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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 Bilek, Istvan
1/2-1/2
Budapest2 1965 A07
Furman, Semen Abramovich vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch33 1965 E55
Matanovic, Aleksandar vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-JUG 1965 B93
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Szabo, Laszlo
1/2-1/2
Budapest2 1965 D24
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Lepeshkin, Vladimir
1-0
URS-ch33 1965 B92
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Matanovic, Aleksandar
1-0
URS-JUG 1964 A14
Gipslis, Aivars vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS Spartakiad 1964 B81
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Sakharov, Yury N
1-0
URS Spartakiad 1964 D19
Gipslis, Aivars vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS Spartakiad 1964 B41
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Parma, Bruno
1-0
URS-JUG 1964 A04
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Parma, Bruno
1-0
Sarajevo 1964 E11
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Matulovic, Milan
0-1
URS-JUG 1964 E64
Yudovich, Mikhail Jr vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS Spartakiad 1964 A04
Ivkov, Borislav vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-JUG 1964 B42
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Boleslavsky, Isaak
1/2-1/2
URS Spartakiad 1964 A54
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Vasiukov, Evgeni
1/2-1/2
URS Spartakiad 1964 D09
Ciric, Dragoljub M vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-JUG 1964 B08
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Bogdanovic, Rajko
*
Sarajevo 1964 E83
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kozomara, Vladimir
1-0
Sarajevo 1964 D26
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Damjanovic, Mato
1-0
Sarajevo 1964 A38
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Uhlmann, Wolfgang
1-0
Sarajevo 1964 E73
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Matulovic, Milan
1-0
Sarajevo 1964 E74
Antoshin, Vladimir S vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Sochi 1963 E12
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Liebert, Heinz
1-0
Bad Liebenstein 1963 A30
Haag, Ervin vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Sochi 1963 B47
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Gipslis, Aivars
1/2-1/2
URS-ch31 1963 B09
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Nei, Iivo
1/2-1/2
URS-ch31 1963 A07
Uhlmann, Wolfgang vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Bad Liebenstein 1963 D25
Osnos, Viatcheslav vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch31 1963 E71
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Ciocaltea, Victor
1/2-1/2
Bad Liebenstein 1963 E11
Kozma, Julius vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Sochi 1963 D22
Kortschnoj, Viktor vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS Spartakiad 1963 E12
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Fuchs, Reinhart
1-0
Bad Liebenstein 1963 A16
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Bondarevsky, Igor
1-0
URS-ch31 1963 A04
Jansa, Vlastimil vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
Bad Liebenstein 1963 B48
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Gipslis, Aivars
1/2-1/2
Bad Liebenstein 1963 A21
Suetin, Alexey S vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS-ch31 1963 B06
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Maslov, Valentin
1-0
URS-chT 1963 A07
Pietzsch, Wolfgang vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Bad Liebenstein 1963 B94
Szilagyi, Gyorgy vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
Bad Liebenstein 1963 A48
Furman, Semen Abramovich vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch31 1963 E25
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Zaitsev, Alexander N
1-0
Sochi 1963 D34
Taimanov, Mark E vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch31 1963 D20
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Krogius, Nikolai V
1/2-1/2
Sochi 1963 A49
Baumbach, Friedrich vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Bad Liebenstein 1963 A66
Bobotsov, Milko G vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Sochi 1963 E12
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Bagirov, Vladimir
1/2-1/2
URS-ch31 1963 B39
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Damjanovic, Mato
1/2-1/2
Bad Liebenstein 1963 E14
Minev, Nikolay N vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Bad Liebenstein 1963 B52
Kholmov, Ratmir D vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Sochi 1963 E18
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