USSR Championship statistics and records: age-related
All ages are given at the day of the tournament's beginning.
The oldest player to take part in the USSR Championship:
Vasily Smyslov - 67 years, 4 months, 1 day (1988)
Vladas Mikenas - 60 years, 7 months, 8 days (1970)
Grigory Levenfish - 60 years, 6 months, 27 years (1949)
The youngest player to take part in the USSR Championship:
Garry Kasparov - 15 years, 7 months, 19 days (1978)
Mikhail Botvinnik - 16 years, 1 month, 9 days (1927)
Boris Spassky - 18 years, 12 days (1955)
The youngest age of the tournament's oldest player:
Vitaly Tseshkovsky - 37 years, 2 months, 2 days (1981)
Vladimir Tukmakov - 38 years, 28 days (1984)
Vladimir Makogonov - 39 years, 8 months, 25 days (1944)
The oldest age of the tournament's youngest player:
Mikhail Tal - 28 years, 1 month, 16 days (1964)
Vladimir Savon - 26 years, 10 months, 2 days (1966)
Alexander Chistyakov - 25 years, 2 months, 21 days (1939)
The youngest player to win or share 1st place in USSR championships:
Garry Kasparov - 18 years, 7 months, 14 days (1981)
Boris Spassky - 18 years, 11 months, 18 days (1956)
Mikhail Botvinnik - 20 years, 1 month, 24 days (1931)
Other players to win or share 1st place aged under 25:
Mikhail Tal - 20 years, 2 months, 11 days (1957)
Alexander Beliavsky - 20 years, 11 months, 13 days (1974)
Mikhail Botvinnik - 21 years, 1 months, 29 days (1933)
Mikhail Tal - 21 years, 2 months, 3 days (1958)
Lev Psakhis - 22 years, 27 days (1980)
Valery Salov - 22 years, 9 months, 8 days (1987)
Lev Psakhis - 22 years, 11 months, 28 days (1981)
Evgeny Bareev - 23 years, 10 months, 28 days (1990)
David Bronstein - 24 years, 8 months, 22 days (1948)
Boris Spassky - 24 years, 9 months, 16 days (1961-2)
Artashes Minasian - 24 years, 9 months, 11 days (1991)
Alexander Chernin - 24 years, 10 months, 16 days (1985)
The oldest player to win or share 1st place in USSR championships:
Efim Geller - 54 years, 8 months, 21 days (1979)
Grigory Levenfish - 48 years, 24 days (1937)
Tigran Petrosian - 46 years, 5 months, 11 days (1975)
Other players to win or share 1st place aged over 40:
Grigory Levenfish - 45 years, 8 months, 19 days (1934)
Ilya Rabinovich - 43 years, 6 months, 14 days (1934)
Mikhail Tal - 42 years, 23 days (1978)
Boris Verlinsky - 41 years, 8 months, 6 days (1929)
Vitaly Tseshkovsky - 41 years, 6 months, 7 days (1986)
Mikhail Botvinnik - 41 years, 3 months, 12 days (1952)
Tigran Petrosian - 40 years, 2 months, 18 days (1969)
USSR Championships won by oldest participant:
1937 - Grigory Levenfish (48 years, 24 days)
1979 - Efim Geller (54 years, 8 months, 21 days)
1986 - Vitaly Tseshkovsky (41 years, 6 months, 7 days)
USSR Championships won by youngest participant:
1931 - Mikhail Botvinnik (20 years, 1 month, 24 days)
1933 - Mikhail Botvinnik (21 years, 11 months, 29 days)
1956 - Boris Spassky (18 years, 11 months, 10 days), shared 1st
1974 - Alexander Beliavsky (20 years, 11 months, 13 days), shared 1st
1981 - Garry Kasparov (18 years, 7 months, 14 days), shared 1st
All "oldest players" of USSR Championships
1988 - Vasily Smyslov (67 years, 4 months, 1 day); shared 9th-13th place
1970 - Vladas Mikenas (60 years, 7 months, 8 days); shared 17th-18th place
1949 - Grigory Levenfish (60 years, 6 months, 27 days); shared 18th-20th (last) place
1985 - Efim Geller (59 years, 10 months, 14 days); shared 17th-18th place
1948 - Grigory Levenfish (59 years, 7 months, 22 days); shared 13th-15th place
1983 - Efim Geller (58 years, 25 days); shared 14th-15th place
1947 - Grigory Levenfish (57 years, 10 months, 14 days); 11th place
1973 - Paul Keres (57 years, 8 months, 25 days); shared 9th-12th place
1977 - Vasily Smyslov (56 years, 8 months, 4 days); shared 12th-14th place
1980 - Efim Geller (55 years, 9 months, 17 days); shared 14th-15th place
1976 - Vasily Smyslov (55 years, 8 months, 2 days); shared 6th-7th place
1965 - Vladas Mikenas (55 years, 7 months, 4 days); 19th place
1923 - Sergey Lebedev (not older than 55 years, 6 months, 7 days, exact birthdate unknown); shared 11-13th (last) place
1975 - Semyon Furman (54 years, 11 months, 27 days); 14th place
1979 - Efim Geller (54 years, 8 months, 21 days); 1st place
1978 - Efim Geller (53 years, 8 months, 24 days); shared 5th-8th place
1945 - Petr Romanovsky (52 years, 10 months, 3 days); 15th place
1969 - Samuil Zhukhovitsky (52 years, 8 months, 25 days); 13th place. Possibly the oldest living participant of the USSR Championships, Wikipedia article about him states he's still alive at 96.
