Paul Keres
Full name	Paul Keres
Country	Estonia  Soviet Union
Born	January 7, 1916(1916-01-07) Narva, Estonia
Died	June 5, 1975 (aged 59) Helsinki, Finland
Title	Grandmaster

This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves. Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia ( Eesti or Eesti Vabariik) is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Events 1325 - Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal. 1558 - France takes Calais, the last continental Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Narva is the third largest City in Estonia. It is located at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, by the Russian border on the Narva Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia ( Eesti or Eesti Vabariik) is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region Events 70 - Titus and his Roman Legions breach the middle wall of Jerusalem in the Siege of Jerusalem Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Helsinki (in Finnish;) or Helsingfors (in Swedish;) is the Capital and largest city of Finland. Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. The title Grandmaster is awarded to extremely strong Chess masters by the world chess organization FIDE. Algebraic chess notation is used to record and describe the moves in a game of Chess.

Paul Keres (January 7, 1916 – June 5, 1975), was an Estonian chess grandmaster. Events 1325 - Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal. 1558 - France takes Calais, the last continental Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Events 70 - Titus and his Roman Legions breach the middle wall of Jerusalem in the Siege of Jerusalem Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia ( Eesti or Eesti Vabariik) is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region Chess is a recreational and competitive Game played between two players. The title Grandmaster is awarded to extremely strong Chess masters by the world chess organization FIDE.

Keres narrowly missed a chance at a World Chess Championship match on five occasions. See also Development of the World Chess Championship The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the Board game Chess He won the 1938 AVRO tournament, which led to negotiations for a World Championship match against Alexander Alekhine, but the match never took place due to World War II. Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine (alʲɛkˈsandr̠ alʲɛkˈsandr̠ovʲiʨ aˈlʲɛxin Russian Алекса́ндр Алекса́ндрович Але́хин) (October World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Then after the war he was runner-up in the Candidates' Tournament on four consecutive occasions. The Candidates Tournament was a triennial Chess tournament organized by the world chess federation FIDE as the final contest to determine the challenger for the

Due to these and other strong results, many commentators consider Keres to be the strongest player never to become World Chess Champion. See also Development of the World Chess Championship The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the Board game Chess He was nicknamed "The Crown Prince of Chess". Crown Princess redirects here for the ship see Crown Princess (ship.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Pre-war years 3 World Championship match denied 4 World War II 5 Dangerous circumstances 6 World Championship Candidate (1948-65) 7 Three-time Soviet champion, career peak 8 Unmatched International team successes 9 Later career and death 10 Chess legacy and writings 11 Acknowledgements 12 Notable chess games 13 Quotes 14 Books 15 Tournament and match record 15.1 Tournaments 15.2 Matches 16 Notes 17 References 18 External links

Early life

Paul Keres was born in Narva, Estonia. Narva is the third largest City in Estonia. It is located at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, by the Russian border on the Narva

Keres first learned about chess from his father and older brother. With the scarcity of chess literature in his small town, he learned about chess notation from the chess puzzles in the daily newspaper, and compiled a handwritten collection of almost 1000 games. Chess notation is the term for several systems that have developed to record either the moves made during a game of Chess or the position of the pieces on a chess board A chess puzzle is a Puzzle in which knowledge of the pieces and rules of Chess is used to solve logically a chess-related problem ^[1] In his early days, he was known for a brilliant and sharp attacking style. ^[2] He was a three-time Estonian schoolboy champion, in 1930, 1932, and 1933. His playing matured after playing correspondence chess extensively while in high school. Correspondence chess is Chess played by various forms of long-distance correspondence usually through a Correspondence chess server, through email or by From 1937 to 1941 he studied Mathematics at the University of Tartu, and, according to his biography, represented the school in several interuniversity matches. Mathematics is the body of Knowledge and Academic discipline that studies such concepts as Quantity, Structure, Space and The University of Tartu (Tartu Ülikool Тартуский университет Universität Dorpat is a classical University in the city of Tartu, Estonia

Pre-war years

Keres became champion of Estonia for the first time in 1935. The first unofficial Estonian Chess Championship was held in 1903 organized by a chess club formed in Reval (then Russian Empire in 1903 and named for the famous Russian master He tied for first (+5 =1 −2) with Gunnar Friedemann in the tournament, then defeated him (+2 =0 −1) in the playoff match. Gunnar Friedemann (1909–1943 was an Estonian Chess master Biography Friedemann played several times in Estonian championships at Tallinn In April 1935, Keres defeated Feliks Kibbermann, one of Tartu's leading masters, in a training match, by (+3 =0 −1) (Grandmaster of Chess, by Paul Keres, Arco 1972, pp 188-189). Feliks Kibbermann was an Estonian Chess master Before the World War II, he tied for 3rd-5th with Ilmar Raud and Viktor Uulberg Tartu is the second largest City of Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual

