In memory of Lev Polugaevsky

Lev Abramovich Polugaevsky was born on 20 November 1934 in Mogilev (now Mahilyow), a city in the eastern part of Belarus. However, after the start of the Second World War, his family was evacuated to Kuybyshev, now Samara. Lev Polugaevsky learned to play chess at the age of seven. In 1946, he enrolled in the chess section of the local Pioneer Palace. There, he was initially trained by Candidate Master Alexy Ivashin. Later, Polugaevsky received training from International Master Lev Aronin, who lived in Moscow but had relatives in Kuybyshev and visited often. Subsequently, Polugaevsky also worked with Rashid Nezhmetdinov for a period in the 50s (1950–1953).

Due to his achievements, Polugaevsky was awarded the title of Master of Sports in 1952 at the age of 18. In 1953, then world champion Mikhail Botvinnik attested to his great talent.

After finishing school, Polugaevsky began studying Industrial Thermal Energy Engineering at the Industrial Institute in Kuybyshev in 1952, graduating as an engineer in 1957. He continued to work full-time as an engineer until 1973, taking leave for tournaments and matches.

In 1956, Polugaevsky participated in the USSR Championship for the first time, finishing in 5^th–7^th place.

In 1962, he placed second behind Boris Spassky. In the following years, he won the title three times. In 1967, he shared first place with Mikhail Tal. In 1968, he defeated Alexander Zaitsev in a playoff, and in 1969, Polugaevsky won jointly with Tigran Petrosian.

Master Class Vol.17 - Boris Spassky

In this video course, experts including Dorian Rogozenco, Mihail Marin, Karsten Müller and Oliver Reeh, examine the games of Boris Spassky. Let them show you which openings Spassky chose to play, where his strength in middlegames were and much more.

At the 1970 "USSR versus the Rest of the World" match, Polugaevsky was part of the USSR team as one of the world's best players of that time and played on board four against Vlastimil Hort. He lost one game, while the other three ended in draws.

At the 1970 Interzonal Tournament in Palma de Mallorca (won by Bobby Fischer), Polugaevsky finished in the middle of the standings. After the 1973 Interzonal Tournament in Petropolis, Polugaevsky competed in a playoff with Lajos Portisch and Efim Geller for two qualification spots for the Candidates Matches and qualified alongside Portisch. However, he was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Anatoly Karpov (5½-2½).

At the 1976 Candidates Tournament in Manila, Polugaevsky tied for second place with Vlastimil Hort and once again reached the Candidates Matches. Polugaevsky won his quarterfinal match 6½-5½ (eleven draws, one win) against Henrique Mecking but was soundly defeated in the semifinals by Viktor Korchnoi (4½-8½).

In 1979, Polugaevsky again qualified for the Candidates Matches by finishing second at the Interzonal Tournament in Riga. He won the quarterfinal against Mikhail Tal (5½-2½) but was once again eliminated by Korchnoi in the semifinals (6½-7½). At the Interzonal Tournaments in Toluca 1982, Biel 1985 and Zagreb 1987, Polugaevsky was no longer able to qualify for the Candidates Matches.

Polugaevsky's greatest tournament successes included victories in Mar del Plata (1962 and 1971), Sarajevo (1964), Hoogovens Beverwijk (1966), Amsterdam (1970 and 1972), Solingen (1974), Sochi (1976), Hoogovens Wijk aan Zee (1979), Manila (1982), Biel/Bienne (1986 and 1989), Haninge (1988) and Reykjavik (1990).

Polugaevsky represented the Soviet national team in seven Chess Olympiads between 1966 and 1984. Six times, he won gold with the team.

On one occasion, the Soviet team had to settle for a silver medal. During the 1978 Chess Olympiad, Polugaevsky lost to Helmut Pfleger, which allowed the West German team to secure victory, while Hungary claimed first place ahead of the USSR.

In 1972 and 1976, Polugaevsky was ranked third in the world with an Elo rating of 2645. For the pre-Elo era, Jeff Sonas calculated Polugaevsky's highest historical rating as 2750, achieved in November 1969.

In addition to his active career as a tournament player, Lev Polugaevsky was a successful theorist, author, and second/trainer. He was regarded as one of the foremost experts on the Sicilian Defence, making significant contributions to the theoretical study of the Polugaevsky Variation (7...b5 in the Najdorf Variation). His analytical book, From the Grandmaster's Laboratory, was translated into several languages, as was its sequel, The Sicilian Labyrinth.

Master Class Vol.6: Anatoly Karpov

On this DVD a team of experts looks closely at the secrets of Karpov's games. In more than 7 hours of video, the authors examine four essential aspects of Karpov's superb play.

During the World Championship matches between Karpov and Korchnoi (1978 and 1981), Polugaevsky was part of Anatoly Karpov's team.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Polugaevsky emigrated to France in 1989, where he coached players such as Joel Lautier.

In 1961, Polugaevsky was awarded the title of International Master. He earned the Grandmaster title in 1962.

In 1994, to mark Polugaevsky's 60^th birthday, a Sicilian-themed tournament featuring the world's best players was organised in Buenos Aires. The sponsor was Joop van Oosterom. Polugaevsky himself was too ill to participate. He passed away on 30 August 1995 in Paris due to a brain tumour. He is buried in Montparnasse Cemetery, near the grave of Alexander Alekhine.

Links

• "Head of the Sicilian clan" - Remembering Lev Polugaevsky
• Amateur versus professional: a theoretical duel