# 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 | 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 |