Keres played on the top board for Estonia in the 6th Chess Olympiad at Warsaw 1935, and was the new star, admired for his dashing style. The Chess Olympiad is a Biennial Chess tournament in which teams from all over the world compete against each other Warsaw (Warszawa; also known by other names) is the Capital and Largest city of Poland. His success there gave him the confidence to venture onto the international circuit.

At Helsinki 1935, he placed 2nd behind Paulin Frydman with 6. Helsinki (in Finnish;) or Helsingfors (in Swedish;) is the Capital and largest city of Finland. Paulino (Paulin Frydman ( 26 May 1905, in Warsaw - 2 February 1982, in Buenos Aires, Argentina) was a Polish 5/8 (+6 =1 −1). He won at Tallinn 1936 with 9/10 (+8 =2 −0). Tallinn (historically known by the German, Swedish and Danish name Reval or the Polish name Rewal, among other names Keres' first major international success came at Bad Nauheim 1936, where he tied for first with Alexander Alekhine at 6. Bad Nauheim is a town in the Wetteraukreis district of Hesse state of Germany. Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine (alʲɛkˈsandr̠ alʲɛkˈsandr̠ovʲiʨ aˈlʲɛxin Russian Алекса́ндр Алекса́ндрович Але́хин) (October 5/9 (+4 =5 −0). He struggled at Dresden 1936, placing only 8th-9th with (+2 =3 −4), but wrote that he learned an important lesson from this. Dresden (etymologically from Old Sorbian Drežďany, meaning people of the riverside forest, Drježdźany is the Capital city of the German Keres recovered at Zandvoort 1936 with a shared 3rd-4th place (+5 =3 -3). Zandvoort ( is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. He then defended his Estonian title in 1936 by drawing a challenge match against Paul Felix Schmidt with (+3 =1 −3) (http://www. Paul Felix Schmidt ( 20 August 1916 at Narva, Estonia – 11 August 1984 at Allentown, USA) was an chessmetrics. Chessmetrics is a system for rating Chess players devised by Jeff Sonas. com, the Paul Keres player file).

Keres had an astounding year in 1937. He won in Tallinn with 7. Tallinn (historically known by the German, Swedish and Danish name Reval or the Polish name Rewal, among other names 5/9 (+6 =3 -0). Then he tied 1st-2nd at Margate with Reuben Fine at 7. Margate is a Seaside resort town within the Thanet district of East Kent, England. Reuben Fine ( October 11 1914  &ndash March 26 1993) was one of the best Chess players in the world from the mid 1930s through 5/9 (+6 =3 −0), 1. 5 points ahead of Alekhine. In Ostend, he tied 1st-3rd places with Fine and Henry Grob at 6/9 (+5 =2 -2). ||-||-||} Ostend  (  Oostende, French and German Ostende) is a Belgian City and municipality located in the Flemish Henri Grob (4 June 1904 &ndash 5 July 1974 was a Swiss chess master Keres dominated in Prague to claim first with 10/11 (+9 =2 -0). Prague (ˈprɑːg Praha (ˈpraɦa see also other names) is the Capital and Largest city of the Czech Republic. He then won a theme tournament in Vienna with 4. Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. 5/6 (+4 =1 −1); the tournament saw all games commence with the moves 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 Ne4, which is the Dory Defence. He tied 4th-5th places in Kemeri with (+8 =7 −2), as Salo Flohr, Vladimirs Petrovs and Samuel Reshevsky won. Salomon Mikhailovich Flohr ( November 21, 1908 &ndash July 18, 1983) was a leading Czech and later Soviet Chess Vladimirs Petrovs or Vladimir Petrov ( 27 September 1907 – 26 August 1943 at Kotlas was a Latvian chess master Samuel Herman (Sammy Reshevsky (born Szmul Rzeszewski, November 26, 1911, Ozorków near Lodz, (then Russian Empire Then he tied 2nd-4th in Pärnu with 4. Pärnu (Pernau Пярну formerly Пернов Parnawa is a City in southwestern Estonia on the coast of Pärnu Bay an inlet of the Gulf of Riga 5/7 (+3 =3 −1). This successful string earned him invitation to the very strong tournament at Semmering 1937, which he won with 9/14 (+6 =6 −2), ahead of Fine, José Raúl Capablanca, Reshevsky, and Erich Eliskases. For the town of the same name see Semmering Austria. Semmering (el Erich Gottlieb Eliskases ( February 15, 1913 - February 2, 1997) was a leading Chess player, a Grandmaster, of the He was tied for second at Hastings 1937-38 with 6. The Hastings International Chess Congress is an annual Chess congress which takes place in Hastings, England, around the turn of the year 5/9 (+4 =5 −0) (half a point behind Reshevsky), and at Noordwijk 1938 (behind Eliskases) with 6. Noordwijk ( Population: 24707 in May 2006 is a village and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland 5/9 (+4 =5 −0). Keres drew an exhibition match at Stockholm 1938 with Gideon Ståhlberg on 4-4 (+2 =4 −2) (http://www. ('stɔkhɔlm is Sweden 's Capital and its largest City. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the Gideon Ståhlberg (or Stahlberg) (1908–1967 was a Swedish Chess grandmaster. chessmetrics. Chessmetrics is a system for rating Chess players devised by Jeff Sonas. com, the Paul Keres player file).

