1. Lev Polugaevsky was awarded the title of International Grandmaster by FIDE in 1962 and was a frequent contender for the World Championship, although he never achieved that title.
15 Facts About Lev Polugaevsky
1. 2.
Lev Polugaevsky was one of the strongest players in the world from the early 1960s until the late 1980s, as well as a distinguished author and opening theorist whose contributions in this field remain important to the present day.
3.
Lev Polugaevsky was born in Mogilev, in the Soviet Union, and, after being evacuated during the Second World War, grew up in Kuybyshev.
4.
Lev Polugaevsky began playing chess around the age of 10.
5.
Until 1973, Polugaevsky did not pursue chess as a career, working as an engineer and taking time off for tournaments.
6.
Lev Polugaevsky won or tied in the USSR Chess Championship three times.
7.
Lev Polugaevsky played regularly in qualifying events to select a challenger for the world championship, qualifying for the Candidates Tournament on three occasions.
8.
Lev Polugaevsky played on the Soviet national team in seven Chess Olympiads, in 1966,1968,1970,1978,1980,1982 and 1984.
9.
Lev Polugaevsky's team won the gold medal on each occasion, except in 1978, when the USSR finished second to Hungary.
10.
Lev Polugaevsky was too ill to participate but attended as a guest of honour.
11.
Lev Polugaevsky died of a brain tumour on August 30,1995.
12.
Lev Polugaevsky was a noted theorist whose work on a number of openings has stood the test of time.
13.
Lev Polugaevsky is best remembered for a variation of the Sicilian Defence that bears his name: 1.
14.
Lev Polugaevsky had worked with Boris Spassky as the latter was preparing for his successful 1969 world championship match with Tigran Petrosian, and the two had made a searching analysis of the opening used in this game.
15.
Lev Polugaevsky remarked later that the position as late as move 25 had appeared on the board during his analysis on the morning of the game.