1962 - Vladas Mikenas (52 years, 7 months, 4 days); 10th place
1934 - Sergey Freiman (52 years, 6 months, 30 days); 20th (last) place
1964 - Boris Goldenov (not older than 51 years, 11 months, 24 days); 18th place
1972 - Semyon Furman (51 years, 11 months, 15 months); shared 8th-9th place
1933 - Fedor Dus-Chotimirsky (51 years, 10 months, 22 days); 19th place
1940 - Grigory Levenfish (51 years, 5 months, 17 days); shared 18th-19th place
1963 - Igor Bondarevsky (50 years, 6 months, 11 days); shared 18th-19th place
1971 - Vasily Smyslov (50 years, 5 months, 22 days); shared 2nd-3rd
1939 - Grigory Levenfish (50 years, 27 days); 8th place
1929 - Vladimir Nenarokov (49 years, 7 months, 29 days); eliminated in the preliminary round
1961-2 - Rashid Nezhmetdinov (48 years, 11 months, 1 day); 19th place
1974 - Mark Taimanov (48 years, 9 months, 23 days); shared 13th-15th place
1968 - Alexander Cherepkov (48 years, 2 months); 19th place
1937 - Grigory Levenfish (48 years, 24 days); 1st place
1927 - Vladimir Nenarokov (47 years, 8 months, 22 days); 7th place
1958 - Alexander Tolush (47 years, 8 months, 11 days); shared 18th-19th (last) place
1956 - Vyacheslav Ragozin (47 years, 3 months, 2 days); 13th place
1957 - Vladas Mikenas (46 years, 9 months, 3 days); 18th place
1925 - Abram Rabinovich (46 years, 7 months, 22 days); shared 9th-10th place
1955 - Salomon Flohr (46 years, 2 months, 18 days); shared 13th-14th place
1954 - Vyacheslav Ragozin (46 years, 1 month, 30 days); shared 17th-18th place
1959 - Rashid Nezhmetdinov (46 years, 25 days); 19th place
1966 - Vasily Smyslov (45 years, 9 months, 4 days); shared 10th-12th place
1924 - Abram Rabinovich (45 years, 8 months, 3 days); 12th place
1990 - Gennady Kuzmin (44 years, 8 months, 30 days); shared 7th-9th place
1931 - Boris Verlinsky (43 years, 9 months, 13 days); shared 3rd-6th place
1952 - Ilya Kan (43 years, 6 months, 25 days); 18th place
1989 - Vladimir Tukmakov (43 years, 6 months, 18 days); shared 10th-12th place
1951 - Salomon Flohr (42 years, 11 months, 20 days); shared 9th-10th place
1987 - Vitaly Tseshkovsky (42 years, 5 months, 10 days); shared 17th-18th (last) place
1950 - Alexey Sokolsky (42 years, 7 days); 18th (last) place
1920 - Abram Rabinovich (41 years, 9 months, 14 days); 7th place
1961-1 - Isaak Boleslavsky (41 years, 7 months, 2 days); shared 12th-13th place
1986 - Vitaly Tseshkovsky (41 years, 6 months, 7 days); 1st place
1960 - Vladimir Simagin (40 years, 7 months, 5 days); 11th place
1944 - Vladimir Makogonov (39 years, 8 months, 25 days); shared 5th-6th place
1984 - Vladimir Tukmakov (38 years, 28 days); shared 5th-8th place
1981 - Vitaly Tseshkovsky (37 years, 2 months, 2 days); shared 10th-13th place
All "youngest players" of USSR Championships
1978 - Garry Kasparov (15 years, 7 months, 19 days); 9th place
1927 - Mikhail Botvinnik (16 years, 1 month, 9 days); shared 5th-6th place
1979 - Garry Kasparov (16 years, 7 months, 16 days); shared 3rd-4th place
1955 - Boris Spassky (18 years, 12 days); shared 3rd-6th place
1929 - Mikhail Botvinnik (18 years, 16 days); eliminated in semi-finals
1981 - Garry Kasparov (18 years, 7 months, 14 days); shared 1st-2nd place
1940 - Mark Stolberg (not older than 18 years, 9 months, 4 days, exact birthdate unknown); 16th place
1956 - Boris Spassky (18 years, 11 months, 10 days); shared 1st-3rd place
1970 - Rafael Vaganian (19 years, 1 month, 10 days); shared 17th-18th place
1988 - Vasily Ivanchuk (19 years, 4 months, 7 years); shared 5th-6th place
