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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 Bellon Lopez, Juan Manuel
1/2-1/2
Las Palmas 1974 B38
Liberzon, Vladimir M vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Solingen 1974 B50
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Hartston, William R
1-0
Las Palmas 1974 D94
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Ribli, Zoltan
1/2-1/2
Las Palmas 1974 B06
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Sveshnikov, Evgeny
1-0
Sochi 1974 A07
Capelan, Guenter vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Solingen 1974 B96
Garcia Martinez, Silvino vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Sochi 1974 B31
Romanishin, Oleg M vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS-ch42 1974 A20
Kupreichik, Viktor D vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch42 1974 B92
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Rashkovsky, Nukhim N
1-0
Sochi 1974 E82
Kavalek, Lubomir vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Las Palmas 1974 B96
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Westerinen, Heikki MJ
1-0
Sochi 1974 E84
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Raicevic, Vladimir
0-1
Belgrade-Moscow 1974 A54
Gulko, Boris F vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch42 1974 A65
Medina Garcia, Antonio Angel vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Las Palmas 1974 B88
Hecht, Hans Joachim vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Solingen 1974 B93
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Tseshkovsky, Vitaly
1/2-1/2
URS-ch42 1974 A21
Tseshkovsky, Vitaly vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Sochi 1974 B92
Browne, Walter S vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Las Palmas 1974 B82
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Eising, Johannes
0-1
Solingen 1974 A43
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Taimanov, Mark E
1-0
URS-ch42 1974 A11
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kurajica, Bojan
1-0
Solingen 1974 D56
Sznapik, Aleksander vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Sochi 1974 B87
Kortschnoj, Viktor vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch41 1973 E56
Podgaets, Mikhail vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Moscow-3teams 1973 B83
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Andersson, Ulf
1/2-1/2
AVRO 1973 B36
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Savon, Vladimir A
1/2-1/2
URS-ch41 1973 A30
Szabo, Laszlo vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
AVRO 1973 E57
Andersson, Ulf vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
AVRO 1973 A16
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Sveshnikov, Evgeny
1/2-1/2
URS-ch41 1973 D47
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Krogius, Nikolai V
1/2-1/2
Moscow-3teams 1973 E05
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Podgaets, Mikhail
1-0
Moscow-3teams 1973 A29
Ivkov, Borislav vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
AVRO 1973 E18
Karner, Hillar vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Tallinn 1973 A11
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Saidy, Anthony Fred
1-0
Tallinn 1973 D58
Westerinen, Heikki MJ vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Tallinn 1973 B89
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Popov, Luben
1-0
Tallinn 1973 E74
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Pfleger, Helmut
1-0
Tallinn 1973 E08
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Sax, Gyula
1-0
AVRO 1973 A16
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Pribyl, Josef
1/2-1/2
Tallinn 1973 A16
Averkin, Orest N vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch41 1973 A11
Taimanov, Mark E vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch41 1973 E17
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Szabo, Laszlo
0-1
AVRO 1973 E80
Nei, Iivo vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Tallinn 1973 B80
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Rashkovsky, Nukhim N
1-0
URS-ch41 1973 D56
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Ivkov, Borislav
1-0
AVRO 1973 E05
Sax, Gyula vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
AVRO 1973 B93
Krogius, Nikolai V vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Moscow-3teams 1973 E18
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kuzmin, Gennadi P
1/2-1/2
URS-ch41 1973 A29
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Grigorian, Karen Ashotovich
1-0
URS-ch41 1973 E06
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