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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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Dueckstein, Andreas vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Le Havre 1966 B43
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kortschnoj, Viktor
1/2-1/2
URS-ch34 1966 A36
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Krogius, Nikolai V
1/2-1/2
Le Havre 1966 A14
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Taimanov, Mark E
1/2-1/2
URS-ch34 1966 A34
Krogius, Nikolai V vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Sochi 1966 A56
Suetin, Alexey S vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS-ch34 1966 B83
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Gipslis, Aivars
1/2-1/2
URS-chT 1966 B07
Antoshin, Vladimir S vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Sochi 1966 E12
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Czerniak, Moshe
1-0
Hoogovens 1966 A42
Zakharov, Alexander V vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Sochi 1966 B22
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Van den Berg, Carel Benjamin
1/2-1/2
Hoogovens 1966 B84
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Bunatian
1-0
URS-chT 1966 E91
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Matulovic, Milan
1/2-1/2
La Habana olm fin-A 1966 B85
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Campomanes, Florencio
1-0
La Habana olm prel 1966 D97
Bertok, Mario vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Sochi 1966 E05
Nei, Iivo vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch34 1966 A66
Lein, Anatoly vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
Sochi 1966 A07
Kots, Yury Isakovich vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-chT 1966 E19
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Grushevsky, Alexander V
1-0
URS-chT 1966 D27
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Enevoldsen, Jens
1-0
La Habana olm fin-A 1966 A25
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Evans, Larry Melvyn
1/2-1/2
La Habana olm fin-A 1966 A69
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Fuchs, Reinhart
1-0
Sochi 1966 A25
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Stein, Leonid
1-0
URS-ch34 1966 E73
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Franco, Eduardo
1-0
La Habana olm prel 1966 A80
Liberzon, Vladimir M vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch34 1966 E53
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Matulovic, Milan
1-0
Sochi 1966 A08
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Gunnarsson, Gunnar K
1-0
La Habana olm fin-A 1966 A38
Szabo, Laszlo vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Hoogovens 1966 E53
Hobson, R. vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
La Habana olm prel 1966 A25
Jansson, Borje vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
La Habana olm prel 1966 A77
Ortega, L. vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Sochi 1966 B41
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Vladimirov, Boris T
1/2-1/2
Sochi 1966 A08
Kuijpers, Franciscus Antonius vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Hoogovens 1966 B70
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kholmov, Ratmir D
1/2-1/2
URS-ch34 1966 A40
Filip, Miroslav vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Hoogovens 1966 E19
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Lehmann, Heinz Dr
1-0
Hoogovens 1966 A07
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Gufeld, Eduard
0-1
URS-ch34 1966 E75
Bachtiar, Arovah vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Hoogovens 1966 D76
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Vasiukov, Evgeni
1-0
URS-ch34 1966 E91
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Gurgenidze, Bukhuti
1/2-1/2
URS-ch34 1966 D24
Barcza, Gedeon vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Sochi 1966 A25
Alburt, Lev O vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS-chT 1966 D01
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Bukhman, Eduard
1-0
URS-chT 1966 D35
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Krogius, Nikolai V
1/2-1/2
URS-ch34 1966 A05
Sanguineti, Raul vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
La Habana olm fin-A 1966 B44
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Reshko, Aron G
1-0
URS-chT 1966 B33
Gipslis, Aivars vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch34 1966 B81
Zinser, Sylvain vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Le Havre 1966 B42
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Donner, Jan Hein
1/2-1/2
Hoogovens 1966 B87
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Nei, Iivo
1-0
Hoogovens 1966 B13
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