1986 - Evgeny Bareev (19 years, 4 months, 11 days); shared 2nd-7th place
1973 - Alexander Beliavsky (19 years, 9 months, 14 days); 18th (last) place)
1965 - Gennady Kuzmin (19 years, 10 months, 2 days); 18th place
1984 - Valery Salov (19 years, 10 months, 7 days); shared 14th-16th place
1971 - Rafael Vaganian (19 years, 11 months); shared 17th-18th place
1957 - Boris Spassky (19 years, 11 months, 20 days); shared 4th-5th place
1963 - Alexander Zakharov (20 years, 1 month, 16 days); 17th place
1931 - Mikhail Botvinnik (20 years, 1 month, 24 days); 1st place
1944 - David Bronstein (20 years, 3 months, 2 days); 15th place
1969 - Viktor Kupreichik (20 years, 3 months, 2 days); 23rd (last) place
1987 - Evgeny Bareev (20 years, 3 months, 14 days); 12th place
1949 - Tigran Petrosian (20 years, 3 months, 30 days); 16th place
1989 - Alexey Dreev (20 years, 7 months, 24 days); shared 8th-9th place
1980 - Artur Yusupov (20 years, 10 months, 12 days); shared 3rd-5th place
1958 - Aivars Gipslis (20 years, 11 months, 4 days); 15th place
1974 - Alexander Beliavsky (20 years, 11 months, 13 days); shared 1st-2nd place
1945 - David Bronstein (21 years, 3 months, 13 days); 3rd place
1950 - Tigran Petrosian (21 years, 4 months, 23 days); 13th place
1968 - Mikhail Podgaets (21 years, 5 months, 7 days); shared 6th-10th place
1977 - Alexander Kochiev (21 years, 8 months, 3 days); shared 12th-14th place
1952 - Viktor Korchnoi (21 years, 8 months, 6 days); 6th place
1961-2 - Vladimir Savon (21 years, 8 months, 21 days); shared 17th-18th place
1985 - Andrei Sokolov (21 years, 10 months, 2 days); shared 4th-6th place
1959 - Boris Spassky (21 years, 11 months, 9 days); shared 2nd-3rd place
1975 - Alexander Beliavsky (21 years, 11 months, 11 days); shared 9th-10th place
1962 - German Khodos (not older than 21 years, 11 months, 20 days; exact birthdate unknown); 16th place
1933 - Mikhail Botvinnik (21 years, 11 months, 29 days); 1st place
1951 - Tigran Petrosian (22 years, 4 months, 24 days); shared 2nd-3rd place
1934 - Gavriil Veresov (22 years, 4 months, 29 days); shared 13th-14th place
1925 - Solomon Gotthilf (22 years, 5 months, 30 days); shared 6th-8th place
1990 - Ilya Smirin (22 years, 8 months, 28 days); shared 13th-14th (last) place
1948 - Mark Taimanov (22 years, 9 months, 3 days); 19th (last) place
1960 - Vladimir Liberzon (22 years, 10 months, 3 days); shared 16th-17th place
1947 - David Bronstein (22 years, 11 months, 13 days); 6th place
1983 - Zurab Azmaiparashvili (23 years, 17 days); shared 10th-13th place
1954 - Viktor Korchnoi (23 years, 8 months, 15 days); shared 2nd-3rd place
1923 - Yakov Vilner (23 years, 9 months, 12 days); shared 11th-13th (last) place
1937 - Igor Bondarevsky (23 years, 10 months, 24 days); shared 10th-12th place
1961-1 - Boris Spassky (23 years, 11 months, 11 days); shared 5th-6th place
1976 - Iosif Dorfman (24 years, 6 months, 25 days); 5th place
1972 - Mikhail Mukhin (24 years, 8 months, 28 days); 3rd-5th place
1924 - Yakov Vilner (24 years, 10 months, 28 days); shared 6th-8th place
1920 - Nikolay Grigoriev (25 years, 1 month, 20 days); 5th place
1939 - Alexander Chistyakov (25 years, 2 months, 21 days); 17th place
1966 - Vladimir Savon (26 years, 10 months, 2 days); shared 10th-12th place
1964 - Mikhail Tal (28 years, 1 month, 16 days); 3rd place
Average age of all Soviet championships (excluding Swiss tournaments of 1967 and 1991)
1964 - 36 years, 11 months, 28 days. No player was close enough (within 1 year) to average age.
