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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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Boleslavsky, Isaak vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch23 1956 B70
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Simagin, Vladimir
1-0
URS-ch23 1956 C02
Buslaev, Aleksander vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch sf 1956 A62
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Zurakhov, Vladlen Y
1-0
URS-ch23 1956 D36
Kortschnoj, Viktor vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS-ch23 1956 D31
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Chukaev, Egor
1-0
URS-ch sf 1956 C94
Byvshev, Vasily Mikhailovich vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch23 1956 B57
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Yukhtman, Jacob
1/2-1/2
URS-ch sf 1956 E88
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Zurakhov, Vladlen Y
1/2-1/2
URS-ch sf 1956 D27
Krogius, Nikolai V vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS-ch sf 1956 B66
Gurgenidze, Bukhuti vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS-ch sf 1956 E81
Ragozin, Viacheslav vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch23 1956 A16
Kotkov, Yuri M vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch sf 1956 C99
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Kasparian, Genrikh
1-0
URS-ch sf 1956 A56
Gufeld, Eduard vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch sf 1956 B43
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Averbakh, Yuri L
0-1
URS-ch23 1956 E28
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Lisitsin, Georgy
1-0
URS-ch23 1956 A60
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Bannik, Anatoly
1-0
URS-ch23 1956 E49
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Giorgadze, Tamaz
1-0
URS-ch sf 1956 A65
Sakharov, Yury N vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch sf 1956 E87
Borisenko, Georgy K vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS-ch23 1956 A61
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Koblencs, Aleksandrs
1/2-1/2
URS-ch sf 1956 B67
Kortschnoj, Viktor vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS-ch sf 1956 D29
Nezhmetdinov, Rashid vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS-ch sf 1954 B30
Ljavdansky, Vladimir vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS-ch sf 1954 B58
Cherepkov, Alexander V vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
Leningrad 1954 A33
Yudovich, Mikhail Sr vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS-ch sf 1954 B43
Krogius, Nikolai V vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch sf 1954 B93
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Weltmander, I.
1-0
URS-ch sf 1954 D36
Boleslavsky, Isaak vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1/2-1/2
URS-ch sf 1954 B56
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Uusi, Gunnar
1/2-1/2
URS-ch sf 1954 E59
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Simagin, Vladimir
1/2-1/2
URS-ch sf 1954 E01
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Lutikov, Anatoly S
0-1
URS-ch sf 1954 A53
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Soloviev, Vladimir A
1/2-1/2
URS-ch sf 1954 B77
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Borisenko, Georgy K
0-1
URS-ch sf 1954 E99
Zagorovsky, Vladimir Pavlovich vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch sf 1954 B67
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Gusev, Nikolay Nikolaevich
0-1
URS-ch sf 1954 E62
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Gusev, A.
0-1
Leningrad 1954 A19
Novopashin, Arkady vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS-ch sf 1954 B69
Polugaevsky, Lev vs Khasin, Abram
0-1
URS-ch sf 1954 E02
Lepichin vs Polugaevsky, Lev
0-1
URS-ch sf 1954 B90
Bondarevsky, Igor vs Polugaevsky, Lev
1-0
URS-ch sf 1954 B41
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