The 1940 Soviet Chess Championship was the 12th edition of USSR Chess Championship. Held from 5 September to 3 October 1940 in Moscow. The tournament was won by Andor Lilienthal and Igor Bondarevsky. Twenty of the Soviet Union's strongest masters competed in the final, six of whom qualified in the semifinals in Kiev earlier that year: Eduard Gerstenfeld, Mark Stolberg, Igor Bondarevsky, Iosif Rudakovsky, Alexander Konstantinopolsky and Peter Dubinin. The remaining invitations went to the Soviet chess elite. Botvinnik did his worst championship, only drawing in 5th/6th position, losing matches to both winners. This championship marked the debut of Paul Keres (4th) and the future world champion Vassily Smyslov (3rd). USSR had expanded its territory in 1939-40, incorporating the Baltic states, which meant that the strong masters Paul Keres from Estonia and Vladimir Petrov from Latvia were able to participate. In 1941, the top six played a competition called Absolute Championship of Soviet Union, ending with Botvinnik's victory.^[1]

Andor Lilienthal in 1940

Tables and results

Semifinal

Semifinal, Kiev, May 1940

	Player	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Total
1	Eduard Gerstenfeld	-	½	0	1	½	1	1	1	½	½	1	½	½	½	1	½	½	10½
2	Mark Stolberg	½	-	1	0	½	1	1	0	1	½	1	1	1	0	1	0	1	10½
3	Igor Bondarevsky	1	0	-	1	1	½	½	½	½	½	1	0	0	1	½	1	1	10
4	Iosif Rudakovsky	0	1	0	-	1	½	1	½	1	½	½	½	1	½	½	½	½	9½
5	Alexander Konstantinopolsky	½	½	0	0	-	1	½	1	½	1	½	½	½	1	½	½	1	9½
6	Peter Dubinin	0	0	½	½	0	-	½	0	1	1	1	1	½	1	1	1	½	9½
7	Vladimir Alatortsev	0	0	½	0	½	½	-	½	0	1	1	1	1	½	1	1	1	9½
8	Genrikh Kasparian	0	1	½	½	0	1	½	-	0	½	1	½	½	1	½	½	1	9
9	Samuel Zhukhovitsky	½	0	½	0	½	0	1	1	-	0	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	8½
10	Lev Kaiev	½	½	½	½	0	0	0	½	1	-	0	1	½	½	½	1	1	8
11	Abram Khavin	0	0	0	½	½	0	0	0	1	1	-	1	½	1	0	½	1	7
12	Grigory Goldberg	½	0	1	½	½	0	0	½	1	0	0	-	1	½	½	½	0	6½
13	Vitaly Chekhover	½	0	1	0	½	½	0	½	0	½	½	0	-	½	½	½	½	6
14	Vsevolod Rauzer	½	1	0	½	0	0	½	0	0	½	0	½	½	-	½	1	½	6
15	Dmitry Grechkin	0	0	½	½	½	0	0	½	0	½	1	½	½	½	-	0	1	6
16	D. S. Fridman	½	1	0	½	½	0	0	½	0	0	½	½	½	0	1	-	0	5½
17	Iosif Pogrebissky	½	0	0	½	0	½	0	0	0	0	0	1	½	½	0	1	-	4½

Final

12th Soviet Chess Championship Final

		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	Total
1	Andor Lilienthal	-	1	½	½	½	1	1	1	1	½	½	½	½	½	1	½	½	½	1	1	13½
2	Igor Bondarevsky	0	-	½	1	½	1	½	1	1	½	0	1	1	½	½	1	1	½	1	1	13½
3	Vassily Smyslov	½	½	-	½	½	½	0	½	1	1	1	½	½	½	1	1	1	½	1	1	13
4	Paul Keres	½	0	½	-	½	½	0	1	0	1	1	1	½	1	½	1	1	1	1	0	12
5	Isaac Boleslavsky	½	½	½	½	-	0	1	0	½	1	1	½	½	½	1	1	0	1	1	½	11½
6	Mikhail Botvinnik	0	0	½	½	1	-	0	½	1	1	½	½	0	1	1	1	½	1	½	1	11½
7	Vladimir Makogonov	0	½	1	1	0	1	-	0	1	0	1	½	½	½	½	½	1	½	½	½	10½
8	Peter Dubinin	0	0	½	0	1	½	1	-	0	1	1	1	½	½	½	½	1	0	1	½	10½
9	Gavriil Veresov	0	0	0	1	½	0	0	1	-	1	½	½	1	½	0	1	½	1	1	1	10½
10	Vladimir Petrov	½	½	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	-	½	1	½	0	½	1	1	1	1	½	9
11	Viacheslav Ragozin	½	1	0	0	0	½	0	0	½	½	-	1	½	1	0	0	½	½	1	1	8½
12	Georgy Lisitsin	½	0	½	0	½	½	½	0	½	0	0	-	1	1	0	1	1	½	0	1	8½
13	Vladas Mikenas	½	0	½	½	½	1	½	½	0	½	½	0	-	½	1	0	0	1	0	½	8
14	Alexander Konstantinopolsky	½	½	½	0	½	0	½	½	½	1	0	0	½	-	1	0	½	½	0	1	8
15	Vasily Panov	0	½	0	½	0	0	½	½	1	½	1	1	0	0	-	½	0	½	1	½	8
16	Mark Stolberg	½	0	0	0	0	0	½	½	0	0	1	0	1	1	½	-	1	½	1	½	8
17	Eduard Gerstenfeld	½	0	0	0	1	½	0	0	½	0	½	0	1	½	1	0	-	½	0	1	7
18	Grigory Levenfish	½	½	½	0	0	0	½	1	0	0	½	½	0	½	½	½	½	-	0	½	6½
19	Alexander Kotov	0	0	0	0	0	½	½	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	0	0	1	1	-	½	6½
20	Iosif Rudakovsky	0	0	0	1	½	0	½	½	0	½	0	0	½	0	½	½	0	½	½	-	5½

1941 Absolute Champion of the USSR

The winner of the 1940 Soviet championship should face world champion Alexander Alekhine for the world title. Nor did the result settle the question of which Soviet player should challenge Alekhine. A new sports official worked diligently behind the scenes to undermine the original decision to have a match for the title between Bondarevsky and Lilienthal. As a result, it was announced a new title Absolute Champion of the USSR was being set up and would be contested in Leningrad and Moscow as a match-tournament of the top six. In fact, the Absolute Championship was to be a one-off, never to be played again. Only two months after Botvinnik's success, his dreams of challenging Alekhine were shattered when Hitler invaded the Soviet Union.^[1]

1941 Absolute Champion of the USSR

		1	2	3	4	5	6	Total
1	Mikhail Botvinnik	----	1½½½	1½1½	1½1½	1½01	01½1	13½
2	Paul Keres	0½½½	----	110½	½0½½	01½1	1½1½	11
3	Vassily Smyslov	0½0½	001½	----	½1½1	½1½½	½½½½	10
4	Isaac Boleslavsky	0½0½	½1½½	½0½0	----	11½1	½00½	9
5	Andor Lilienthal	0½10	10½0	½0½½	00½0	----	1½11	8½
6	Igor Bondarevsky	10½0	0½0½	½½½½	½11½	0½00	----	8

References