He continued to represent Estonia with success in Olympiad play. His detailed results for Estonia, from http://www.olimpbase.org/players/cq6agwkb.html, follow. The results from the unofficial event at Munich 1936 are from Grandmaster of Chess, by Paul Keres, Arco 1972, p. 188. see also [1]

• Warsaw 1935, Estonia board 1, 12. Warsaw (Warszawa; also known by other names) is the Capital and Largest city of Poland. 5/19 (+11 =3 -5);
• Munich 1936, Estonia board 1, 15. Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. 5/20 (+12 =7 -1), board gold medal;
• Stockholm 1937, Estonia board 1, 11/15 (+9 =4 -2), board silver medal;
• Buenos Aires 1939, Estonia board 1, 14. ('stɔkhɔlm is Sweden 's Capital and its largest City. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the Buenos Aires is the Capital and largest city of Argentina. It is geographically located on the southern shore of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern 5/19 (+12 =5 -2), team bronze medal.

World Championship match denied

In 1938 he tied with Fine for first, with 8. Year 1938 ( MCMXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 5/14, in the all-star AVRO tournament, held in various cities in the Netherlands, ahead of chess legends Mikhail Botvinnik, Max Euwe, Reshevsky, Alekhine, Capablanca and Flohr. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik (mʲixaˈiɫ̺ mʌiˈs̺ʲɛjɛvʲiʧʲ bʌt̺ˈvʲin̺n̻ʲik Михаи́л Моисе́евич Ботви́нник) ( &ndash May Machgielis (Max Euwe (last name is pronounced /øwə/ ( May 20, 1901 – November 26, 1981) was a Dutch Chess Grandmaster Keres won on tiebreak because he beat Fine 1½-½ in their individual two games. It was expected that the winner of this tournament would be the challenger for the World Champion title, in a match against World Champion Alexander Alekhine, but the outbreak of the Second World War, especially because of the first occupation of Estonia by the Soviet Union in 1940–1941, brought negotiations with Alekhine to an end. See also Development of the World Chess Championship The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the Board game Chess Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine (alʲɛkˈsandr̠ alʲɛkˈsandr̠ovʲiʨ aˈlʲɛxin Russian Алекса́ндр Алекса́ндрович Але́хин) (October World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Keres had begun his university studies in 1938, and this also played a role in the failed match. Keres struggled at Leningrad-Moscow 1939 with a shared 12th-13th place; he wrote that he had not had enough time to prepare for this strong event. Saint Petersburg ( tr: Sankt-Peterburg,) is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of But he regrouped and won Margate 1939 with 7. 5/9 (+6 =3 -0), ahead of Capablanca and Flohr (http://www. chessmetrics. Chessmetrics is a system for rating Chess players devised by Jeff Sonas. com, the Paul Keres player file, for results).

World War II

At the outbreak of World War II, Keres was in Buenos Aires at the Olympiad. Buenos Aires is the Capital and largest city of Argentina. It is geographically located on the southern shore of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern He stayed on to play in a Buenos Aires International tournament after the Olympiad, and tied for first place with Miguel Najdorf with 8. Miguel Najdorf (born Mendel (Mieczysław Najdorf in Grodzisk Mazowiecki near Warsaw, Poland, April 15, 1910 &ndash 5/11 (+7 =3 -1).