1965 - 36 years, 7 months, 1 day. No player was close enough (within 1 year) to average age.
1973 - 35 years, 8 months, 30 days. Player closest to average age - Boris Spassky (36 years, 8 months, 2 days); 1st place
1975 - 35 years, 7 months, 12 days. No player was close enough (within 1 year) to average age.
1977 - 35 years, 7 months, 10 days. No player was close enough (within 1 year) to average age.
1969 - 35 years, 6 months, 7 days. Player closest to average age - Igor Platonov (35 years, 7 months, 21 days); shared 7th-9th place
1925 - 35 years, 2 months, 22 days. Player closest to average age - Arvid Kubbel (35 years, 8 months, 30 days); shared 11th-13th place
1968 - 35 years, 14 days. Player closest to average age - Igor Platonov (34 years, 11 months, 14 days); 18th place
1966 - 35 years, 1 day. Player closest to average age - Ivo Nei (35 years, 1 month, 28 days); shared 18th-19th place
1947 - 34 years, 11 months, 5 days. Player closest to average age - Andor Lilienthal (35 years, 8 months, 28 days); shared 7th-8th place
1924 - 34 years, 9 months, 30 days. Player closest to average age - Efim Bogolyubov (35 years, 4 months, 9 days); 1st place
1954 - 34 years, 9 months, 13 days. Player closest to average age - Semyon Furman (33 years, 6 months, 12 days); shared 7th-9th place
1948 - 34 years, 8 months, 28 days. Player closest to average age - Alexander Kotov (35 years, 2 months, 26 days); shared 1st-2nd place
1976 - 34 years, 8 months, 12 days. No player was close enough (within 1 year) to average age.
1961-1 - 34 years, 7 months, 6 days. Player closest to average age - Mark Taimanov (34 years, 11 months, 4 days); shared 9th-10th place
1971 - 34 years, 6 months, 27 days. Player closest to average age - Igor Nikolaevsky (34 years, 9 months, 15 days); shared 17th-19th place
1983 - 34 years, 4 months, 28 days. Player closest to average age - Yuri Balashov (34 years, 21 days); 5th place
1955 - 34 years, 2 months, 28 days. Player closest to average age - Semyon Furman (34 years, 2 months, 10 days); shared 10th-11th place
1970 - 34 years, 2 months, 28 days. Player closest to average age - Vladimir Bagirov (34 years, 3 months, 9 days); shared 10th-12th place
1972 - 34 years, 20 days. No player was close enough (within 1 year) to average age.
1927 - 33 years, 8 months, 16 days. Player closest to average age - Alexander Ilyin-Zhenevsky (32 years, 9 months, 28 days); 9th place
1923 - 33 years, 7 months, 16 days. Player closest to average age - Arvid Kubbel (33 years, 7 months, 26 days); 6th place
1945 - 33 years, 6 months, 22 days. Player closest to average age - Mikhail Botvinnik (33 years, 9 months, 14 days); 1st place
1952 - 33 years, 6 months, 17 days. Player closest to average age - Isaak Boleslavsky (33 years, 5 months, 20 days); shared 4th-5th place
1957 - 33 years, 6 months, 1 day. Player closest to average age - Efim Stolyar (33 years, 10 months, 10 days); 17th place
1949 - 33 years, 5 months, 27 days. Player closest to average age - Paul Keres (33 years, 9 months, 9 days); 8th place
1985 - 33 years, 4 months, 23 days. No player was close enough (within 1 year) to average age.
