23nd Soviet Chess Championship (1956)
LocationLeningrad
Champion
Mark Taimanov

The 1956 Soviet Chess Championship was the 23rd edition of USSR Chess Championship. Held from 10 January to 15 February 1956 in Leningrad. The tournament was won by Mark Taimanov who defeats Boris Spassky and Yuri Averbakh in a play-off. The final were preceded by semifinals events at Leningrad, Moscow and Riga.This edition marked the debut of the future world champion Mikhail Tal, often described as the magician from Riga, who demonstrated his over-adventurous tactical style, notably in the third round against Simagin, who had the honor to be one of the first to wonder about the soundness of the piece sacrifice that had defeated him.[1][2]

Mark Taimanov

Table and results

23nd Soviet Chess Championship (1956)
Player 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Total
1 Soviet Union Mark Taimanov - 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ 0 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 11½
2 Soviet Union Boris Spassky 1 - 1 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 11½
3 Soviet Union Yuri Averbakh ½ 0 - ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1 11½
4 Soviet Union Viktor Korchnoi ½ 1 ½ - 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 0 1 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 11
5 Soviet Union Lev Polugaevsky 0 ½ 0 0 - ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 0 1 1 10½
6 Soviet Union Mikhail Tal ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ - ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 10½
7 Soviet Union Ratmir Kholmov ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ - 0 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 10½
8 Soviet Union Isaac Boleslavsky 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 - ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 1 1 9
9 Soviet Union Vladlen Zurakhov 0 ½ ½ 0 0 1 ½ ½ - ½ ½ 0 1 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 8½
10 Soviet Union Vladimir Antoshin 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ - ½ 0 1 ½ 1 1 1 ½ 8
11 Soviet Union Anatoly Bannik ½ ½ ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ - 1 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 7½
12 Soviet Union Viacheslav Ragozin 1 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 0 1 1 0 - 0 ½ 0 0 0 1 7
13 Soviet Union Vladimir Simagin 0 ½ ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 1 1 - 1 ½ ½ 0 1 6½
14 Soviet Union Vasily Byvshev 0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 - 0 1 1 6½
15 Soviet Union Alexander Tolush ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 0 1 ½ 1 - 0 1 ½ 6½
16 Soviet Union Georgy Borisenko 0 0 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 1 - ½ ½ 6
17 Soviet Union Abram Khasin 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 1 0 0 ½ - ½ 5½
18 Soviet Union Georgy Lisitsin ½ 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ - 4

Play-off

Moscow, February 1956
Player 1 2 3 Total
1 Soviet Union Mark Taimanov -- ½ ½ 1 1 3
2 Soviet Union Yuri Averbakh ½ ½ -- ½ 1 2½
3 Soviet Union Boris Spassky 0 0 ½ 0 -- 0½

Averbakh won the second game against Spassky by walkover since Spassky couldn't play due to illness.

References

  1. ↑ Cafferty, Bernard. (2016). The Soviet Championships. London: Everyman Chess. p. 88
  2. ↑ Soltis, Andy. (2000). Soviet chess, 1917-1991. McFarland & Co. ISBN 0-7864-0676-3.
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