# 1952 USSR Chess Championship

The 1952 Soviet Chess Championship was the 20th edition of the USSR Chess Championship. Held from 29 November to 29 December 1952 in Moscow. The tournament was won by Mikhail Botvinnik. Botvinnik and Mark Taimanov had a play-off match of six games in February 1953, which ended with the victory of Botvinnik 3½-2½, so bringing him his seventh title. The final were preceded by quarter-finals events and four semifinals (at Leningrad, Minsk, Riga and Sochi). For the first time in such events players were forbidden to agree a draw in under 30 moves unless they could get the arbiter's consent.

## Table and results

20th Soviet Chess Championship (1952) :
| | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Total |
| 1 | Mikhail Botvinnik | - | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 13½ |
| 2 | Mark Taimanov | 1 | - | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 13½ |
| 3 | Efim Geller | 0 | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 12 |
| 4 | Alexander Tolush | ½ | ½ | 0 | - | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 11½ |
| 5 | Isaac Boleslavsky | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11½ |
| 6 | Viktor Korchnoi | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | - | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| 7 | David Bronstein | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | - | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 10½ |
| 8 | Vassily Smyslov | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | - | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 10½ |
| 9 | Oleg Moiseev | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | - | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 10½ |
| 10 | Alexey Suetin | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | - | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 9½ |
| 11 | Paul Keres | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | - | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 9½ |
| 12 | Lev Aronin | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | - | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 9 |
| 13 | Vasily Byvshev | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | - | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| 14 | Vladimir Simagin | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | - | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 8½ |
| 15 | Georgy Ilivitsky | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | - | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 8½ |
| 16 | Alexander Konstantinopolsky | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 7½ |
| 17 | Isaac Lipnitsky | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | - | 1 | ½ | 0 | 7 |
| 18 | Ilya Kan | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | - | 1 | 1 | 6½ |
| 19 | Genrikh Kasparian | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | - | ½ | 5½ |
| 20 | Boris Goldenov | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | - | 5 |

### Play-off match

20th Soviet Chess Championship, Play-off match, Moscow, February 1953 :
| Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Total |
| Mikhail Botvinnik | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 3½ |
| Mark Taimanov | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 2½ |