The 1939 USSR Chess Championship was the 11th edition of USSR Chess Championship. Held from 15 April to 16 May 1939 in Leningrad. The tournament was won by Mikhail Botvinnik. Semifinals took place in Moscow, Leningrad and Kiev. Alexander Kotov, author of the classic book Think Like a Grandmaster, made his debut, achieving the runner-up. Former champion of the 1920s Peter Romanovsky returned to compete, but finishing in last place. The level and popularity of chess was skyrocketing in the Soviet Union, the final round, which featured the duel between Botvinnik and Kotov, sold out all the thousands of tickets available to the public.^[1]

Grigory Levenfish and Mikhail Botvinnik in 1937

Alexander Kotov in 1939

Table and results

11th USSR Chess Championship (1939)

	Player	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Total
1	Mikhail Botvinnik	-	1	½	½	½	½	½	½	1	½	1	1	½	1	1	1	1	½	12½
2	Alexander Kotov	0	-	½	1	0	½	1	0	1	1	½	½	1	1	1	1	1	½	11½
3	Sergey Belavenets	½	½	-	½	1	½	1	1	½	1	0	½	½	½	½	1	½	1	11
4	Vladimir Makogonov	½	0	½	-	1	½	½	1	½	½	½	½	1	1	½	½	½	1	10½
5	Vitaly Chekhover	½	1	0	0	-	1	½	½	½	0	½	1	½	1	1	1	½	1	10½
6	Igor Bondarevsky	½	½	½	½	0	-	0	0	½	1	1	½	½	½	1	1	1	1	10
7	Georgy Lisitsin	½	0	0	½	½	1	-	1	½	0	½	½	½	1	½	½	1	½	9
8	Grigory Levenfish	½	1	0	0	½	1	0	-	½	1	½	1	0	½	0	0	1	1	8½
9	Peter Dubinin	0	0	½	½	½	½	½	½	-	½	½	1	0	½	½	1	1	½	8½
10	Viacheslav Ragozin	½	0	0	½	1	0	1	0	½	-	1	0	0	½	1	1	½	1	8½
11	Vasily Panov	0	½	1	½	½	0	½	½	½	0	-	½	½	0	½	½	1	1	8
12	Ilya Rabinovich	0	½	½	½	0	½	½	0	0	1	½	-	½	1	1	0	½	1	8
13	Mikhail Yudovich	½	0	½	0	½	½	½	1	1	1	½	½	-	½	0	0	0	½	7½
14	Ilya Kan	0	0	½	0	0	½	0	½	½	½	1	0	½	-	1	1	½	1	7½
15	Alexander Tolush	0	0	½	½	0	0	½	1	½	0	½	0	1	0	-	1	0	1	6½
16	Iosif Pogrebissky	0	0	0	½	0	0	½	1	0	0	½	1	1	0	0	-	1	1	6½
17	Alexander Chistiakov	0	0	½	½	½	0	0	0	0	½	0	½	1	½	1	0	-	0	5
18	Peter Romanovsky	½	½	0	0	0	0	½	0	½	0	0	0	½	0	0	0	1	-	3½

References