1956 USSR Chess Championship

The 1956 Soviet Chess Championship was the 23rd edition of the USSR Chess Championship, held from 10 January to 15 February 1956 in Leningrad. The tournament was won by Mark Taimanov, who defeated Boris Spassky and Yuri Averbakh in a play-off. The finals were preceded by semifinal events in Leningrad, Moscow and Riga. This edition marked the debut of future world champion Mikhail Tal, often described as "the Magician from Riga". Tal demonstrated his adventurous tactical style, notably in the third round against Vladimir Simagin, who lost a game to Tal and later wondered about the soundness of the piece sacrifice that had defeated him.^[1][2]

23nd Soviet Chess Championship (1956)

	Player	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Total
1	Mark Taimanov	-	0	½	½	1	½	½	1	1	1	½	0	1	1	½	1	1	½	11½
2	Boris Spassky	1	-	1	0	½	1	½	1	½	½	½	1	½	½	½	1	½	1	11½
3	Yuri Averbakh	½	0	-	½	1	½	½	½	½	1	½	½	½	1	1	1	1	1	11½
4	Viktor Korchnoi	½	1	½	-	1	½	½	½	1	½	1	0	1	1	½	½	½	½	11
5	Lev Polugaevsky	0	½	0	0	-	½	½	1	1	1	1	½	1	½	1	0	1	1	10½
6	Mikhail Tal	½	0	½	½	½	-	½	½	0	½	1	1	1	½	1	½	1	1	10½
7	Ratmir Kholmov	½	½	½	½	½	½	-	0	½	1	1	½	1	1	½	1	½	½	10½
8	Isaac Boleslavsky	0	0	½	½	0	½	1	-	½	½	½	1	½	0	½	1	1	1	9
9	Vladlen Zurakhov	0	½	½	0	0	1	½	½	-	½	½	0	1	½	1	1	½	½	8½
10	Vladimir Antoshin	0	½	0	½	0	½	0	½	½	-	½	0	1	½	1	1	1	½	8
11	Anatoly Bannik	½	½	½	0	0	0	0	½	½	½	-	1	0	½	1	½	½	1	7½
12	Viacheslav Ragozin	1	0	½	1	½	0	½	0	1	1	0	-	0	½	0	0	0	1	7
13	Vladimir Simagin	0	½	½	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	1	1	-	1	½	½	0	1	6½
14	Vasily Byvshev	0	½	0	0	½	½	0	1	½	½	½	½	0	-	0	1	1		6½
15	Alexander Tolush	½	½	0	½	0	0	½	½	0	0	0	1	½	1	-	0	1	½	6½
16	Georgy Borisenko	0	0	0	½	1	½	0	0	0	0	½	1	½	0	1	-	½	½	6
17	Abram Khasin	0	½	0	½	0	0	½	0	½	0	½	1	1	0	0	½	-	½	5½
18	Georgy Lisitsin	½	0	0	½	0	0	½	0	½	½	0	0	0		½	½	½	-	4

Moscow, February 1956

	Player	1	2	3	Total
1	Mark Taimanov	--	½ ½	1 1	3
2	Yuri Averbakh	½ ½	--	½ 1	2½
3	Boris Spassky	0 0	½ 0	--	0½

Averbakh won the second game against Spassky by walkover since Spassky couldn't play due to illness.