1980 USSR Chess Championship

The 1980 Soviet Chess Championship was the 48th edition of USSR Chess Championship. Held from 25 December 1980 to 21 January 1981 in Vilnius. The title was won by Alexander Beliavsky and Lev Psakhis. Semifinals took place in Dnipropetrovsk, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk and Tallinn; The First League (also qualifying to the final) was held at Tashkent.

Qualifying Semifinals The qualifying Swiss was now split into four sections of 16 players all-play-alls, perhaps a reflection of the unpopularity of the Swiss system in Soviet circles. All four, at Dnipropetrovsk, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk and Tallinn, took place simultaneously in August 1980. The winners respectively were Evgeni Vasiukov, Smbat Lputian, Lev Psakhis and Valery Chekhov gaining a direct promotion to the final.

First League The top seven qualified for the final.

+ Tashkent, 2-29 October 1980 Player Rating 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Total1 Alexander Beliavsky2590 - 1 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 ½ ½ 111½2 Vitaly Tseshkovsky2595 0 - 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 110½3 Sergey Dolmatov2535 1 0 - 1 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 110½4 Yuri Razuvaev2515 ½ ½ 0 - ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1105 Gennadi Kuzmin2530 ½ ½ 1 ½ - ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1106 Oleg Romanishin2580 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ - ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½107 Nukhim Rashkovsky2520 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ - 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 1 1 1 1 1108 Evgeny Sveshnikov2570 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 - ½ 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½9½9 Vereslav Eingorn2470 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ - ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 1 1 ½ 19½10 Josif Dorfman2540 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 1 ½ - 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1911 Konstantin Lerner2495 ½ 0 0 0 1 0 ½ 1 0 1 - 1 ½ 1 0 ½ 1 ½8½12 Georgy Agzamov 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 - 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 18½13 Alexander Panchenko 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 - 1 ½ ½ 0 0814 Maia Chiburdanidze2400 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 0 ½ 1 0 0 ½ 0 - ½ 1 1 ½715 Alexander Ivanov 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 0 ½ ½ - ½ ½ ½616 Vladimir Tukmakov2560 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ - ½ ½5½17 Igor Platonov ½ ½ 0 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 0 1 0 ½ ½ - 1518 Fikret Sideifzade2320 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 -4

Final

The date of the final slipped, as it did not begin at the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius until December 25th. Not really Christmas Day, in a sense, since this feast was not celebrated in the USSR. The delay was due to the 1980 Olympiad being played late in the year. + 48th USSR Chess Championship Player Rating 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Total1 Lev Psakhis2535 - 1 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 1 ½ 0 1 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 010½2 Alexander Beliavsky2590 0 - ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 1 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 110½3 Yuri Balashov2600 1 ½ - ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½104 Oleg Romanishin2580 ½ ½ ½ - ½ 0 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1105 Artur Yusupov2485 0 ½ ½ ½ - ½ 1 0 ½ 1 0 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1106 Sergey Dolmatov2535 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ - 1 1 0 ½ ½ 1 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 19½7 Viktor Kupreichik2535 1 1 ½ 0 0 0 - ½ 1 ½ 0 1 ½ 0 1 ½ 1 19½8 Gennadi Kuzmin2530 0 0 ½ ½ 1 0 ½ - ½ 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½9½9 Vitaly Tseshkovsky2595 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 0 ½ - ½ ½ 1 0 1 1 ½ 1 ½9½10 Rafael Vaganian2590 1 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ - ½ 0 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1911 Nukhim Rashkovsky2520 0 0 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ - ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 08½12 Evgeni Vasiukov2545 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 0 0 0 1 ½ - ½ 1 ½ 1 1 18½13 Sergey Makarichev2495 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 1 0 ½ ½ - ½ 0 ½ ½ ½7½14 Efim Geller2565 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ - ½ 0 ½ 06½15 Tamaz Giorgadze2540 0 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ - 1 ½ 16½16 Smbat Lputian2445 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 0 - 0 ½617 Yuri Razuvaev2515 0 0 ½ 0 0 1 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 - 1618 Valery Chekhov2410 1 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 1 0 ½ 1 0 ½ 0 -5½

References