Simagin Vladimir Pavlovich (21.06.1919 – 25.09.1968)

Soviet-Russian Grandmaster (1962) and International Master in Correspondence Chess. Also was the trainer of Alexander Kotov in 1950 and Vasily Smyslov in 1953. He was known as a chess theoretician and journalist.

Best results in the Soviet Union: in the Moscow Championships: took second place in1946; first-third in 1947; third in 1951; second-fourth in 1952; second-third in 1953; first-second in 1956; second in 1958; won first in 1959.
In the All-Russian M. Chigorin Memorial, he won fourth place in 1951. Simagin participated in seven USSR Championships and performed the best result in 1961, the ninth-tenth place. Best results in international tournaments: Maroczy Memorial 1961, 4^th-7^th; Sarajevo 1963, 2^nd-5^th; Zinnovitz 1965, 1^st-2^nd; Kecskemet 1966, 6^th; Varna 1966, 1^st; Sochi 1967, 1^st-5^th; Polianica Zdroj 1968, 3^rd-5^th.

He was also successful in the USSR Championships by correspondence: second-fourth place in the first championship in 1948-51; second place in the sixth in 1963-64 one of the strongest championships; second place in the seventh in 1965-66.

Botvinnik said: “His character is resolute, chess talent – outstanding and unique”. In his practical game and analysis Simagin always found original combinational decisions, experimented which negatively reflected on his sport successes.

He suffered a fatal heart attack while participating in the Kislovodsk 1968 Tournament. During 1968 and 1973, Simagin’s Memorials were held in Moscow.