List of Honoured Masters of Sport of the USSR in chess
Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (until 1983 as Honored Master of Sports) was a national award in the Soviet Union. The honorary title was introduced on 27 May 1934 the Central Executive Committee of the USSR. He was awarded by the State Committee for Physical Culture and Sports of masters who were actively involved in the establishment of Soviet physical culture and able to provide superior performance. The ceremony took place in the form of a badge and certificate. In June 1934, the first list of 22 athletes from Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev and Kharkov was published. A total of more than 4000 titles were awarded, of which 52 went to chess players. The prize awarded for lifetime title could be revoked under certain circumstances. This happened to Alla Kushnir and Viktor Korchnoi after their emigration from the Soviet Union. Mark Taimanov, who was punished for his crushing defeat against Bobby Fischer, was awarded the title back at the end of the Soviet era.