His next event was a 14-game match with former World Champion Max Euwe in the Netherlands, held from December 1939 -- January 1940. Machgielis (Max Euwe (last name is pronounced /øwə/ ( May 20, 1901 – November 26, 1981) was a Dutch Chess Grandmaster Keres managed to win a hard-fought struggle by 7. 5-6. 5 (+6 =3 -5). This was a superb achievement, because not only was Euwe a former World Champion, but he had enormous experience at match play, far more than Keres.

With the Nazi-Soviet Pact on 23rd of August 1939, Estonia was formally annexed by the Soviet Union on 6th of August 1940. Keres played in his first Soviet Championship at Moscow 1940 (URS-ch12), placing fourth (+9 =6 -4) in an exceptionally strong field. Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of This was ahead of the defending champion Mikhail Botvinnik, however. Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik (mʲixaˈiɫ̺ mʌiˈs̺ʲɛjɛvʲiʧʲ bʌt̺ˈvʲin̺n̻ʲik Михаи́л Моисе́евич Ботви́нник) ( &ndash May The Soviet Chess Federation organized the "Absolute Championship of the USSR" in 1941, with the top six finishers from the 1940 championship meeting each other four times; it was split between Leningrad and Moscow. Saint Petersburg ( tr: Sankt-Peterburg,) is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River Botvinnik won this super-strong tournament, one of the strongest ever organized, with 13. 5/20, and Keres placed second with 11/20, ahead of Vasily Smyslov, Isaac Boleslavsky, Andor Lilienthal, and Igor Bondarevsky. Vasily Vasiliyevich Smyslov (Васи́лий Васильевич Смысло́в (born March 24, 1921, in Moscow) is a Russian Chess Isaac Yefremovich Boleslavsky ( Russian: Исаак Ефремович Болеславский) ( June 9, 1919 Zolotonosha, Ukraine Andor (Andre Andrea Arnoldovich Lilienthal (born May 5 1911) is a Hungarian Chess Grandmaster. Igor Zakharovich Bondarevsky ( Russian: Игорь Захарович Бондаревский) ( May 12, 1913, Rostov-on-the-Don,

With the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22 1941, Estonia came under German control. In 1942–1943 Keres and Alekhine both played in four tournaments organized by Ehrhardt Post, a President of Nazi Grossdeutscher Schachbund. Alfred M Ehrhardt Post ( 23 September 1881, Cottbus – 1 August 1947, Berlin) was a German Chess Alekhine won at Salzburg (Six Grandmasters' Tournament) in June 1942, at Munich (1st European Championship) in September 1942, and at Prague (International Tournament) in April 1943, always ahead of Keres, who placed second in all three of those tournaments. is the fourth-largest city in Austria and the capital of the federal state of Salzburg. Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. Prague (ˈprɑːg Praha (ˈpraɦa see also other names) is the Capital and Largest city of the Czech Republic. They tied for first at Salzburg (Six Grandmasters' Tournament) in June 1943, with 7. is the fourth-largest city in Austria and the capital of the federal state of Salzburg. 5/10.

During World War II, Keres played in several more chess tournaments. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including He won all 15 games at Tallinn 1942 (EST-ch), and swept all five games at Posen 1943. Tallinn (historically known by the German, Swedish and Danish name Reval or the Polish name Rewal, among other names Poznań Lublin Voivodeship This article is about the city in Poland He also won at Tallinn 1943 (EST-ch), and Madrid 1944 (13/14, +12 =2 -0). Madrid (pronounced in English in Spanish and colloquially in Spain) is the Capital and largest city of Spain. He was second, behind Stig Lundholm, at Lidköping 1944 (playing hors concours in the Swedish Championship). Lidköping is a town (pop 25000 in Västergötland, western Sweden and the seat of Lidköping Municipality, Västra Götaland County. The first Swedish Champion was Gustaf Nyholm who won two matches against winners of national tournaments Berndtsson in Göteborg and Löwenborg in Stockholm in 1917 Keres won a match with Folke Ekström at Stockholm in 1944 by 5-1 (+4 =2 -0) (results from this period: http://www. Folke Ekström ( 12 October 1906, Lund – 25 January 2000) was a Swedish International Master (IM of Chess ('stɔkhɔlm is Sweden 's Capital and its largest City. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the chessmetrics. Chessmetrics is a system for rating Chess players devised by Jeff Sonas. com, the Paul Keres player file).