1963 - 33 years, 4 months, 3 days. Player closest to average age - Viktor Korchnoi (32 years, 8 months); 10th place
1950 - 33 years, 3 months, 10 days. Player closest to average age - Viktor Lyublinsky (32 years, 7 months, 3 days); shared 17th-18th (last) place
1961-2 - 32 years, 11 months, 6 days. Player closest to average age - Boris Vladimirov (32 years, 5 months, 30 days); shared 14th-16th place
1933 - 32 years, 10 months, 13 days. Player closest to average age - Nikolai Sorokin (33 years, 6 months, 27 days); 15th place
1939 - 32 years, 6 months. Player closest to average age - Vasily Panov (32 years, 5 months, 14 days); shared 11th-12th place
1951 - 32 years, 5 months, 10 days. Player closest to average age - Vladimir Simagin (32 years, 4 months, 20 days); 14th place
1978 - 32 years, 2 months, 8 days. Player closest to average age - Vladimir Tukmakov (32 years, 8 months, 27 days); shared 14th-16th place
1944 - 32 years, 1 month, 13 days. Player closest to average age - Gavriil Veresov (31 years, 10 months, 13 days); shared 8th-10th place
1956 - 32 years, 1 month, 13 days. Player closest to average age - Abram Khasin (32 years, 10 months, 26 days); 17th place
1980 - 31 years, 9 months, 17 days. Player closest to average age - Yuri Balashov (31 years, 9 months, 13 days); shared 3rd-5th place
1962 - 31 years, 6 months, 6 days. Player closest to average age - Viktor Korchnoi (31 years, 7 months, 29 days); 1st place
1958 - 31 years, 6 months, 1 day. Player closest to average age - Alexey Suetin (31 years, 1 month, 27 days); 14th place
1937 - 31 years, 1 month, 15 days. Player closest to average age - Viktor Goglidze (31 years, 4 months, 15 days); shared 5th-7th place
1960 - 30 years, 10 months, 25 days. Player closest to average age - Tigran Petrosian (30 years, 7 months, 9 days); shared 2nd-3rd place
1974 - 30 years, 8 months, 26 days. Player closest to average age - Vitaly Tseshkovsky (30 years, 2 months, 5 days); shared 10th-11th place
1989 - 30 years, 8 months, 12 days. Player closest to average age - Sergey Dolmatov (30 years, 7 months, 3 days); shared 2nd-5th place
1920 - 30 years, 7 months, 13 days. Player closest to average age - Arvid Kubbel (30 years, 10 months, 22 days); shared 5th-7th place
1979 - 30 years, 6 months, 21 days. Players closest to average age - Yuri Balashov (30 years, 8 months, 17 days), shared 3rd-4th place; Viktor Kupreichik (30 years, 4 months, 26 days), shared 5th-7th place
1988 - 30 years, 5 months, 26 days. Player closest to average age - Vladimir Malanyuk (31 years, 4 days); shared 17th-18th (last) place
1934 - 30 years, 4 months, 2 days. Player closest to average age - Vladimir Makogonov (30 years, 3 months, 11 days); shared 9th-12th place
1959 - 30 years, 20 days. Player closest to average age - Tigran Petrosian (29 years, 6 months, 22 days); 1st place
1987 - 30 years, 16 days. Player closest to average age - Vyacheslav Einhorn (30 years, 3 months, 12 days); shared 3rd-4th place
1929 - 29 years, 11 months, 28 days. Player closest to average age - Yakov Vilner (29 years, 11 months, 7 days); eliminated in the preliminary round
1990 - 29 years, 11 months, 13 days. Player closest to average age - Konstantin Aseev (29 years, 11 months, 19 days); shared 13th-14th (last) place
1986 - 29 years, 3 months, 4 days. Player closest to average age - Vyacheslav Einhorn (29 years, 4 months, 9 days); shared 2nd-7th place
1940 - 29 years, 2 months, 22 days. Player closest to average age - Andor Lilienthal (29 years, 4 months); shared 1st-2nd place
1981 - 28 years, 11 months, 11 days. Player closest to average age - Iosif Dorfman (29 years, 6 months, 26 days); shared 8th-9th place
1931 - 27 years, 1 month, 17 days. No player was close enough (within 1 year) to average age.
1984 - 26 years, 11 months, 30 days. Player closest to average age - Vyacheslav Einhorn (27 years, 4 months, 9 days); 3rd place
