Of his many attempts to become Soviet champion he came very close on three occasions; at Riga 1970, Baku 1972 and at Moscow 1983, where he finished behind Korchnoi, Tal and Karpov respectively.
Throughout his career, the subject made numerous attempts to win the Soviet championship title. He came close on three occasions: in Riga in 1970, Baku in 1972, and Moscow in 1983.  Each time, he was defeated by Korchnoi, Tal, and Karpov respectively.