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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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Yukhtman, Jacob vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch26 1959 B22
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Averbakh, Yuri L
1/2-1/2
URS-ch26 1959 E46
Nezhmetdinov, Rashid vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch26 1959 B31
Furman, Semen Abramovich vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch26 1959 E69
Veltmander, Ioganess vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Sochi 1958 A62
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Gipslis, Aivars
1/2-1/2
URS-ch25 1958 E63
Milic, Borislav vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-JUG 1958 A63
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Boleslavsky, Isaak
1/2-1/2
URS-ch25 1958 B63
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Nezhmetdinov, Rashid
0-1
Sochi 1958 A53
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Furman, Semen Abramovich
0-1
Sochi 1958 E29
Milic, Borislav vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-JUG 1958 B92
Taimanov, Mark E vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch25 1958 E08
Bannik, Anatoly vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch25 1958 B22
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Tolush, Alexander V
1-0
URS-ch25 1958 C90
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Suetin, Alexey S
1-0
URS-ch25 1958 E87
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kortschnoj, Viktor
1/2-1/2
URS-ch25 1958 D95
Averbakh, Yuri L vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS-ch25 1958 A42
Krogius, Nikolai V vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch25 1958 B09
Gurgenidze, Bukhuti vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch25 1958 A08
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Furman, Semen Abramovich
1-0
URS-ch25 1958 E14
Borisenko, Georgy K vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch25 1958 A00
Kotov, Alexander vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch25 1958 E69
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Milic, Borislav
1/2-1/2
URS-JUG 1958 E20
Kortschnoj, Viktor vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
Sochi 1958 B94
Kots, Yury Isakovich vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch sf 1957 D34
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Averbakh, Yuri L
1/2-1/2
URS-ch sf 1957 B65
Borisenko, Georgy K vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch sf 1957 E69
Simagin, Vladimir vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch sf 1957 D28
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Tarasov, Vitaly Georgievich
1-0
URS-ch sf 1957 A54
Kortschnoj, Viktor vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch sf 1957 B50
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Lutikov, Anatoly S
1-0
URS-ch sf 1957 D37
Kaminsky, Oleg M vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch sf 1957 E61
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Bagirov, Vladimir
1/2-1/2
URS-ch sf 1957 A84
Aronson, Lev Abramovich vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch sf 1957 D32
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Gurgenidze, Bukhuti
1/2-1/2
URS-ch sf 1957 E46
Gipslis, Aivars vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch sf 1957 B66
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Prokhorovich, Taras E
1/2-1/2
URS-ch sf 1957 D10
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Vladimirov, Boris T
1-0
URS-ch sf 1957 B47
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Ilivitzki, Georgi A
1/2-1/2
URS-ch sf 1957 B11
Yukhtman, Jacob vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch sf 1957 B47
Muhutdinov, Marat vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch sf 1957 B43
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Khanov, K.
1/2-1/2
URS-ch sf 1957 D36
Kholmov, Ratmir D vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch sf 1957 D03
Khalilbeili, Sultan vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch sf 1956 E71
Furman, Semen Abramovich vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch sf 1956 D29
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Taimanov, Mark E
0-1
URS-ch23 1956 D45
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kholmov, Ratmir D
1/2-1/2
URS-ch23 1956 C08
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Antoshin, Vladimir S
1-0
URS-ch23 1956 D37
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Khasin, Abram
1-0
URS-ch23 1956 D35
Tolush, Alexander V vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch23 1956 B66
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