1960 USSR Chess Championship

27th USSR Chess Championship 27th Soviet Chess Championship (1960) Leningrad Viktor Korchnoi 1959 USSR Chess Championship 1961 USSR Chess Championship (28th) The 1960 Soviet Chess Championship was the 27th edition of USSR Chess Championship. Held from 26 January to 27 February 1960 in Leningrad. The tournament was won by Viktor Korchnoi. The final were preceded by semifinals events at Cheliabinsk, Tallinn and Yerevan. Mikhail Tal was missing, preparing for his world title match against Botvinnik. Paul Keres was in Cuba as part of a cultural delegation from Estonia.Cafferty, Bernard 2016 The Soviet Championships London Everyman Chess 103 Cafferty 2016 http://worldcat.org/oclc/41940198 Soviet chess, 1917-1991 Soltis, Andy. 2000 McFarland & Co 0-7864-0676-3 41940198 thumb|300px|Viktor Korchnoi Table and results Mikhail Tal was missing, preparing for his world title match against Botvinnik. Paul Keres was in Cuba as part of a cultural delegation from Estonia. Spassky was in a moment of creative experimentation and got a bad place in the championship. He at this time was trying to play in a less academic style. As a result of his recent training period with Alexander Tolush, he often sacrificed material. The crowning moment for this attacking approach came in his winning against David Bronstein in the 16th round in a King's Gambit.Cafferty 2016 103 After 15 rounds the leaders were Petrosian and Korchnoi with 11 points, Geller 10½ and Polugayevsky, Taimanov and Krogius 9. In the 16th round both leaders suffered. Petrosian had been unwell and lost to Averbakh. Korchnoi had a promising position against Bagirov, but in a crucial position where he should have played Bc3xRe1, with good chances, he unaccountably touched his a6 bishop, intending to make the capture with it on el. Naturally, he resigned on the spot. It was one of the most incredible mistakes of his career, and so Korchnoi described the move: My opponent had just taken of my rooks, and I was considering my reply.'First', I thought, 'I'll take his rook with my bishop, on the next move I'll move my other bishop'. The two bishops stood side by side, and I picked up the wrong one, the one that was attacking nothing. Without completing the move, I left the hall, leaving a thousand fans, who were tensely following my game, in a state of bewilderment, which shortly turned to grief.Chess is my life. Autobiography and games Korchnoi, Viktor 1978 38 Arco Publishing Such a blunder would have shattered a lesser man, but Korchnoi came back. He beat Krogius in the next round. The decisive game was an Alekhine's Defence in the 18th round encounter against Geller. Korchnoi with black pieces deferred development of his knight to c6, and outplayed Geller in complications to score a priceless victory.Cafferty 2016 103 + 27th Soviet Chess Championship (1960) Player 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Total1URS Viktor Korchnoi - ½ 1 0 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 0 0 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1142URS Tigran Petrosian ½ - ½ ½ 0 0 ½ 1 1 1 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 113½3URS Efim Geller 0 ½ - ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 0 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ½ 113½4URS Vladimir Bagirov 1 ½ ½ - ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 1125URS Lev Polugaevsky 0 1 ½ ½ - 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 111½6URS Yuri Averbakh ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 - ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½117URS Vassily Smyslov 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ - ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½10½8URS Mark Taimanov ½ 0 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ - ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 1 1 1 110½9URS Nikolai Krogius 0 0 1 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ - ½ 1 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½1010URS Boris Spassky 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ - ½ ½ 1 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 11011URS Vladimir Simagin 1 ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ - 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 19½12URS Anatoly Lutikov 1 ½ 0 ½ 0 1 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 - 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 0913URS David Bronstein ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 - 1 1 0 1 ½ ½ 1914URS Eduard Gufeld 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 1 1 ½ ½ 0 - ½ 0 1 1 0 07½15URS Iivo Nei 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ - 1 0 1 0 17½16URS Leonid Shamkovich 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 0 1 1 0 - 0 1 0 06½17URS Vladimir Liberzon 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 0 1 1 - 0 1 06½18URS Alexey Suetin 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 0 1 - 1 ½619URS Yuri Sakharov 0 0 ½ 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 1 1 1 0 0 - 1620URS Bukhuti Gurgenidze 0 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 ½ 0 -6 References Chess Soviet Union Category:USSR Chess Championships Category:1960 in chess Chess