacevic, Vlatko vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Vinkovci 1976 A48
Pokojowczyk, Jerzy vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Sochi 1976 B26
Tseshkovsky, Vitaly vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch44 1976 B30
Rashkovsky, Nukhim N vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Sochi 1976 E18
Bertok, Mario vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Vinkovci 1976 A32
Ree, Hans vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Sochi 1976 E76
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Ivkov, Borislav
1/2-1/2
Vinkovci 1976 B38
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Sax, Gyula
1/2-1/2
Tungsram 1975 A30
Farago, Ivan vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Tungsram 1975 E90
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Furman, Semen Abramovich
1-0
URS-ch43 1975 D42
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Espig, Lutz
1-0
Tungsram 1975 A55
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kirov, Nino
1/2-1/2
Tungsram 1975 A16
Kavalek, Lubomir vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Manila 1975 B96
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Gufeld, Eduard
1-0
URS-chT 1975 E84
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Doroshkievich, Vladimir K
1-0
URS-ch43 1975 D58
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Balashov, Yuri S
0-1
URS-ch43 1975 A17
Mariotti, Sergio vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
Tungsram 1975 B53
Kuzmin, Gennadi P vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-chT 1975 B96
Kudriashov, Anatoli vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-chT 1975 B51
Romanishin, Oleg M vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS-ch43 1975 A13
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Pinter, Jozsef
1-0
Tungsram 1975 E83
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Smejkal, Jan
1/2-1/2
Tungsram 1975 A11
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Szabo, Laszlo
1-0
Tungsram 1975 A58
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kortschnoj, Viktor
0-1
URS-chT 1975 A26
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kapengut, Albert Z
1-0
URS-chT 1975 A74
Ribli, Zoltan vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Tungsram 1975 A21
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