1980 USSR Chess Championship

48th USSR Chess Championship
Location	Vilnius
Champion
Alexander Beliavsky Lev Psakhis

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.

Alexander Beliavsky

Lev Psakhis

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	Total
1	Alexander Beliavsky	2590	-	1	0	½	½	½	1	½	½	½	½	1	1	1	1	½	½	1	11½
2	Vitaly Tseshkovsky	2595	0	-	1	½	½	1	½	0	½	1	1	½	½	½	½	1	½	1	10½
3	Sergey Dolmatov	2535	1	0	-	1	0	½	½	½	1	½	1	½	0	½	1	½	1	1	10½
4	Yuri Razuvaev	2515	½	½	0	-	½	½	½	½	1	½	1	½	½	½	½	½	1	1	10
5	Gennadi Kuzmin	2530	½	½	1	½	-	½	½	0	½	½	0	1	½	½	½	1	1	1	10
6	Oleg Romanishin	2580	½	0	½	½	½	-	½	½	0	½	1	1	½	1	1	½	1	½	10
7	Nukhim Rashkovsky	2520	0	½	½	½	½	½	-	0	½	1	½	½	0	1	1	1	1	1	10
8	Evgeny Sveshnikov	2570	½	1	½	½	1	½	1	-	½	0	0	½	½	½	½	1	½	½	9½
9	Vereslav Eingorn	2470	½	½	0	0	½	1	½	½	-	½	1	½	½	0	1	1	½	1	9½
10	Josif Dorfman	2540	½	0	½	½	½	½	0	1	½	-	0	½	½	1	½	½	1	1	9
11	Konstantin Lerner	2495	½	0	0	0	1	0	½	1	0	1	-	1	½	1	0	½	1	½	8½
12	Georgy Agzamov		0	½	½	½	0	0	½	½	½	½	0	-	1	½	1	½	1	1	8½
13	Alexander Panchenko		0	½	1	½	½	½	1	½	½	½	½	0	-	1	½	½	0	0	8
14	Maia Chiburdanidze	2400	0	½	½	½	½	0	0	½	1	0	0	½	0	-	½	1	1	½	7
15	Alexander Ivanov		0	½	0	½	½	0	0	½	0	½	1	0	½	½	-	½	½	½	6
16	Vladimir Tukmakov	2560	½	0	½	½	0	½	0	0	0	½	½	½	½	0	½	-	½	½	5½
17	Igor Platonov		½	½	0	0	0	0	0	½	½	0	0	0	1	0	½	½	-	1	5
18	Fikret Sideifzade	2320	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	Total
1	Lev Psakhis	2535	-	1	0	½	1	½	0	1	½	0	1	1	½	½	1	1	1	0	10½
2	Alexander Beliavsky	2590	0	-	½	½	½	½	0	1	1	½	1	½	½	½	½	1	1	1	10½
3	Yuri Balashov	2600	1	½	-	½	½	½	½	½	½	1	½	½	½	½	½	1	½	½	10
4	Oleg Romanishin	2580	½	½	½	-	½	0	1	½	½	½	0	½	1	½	1	½	1	1	10
5	Artur Yusupov	2485	0	½	½	½	-	½	1	0	½	1	0	½	½	1	1	½	1	1	10
6	Sergey Dolmatov	2535	½	½	½	1	½	-	1	1	0	½	½	1	0	½	½	½	0	1	9½
7	Viktor Kupreichik	2535	1	1	½	0	0	0	-	½	1	½	0	1	½	0	1	½	1	1	9½
8	Gennadi Kuzmin	2530	0	0	½	½	1	0	½	-	½	1	½	1	1	½	1	½	½	½	9½
9	Vitaly Tseshkovsky	2595	½	0	½	½	½	1	0	½	-	½	½	1	0	1	1	½	1	½	9½
10	Rafael Vaganian	2590	1	½	0	½	0	½	½	0	½	-	½	0	1	½	1	½	1	1	9
11	Nukhim Rashkovsky	2520	0	0	½	1	1	½	1	½	½	½	-	½	½	½	½	½	½	0	8½
12	Evgeni Vasiukov	2545	0	½	½	½	½	0	0	0	0	1	½	-	½	1	½	1	1	1	8½
13	Sergey Makarichev	2495	½	½	½	0	½	1	½	0	1	0	½	½	-	½	0	½	½	½	7½
14	Efim Geller	2565	½	½	½	½	0	½	1	½	0	½	½	0	½	-	½	0	½	0	6½
15	Tamaz Giorgadze	2540	0	½	½	0	0	½	0	0	0	0	½	½	1	½	-	1	½	1	6½
16	Smbat Lputian	2445	0	0	0	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	0	½	1	0	-	0	½	6
17	Yuri Razuvaev	2515	0	0	½	0	0	1	0	½	0	0	½	0	½	½	½	1	-	1	6
18	Valery Chekhov	2410	1	0	½	0	0	0	0	½	½	0	1	0	½	1	0	½	0	-	5½