Absolute Championship of the USSR, Leningrad 1941
March - April
1 2 3 4 5 6
1. Botvinnik xxxx 1½½½ 1½1½ 1½1½ 1½01 01½1 13½- 6½
2. Keres 0½½½ xxxx 110½ ½0½½ 01½1 1½1½ 11 - 9
3. Smyslov 0½0½ 001½ xxxx ½1½1 ½1½½ ½½½½ 10 -10
4. Boleslavsky 0½0½ ½1½½ ½0½0 xxxx 11½1 ½00½ 9 -11
5. Lilienthal 0½10 10½0 ½0½½ 00½0 xxxx 1½11 8½-11½
6. Bondarevsky 10½0 0½0½ ½½½½ ½11½ 0½00 xxxx 8 -12
Upset over his 6th place showing in the 12th Championship,
and fearful of losing his position as the Soviet Player with the
best claim to challenge Alekhine for the World Championship,
Botvinnik pulled strings to hold a Quadruple Round Robin tournament
between the top 6 finishers in the 12th Championship, in place of
the scheduled Bondarevsky/Lilienthal playoff. This tournament would
be for a new title, the "Absolute" Championship of the USSR, a title
separate from the regular Soviet Championship, to be decided once
only, and to determine who had priority in challenging
Alekhine.
Two months after the tournament, Hitler invaded Russia, postponing
any possible World Championship match for at least the next 4 years.
War is not only Hell, it's darned inconvenient.