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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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Jimenez Zerquera, Eleazar vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Capablanca mem 1962 B94
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Rossetto, Hector
1-0
Mar del Plata 1962 B00
Guimard, Carlos E vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Capablanca mem 1962 E69
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Guimard, Carlos E
1-0
Mar del Plata 1962 A85
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Szabo, Laszlo
1-0
Mar del Plata 1962 E83
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Nedeljkovic, Strecko
1/2-1/2
EU-chT 1961 A08
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Furman, Semen Abramovich
1/2-1/2
URS-ch28 1961 C16
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Khasin, Abram
1-0
URS-ch28 1961 D42
Taimanov, Mark E vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch29 1961 A27
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Stein, Leonid
1-0
URS-ch28 1961 E82
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Khasin, Abram
1-0
URS-ch29 1961 D34
Pogats, Jozsef vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
EU-chT 1961 B93
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Shianovsky, Vladislav I
1-0
URS-ch29 1961 E81
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Cherepkov, Alexander V
1/2-1/2
URS-ch28 1961 E14
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Tarasov, Vitaly Georgievich
1/2-1/2
URS-ch28 1961 D36
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Taimanov, Mark E
1/2-1/2
Rostov 1961 D38
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Liebert, Heinz
1-0
Rostov 1961 A80
Bondarevsky, Igor vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Rostov 1961 A56
Pesch, Werner vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
EU-chT 1961 B32
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Vladimirov, Boris T
1-0
URS-ch29 1961 B42
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Garcia Orus, F.
1-0
EU-chT 1961 A54
Khodos, German vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Rostov 1961 E51
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Lein, Anatoly
1/2-1/2
URS-ch29 1961 D36
Gufeld, Eduard vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch28 1961 B84
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Ujtelky, Maximilian
1/2-1/2
Rostov 1961 D52
Kots, Yury Isakovich vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch29 1961 B41
Lutikov, Anatoly S vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch28 1961 B94
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Gipslis, Aivars
1/2-1/2
URS-ch29 1961 B48
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Tarasov, Vitaly Georgievich
1/2-1/2
Rostov 1961 C76
Savon, Vladimir A vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch29 1961 A37
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Nedeljkovic, Strecko
1/2-1/2
EU-chT 1961 E14
Bobekov, R. vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Rostov 1961 E98
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Bannik, Anatoly
1/2-1/2
URS-ch28 1961 D58
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Vasiukov, Evgeni
1-0
URS-ch29 1961 E92
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Estrada Degrandi, Walter
1/2-1/2
Rostov 1961 A85
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Navarovszky, Laszlo
1-0
EU-chT 1961 D48
Ujtelky, Maximilian vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
EU-chT 1961 A32
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Drozd, Ryszard
0-1
Rostov 1961 D52
Kortschnoj, Viktor vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS-ch28 1961 E55
Pogats, Jozsef vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
EU-chT 1961 B84
Ciric, Dragoljub M vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
Rostov 1961 B86
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kholmov, Ratmir D
1/2-1/2
URS-ch29 1961 E42
Nezhmetdinov, Rashid vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Rostov 1961 B92
Shamkovich, Leonid vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch29 1961 B43
Simagin, Vladimir vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS-ch28 1961 E14
Bagirov, Vladimir vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch29 1961 B43
Borisenko, Georgy K vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch28 1961 A56
Nezhmetdinov, Rashid vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch29 1961 B96
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Gurgenidze, Bukhuti
1-0
URS-ch29 1961 E61
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Boleslavsky, Isaak
1/2-1/2
URS-ch28 1961 E81
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