Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik was a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster. The sixth World Chess Champion, he also worked as an electrical engineer and computer scientist and was a pioneer in computer chess.
The USSR Chess Championship was played from 1921 to 1991. Organized by the USSR Chess Federation, it was the strongest national chess championship ever held, with eight world chess champions and four world championship finalists among its winners. It was held as a round-robin tournament with the exception of the 35th and 58th championships, which were of the Swiss system.
Alexander Alexandrovich Kotov was a Soviet chess grandmaster and author. He was a Soviet chess champion, a two-time world title Candidate, and a prolific writer on the subject of chess. Kotov served in high posts in the Soviet Chess Federation, and wrote most of his books during the Cold War. The importance and breadth of Kotov's work rank him among the all-time greats in this field.
Igor Zakharovich Bondarevsky was a Soviet Russian chess player, trainer, and chess author. He held the title of Grandmaster in both over-the-board and correspondence chess. Bondarevsky shared the 1940 Soviet title, and later coached World Champion Boris Spassky.
The Russian Chess Championship has taken various forms.
The 1920 USSR Chess Championship was the first edition of USSR Chess Championship. Held from 4 to 24 October in Moscow. The tournament was won by the future world chess champion Alexander Alekhine.
The 1923 USSR Chess Championship was the second edition of USSR Chess Championship. Held from 8 to 24 July in Petrograd. The tournament was won by Peter Romanovsky.
The 1924 USSR Chess Championship was the third edition of USSR Chess Championship. Held from 23 August to 15 September in Moscow. The tournament was won by Efim Bogoljubow.
The 1925 USSR Chess Championship was the fourth edition of USSR Chess Championship. Held from 11 August to 6 September in Leningrad. The tournament was won by Efim Bogoljubow.
The 1929 USSR Chess Championship was the 6th edition of USSR Chess Championship. Held from 2 to 20 September in Odessa. The tournament was won by Boris Verlinsky. The event was held outside Moscow and Leningrad for the first time. 36 players competed in four quarterfinal sections, with the top three in each advancing into two six-player semifinals. The top two from each semifinals were then to play a double round final to determine the champion.
The 1931 USSR Chess Championship was the 7th edition of USSR Chess Championship. Held from 10 October to 11 November in Moscow. The tournament was won by the future world champion Mikhail Botvinnik. The competition had the largest number of players up to that edition and had an extensive set of preliminary qualifiers in which about 500 players took part.
The 1939 USSR Chess Championship was the 11th edition of USSR Chess Championship. Held from 15 April to 16 May 1939 in Leningrad. The tournament was won by Mikhail Botvinnik. Semifinals took place in Moscow, Leningrad and Kiev. Alexander Kotov, author of the classic book Think Like a Grandmaster, made his debut, achieving the runner-up. Former champion of the 1920s Peter Romanovsky returned to compete, but finishing in last place. The level and popularity of chess was skyrocketing in the Soviet Union, the final round, which featured the duel between Botvinnik and Kotov, sold out all the thousands of tickets available to the public.
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.
The 1955 Soviet Chess Championship was the 22nd edition of USSR Chess Championship. Held from 11 February to 15 March 1955 in Moscow. The tournament was won by Efim Geller who defeats Smyslov in a play-off match (4-3). The final were preceded semifinals events at Leningrad, Gorky and Yerevan. It was the worst USSR Chess Championship of Korchnoi's career, despite having fought in each game, all showing the high level of the competition.
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.
The 1970 Soviet Chess Championship was the 38th edition of USSR Chess Championship. Held from 25 November to 28 December 1970 in Riga. Viktor Korchnoi won his fourth title. The future world champion Anatoly Karpov had a quiet debut, beginning with a loss and 10 draws out of the first 11 rounds before beating Vladimir Bagirov in a Alekhine Defence in round 12. Mikhail Tal should have played in Riga, his home town, but he didn't. It looks as if the organizers doubted, on his recent illness history, whether he would last out the 21-rounder. It was a decision that was to rankle for years, especially since Tal was physically present, but had to confine himself to the press room.
The 1975 Soviet Chess Championship was the 43rd edition of USSR Chess Championship. Held from 28 November to 22 December 1975 in Yerevan. Former world champion Tigran Petrosian won his fourth title. The qualifying tournaments took place in Cheliabinsk and Kishinev.
The 1976 Soviet Chess Championship was the 44th edition of USSR Chess Championship. Held from 26 November to 24 December 1976 in Moscow. The world champion Anatoly Karpov won his first USSR Chess Championship title. The qualifying tournaments took place in Minsk and Rostov-on-Don.
The 1978 Soviet Chess Championship was the 46th edition of USSR Chess Championship. Held from 1-27 December 1978 in Tbilisi. Mikhail Tal and Vitaly Tseshkovsky shared the title. The qualifying tournaments took place in Daugavpils and Ashkhabad. This edition marked the debut of the future world champion Garry Kasparov in the Soviet championships.
The 1988 Soviet Chess Championship was the 55th edition of USSR Chess Championship. Held from 25 July 19 August 1988 in Moscow. The title was shared by the world champion Garry Kasparov and former world champion Anatoly Karpov. Semifinals took place at Norilsk and Pavlodar; two First League tournaments were held at Lvov and Sverdlovsk.
