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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 Gheorghiu, Florin
1-0
Skopje/Ohrid 1968 E57
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Osnos, Viatcheslav
1-0
URS-ch36 1968 B65
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Minic, Dragoljub
1/2-1/2
Skopje/Ohrid 1968 E75
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Zaitsev, Igor A
1-0
URS-ch36 1968 D32
Nicevski, Risto vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Skopje/Ohrid 1968 B85
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Matulovic, Milan
1/2-1/2
Skopje/Ohrid 1968 A76
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Augustin, Josef
1-0
Lugano ol (Men) 1968 D56
Hennings, Artur vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Lugano ol (Men) 1968 B88
Uhlmann, Wolfgang vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Skopje/Ohrid 1968 D97
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Maric, Rudolf
1-0
Skopje/Ohrid 1968 A04
Tseshkovsky, Vitaly vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch36 1968 B92
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Lutikov, Anatoly S
1-0
URS-ch36 1968 A87
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Janosevic, Dragoljub
1-0
Skopje/Ohrid 1968 E60
Lengyel, Levente vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Lugano ol (Men) 1968 E69
Mosionzhik, Ilya Samoilovich vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-chT 1968 B88
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kholmov, Ratmir D
1-0
URS-chT 1968 D26
Barcza, Gedeon vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
HUN-URS 1968 E61
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Podgaets, Mikhail
1-0
URS-ch36 1968 A35
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Klovans, Janis
1/2-1/2
URS-ch36 1968 A08
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Gligoric, Svetozar
1-0
Skopje/Ohrid 1968 E75
Sofrevski, Jovan vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Skopje/Ohrid 1968 E91
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Matulovic, Milan
1/2-1/2
Lugano ol (Men) 1968 B08
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Zaitsev, Igor A
1/2-1/2
URS-chT 1968 E65
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Nikitin, Yury M
1-0
URS-ch36 1968 A25
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Norby, Peter H
1-0
Lugano ol (Men) 1968 E73
Zaitsev, Alexander N vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch36 1968 D41
Gurgenidze, Bukhuti vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch36 1968 B30
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Mikenas, Vladas
1/2-1/2
URS-chT 1968 A07
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Lein, Anatoly
1/2-1/2
URS-ch36 1968 D34
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Pfleger, Helmut
1/2-1/2
Lugano ol (Men) 1968 D58
Barczay, Laszlo vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
HUN-URS 1968 D77
Kholmov, Ratmir D vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch36 1968 E11
Platonov, Igor V vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch36 1968 B59
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Bagirov, Vladimir
1/2-1/2
URS-ch36 1968 B13
Liberzon, Vladimir M vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch36 1968 B22
Hort, Vlastimil vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Skopje/Ohrid 1968 D77
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Ilievski, Borce
1-0
Skopje/Ohrid 1968 B70
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Schulman, Mark
1/2-1/2
Lugano ol (Men) 1968 E11
Sakharov, Yury N vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch36 1968 E67
Vasiukov, Evgeni vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch36 1968 B50
Zichichi, Alvise vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Lugano ol (Men) 1968 B25
Averbakh, Yuri L vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS-ch36 1968 A49
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Forintos, Gyozo V
1-0
HUN-URS 1968 A05
Matanovic, Aleksandar vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
Skopje/Ohrid 1968 B60
Savon, Vladimir A vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Skopje/Ohrid 1968 E54
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Csom, Istvan
1-0
HUN-URS 1968 A17
Rodriguez, Jo vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Capablanca mem 1967 E53
Garcia Martinez, Silvino vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Capablanca mem 1967 B69
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Filip, Miroslav
1/2-1/2
Capablanca mem 1967 A36
Nikitin, Yury M vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch35 1967 E69
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