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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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Rytov, Boris vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Tallinn 1973 A48
Balashov, Yuri S vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Tallinn 1973 B91
Tukmakov, Vladimir B vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch41 1973 B96
Andersson, Ulf vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Tallinn 1973 E18
Kortschnoj, Viktor vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Palma de Mallorca 1972 E18
Hug, Werner vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Palma de Mallorca 1972 A24
Szabo, Laszlo vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
IBM 1972 E52
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Gurgenidze, Bukhuti
1-0
Kislovodsk 1972 A17
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Medina Garcia, Antonio Angel
1-0
Palma de Mallorca 1972 A49
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Browne, Walter S
1/2-1/2
IBM 1972 B36
Donner, Jan Hein vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
IBM 1972 E56
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Langeweg, Kick
1-0
Kislovodsk 1972 A13
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Panno, Oscar
0-1
Palma de Mallorca 1972 D47
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kortschnoj, Viktor
1/2-1/2
IBM 1972 A34
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Savon, Vladimir A
1-0
URS-chT Moscow 1972 D41
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Tseshkovsky, Vitaly
1/2-1/2
Kislovodsk 1972 A27
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Gheorghiu, Florin
1-0
Palma de Mallorca 1972 A34
Kozma, Julius vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Kislovodsk 1972 A76
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kholmov, Ratmir D
1-0
Kislovodsk 1972 A88
Hartoch, Robert G vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
IBM 1972 B20
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Gufeld, Eduard
0-1
URS-chT Moscow 1972 E82
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Ivkov, Borislav
1/2-1/2
Palma de Mallorca 1972 D97
Padevsky, Nikola vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
IBM 1972 D40
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Langeweg, Kick
1-0
IBM 1972 A07
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Butnorius, Algimantas
1/2-1/2
URS-chT Moscow 1972 E83
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Malich, Burkhard
1-0
IBM 1972 A07
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Ivkov, Borislav
1-0
IBM 1972 E05
Zilberstein, Valery I vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Kislovodsk 1972 A32
Averbakh, Yuri L vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Palma de Mallorca 1972 B44
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Uhlmann, Wolfgang
1-0
IBM 1972 E69
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Unzicker, Wolfgang
1-0
Kislovodsk 1972 A07
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Calvo Minguez, Ricardo
1/2-1/2
Palma de Mallorca 1972 A27
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Robatsch, Karl
1-0
IBM 1972 A16
Andersson, Ulf vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
Palma de Mallorca 1972 A21
Kakageldyev, Amanmurad vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-chT Moscow 1972 E32
Pomar Salamanca, Arturo vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Palma de Mallorca 1972 B22
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Jakobsen, Ole
1-0
Kislovodsk 1972 A17
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Smejkal, Jan
1/2-1/2
Palma de Mallorca 1972 A16
Kortschnoj, Viktor vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-chT Moscow 1972 E18
Bilek, Istvan vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Palma de Mallorca 1972 D13
Nezhmetdinov, Rashid vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Kislovodsk 1972 E12
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Suetin, Alexey S
1-0
Kislovodsk 1972 B39
Ree, Hans vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
IBM 1972 A34
Stein, Leonid vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Kislovodsk 1972 E18
Hennings, Artur vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Kislovodsk 1972 B21
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Robatsch, Karl
1/2-1/2
Palma de Mallorca 1972 A10
Bellon Lopez, Juan Manuel vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Palma de Mallorca 1972 A01
Anikaev, Yuri N vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
Kislovodsk 1972 A32
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Enklaar, Bertus F
1-0
IBM 1972 D56
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Shamkovich, Leonid
1/2-1/2
URS-ch39 1971 D94
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