title: 1968 USSR Chess Championship
text: # 1968 USSR Chess Championship
  
  The 1968 Soviet Chess Championship was the 36th edition of USSR Chess Championship. Held from 30 December 1968 to 1 February 1969 in Alma-Ata. The tournament was won by Lev Polugaevsky who defeats Alexander Zaitsev in a play-off match. The non-attendance of stars such as David Bronstein, Tigran Petrosian, Boris Spassky, all away at foreign tournaments made it not too strong an event, especially in conjunction with the absence of Paul Keres. Mikhail Tal was ill again, after a year in which he spent a lot of time in hospital under observation.
  
  ## Table and results
  
  36th Soviet Chess Championship :
  
  | | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Total |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 1 | Alexander Zaitsev | - | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 12½ |
  | 2 | Lev Polugaevsky | ½ | - | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 12½ |
  | 3 | Anatoly Lutikov | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11½ |
  | 4 | Vladimir Liberzon | ½ | 0 | 1 | - | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 11 |
  | 5 | Vitaly Tseshkovsky | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | - | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
  | 6 | Ratmir Kholmov | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | - | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 10½ |
  | 7 | Mikhail Podgaets | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | - | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 10½ |
  | 8 | Mikhail Tal | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | - | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10½ |
  | 9 | Janis Klovans | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | - | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10½ |
  | 10 | Evgeni Vasiukov | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | - | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10½ |
  | 11 | Anatoly Lein | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | - | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 10 |
  | 12 | Yuri Averbakh | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | - | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 10 |
  | 13 | Viatcheslav Osnos | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | - | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 10 |
  | 14 | Yuri Sakharov | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 9 |
  | 15 | Vladimir Bagirov | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | - | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 8½ |
  | 16 | Bukhuti Gurgenidze | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | - | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 8½ |
  | 17 | Igor Zaitsev | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | - | 1 | ½ | 1 | 8½ |
  | 18 | Igor Platonov | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | - | ½ | 1 | 6½ |
  | 19 | Alexander Cherepkov | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | - | 0 | 4½ |
  | 20 | Yury Nikitin [ru] | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | 3½ |
  
  ### Play-off
  
  March 1969 :
  
  | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Total |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | Lev Polugaevsky | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 3½ |
  | Alexander Zaitsev | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 2½ |
  