Dangerous circumstances

The close of World War II placed Keres in dangerous circumstances. During the war, his native Estonia was successively occupied by the Soviets, Germany and again the Soviets. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Keres participated in several tournaments in Europe under the German occupation, and when the Soviets recaptured Estonia in 1944, he unsuccessfully attempted to flee. As a consequence he was harassed by the Soviet authorities (KGB) and feared for his life. KGB ( Transliteration of "КГБ" is the Russian abbreviation of Committee for State Security ( Komityet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosty Fortunately, Keres managed to avoid deportation to Siberia or any worse fate (e. The Gulag was the government agency that administered the penal labor camps of the Soviet Union. g. , that of Vladimirs Petrovs), but his return to the international chess scene was delayed, in spite of his excellent form; he won at Riga 1944/45 (Baltic Championship) (10. Vladimirs Petrovs or Vladimir Petrov ( 27 September 1907 – 26 August 1943 at Kotlas was a Latvian chess master The first Baltic Chess Championship was held in the city of Klaipėda, Lithuania on May 22-27 1931 5/11). Presumably for political reasons, he was excluded from the ten-player Soviet team for the 1945 radio match against the U. S. A. , and he did not participate in the first great post-war tournament at Groningen 1946, which was won by Botvinnik, just ahead of Euwe and Vasily Smyslov. Groningen is the capital city of the province of Groningen in the Netherlands. Vasily Vasiliyevich Smyslov (Васи́лий Васильевич Смысло́в (born March 24, 1921, in Moscow) is a Russian Chess

He won the Estonian Championship at Tallinn 1945 with 13/15 (+11 =4 -0), ahead of several strong visiting Soviets, including Alexander Kotov, Alexander Tolush, Lilienthal, and Flohr. Alexander Alexandrovich Kotov (Александр Александрович Котов ( &ndash January 8, 1981) was a Russian Chess grandmaster Alexander Kazimirovich Tolush ( 1 May 1910 – 3 March 1969) was a Soviet Russian Chess grandmaster. He then won at Tbilisi 1946 (hors concours in the Georgian Championship) with a near-perfect score of 18/19, ahead of Vladas Mikenas and a 16-year-old Tigran Petrosian (results from this period: http://www.chessmetrics.com, the Paul Keres player file). Tbilisi (ˌtbiˈliːsi in Georgian: თბილისი is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari Georgia ( საქართველო, Sakartvelo) is a Transcontinental country in the Caucasus region situated at the dividing line between Vladas Mikėnas ( 17 April 1910 in Tallinn – 3 November 1992 in Vilnius) was a Lithuanian International Tigran Petrosian (Տիգրան Պետրոսյան ( June 17, 1929 &ndash August 13, 1984) was World Chess Champion from 1963

Keres returned to international play in 1946 in the Soviet radio match against Great Britain, and continued his excellent playing form that year and the next year. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Even after he resumed a relatively normal life and chess career, however, his play at the highest level appears to have been affected by his outsider status within the Soviet Union, which at a minimum must have aggravated the stress of playing under the watchful eye and tight control of the Soviet chess hierarchy.

World Championship Candidate (1948-65)

Although he participated in the 1948 World Championship tournament, arranged to determine the world champion after Alekhine's death in 1946, his performance was far from his best. The 1948 World Chess Championship was a tournament played to determine a new World Chess Champion following the death of the previous champion Alexander Alekhine in Held jointly in The Hague and Moscow, the tournament was limited to five participants: Mikhail Botvinnik, Vasily Smyslov, Keres, Samuel Reshevsky, and Max Euwe. Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik (mʲixaˈiɫ̺ mʌiˈs̺ʲɛjɛvʲiʧʲ bʌt̺ˈvʲin̺n̻ʲik Михаи́л Моисе́евич Ботви́нник) ( &ndash May Vasily Vasiliyevich Smyslov (Васи́лий Васильевич Смысло́в (born March 24, 1921, in Moscow) is a Russian Chess Samuel Herman (Sammy Reshevsky (born Szmul Rzeszewski, November 26, 1911, Ozorków near Lodz, (then Russian Empire Machgielis (Max Euwe (last name is pronounced /øwə/ ( May 20, 1901 – November 26, 1981) was a Dutch Chess Grandmaster (Reuben Fine had also been invited but declined. Reuben Fine ( October 11 1914  &ndash March 26 1993) was one of the best Chess players in the world from the mid 1930s through ) A player met each of his opponents five times. Keres finished joint third, with 10. 5 out of 20 points. In his individual match with the winner Botvinnik he lost four out of five games, winning only in the last round when the tournament's result was already determined.

Since Keres lost his first 4 games against Botvinnik in the 1948 tournament, suspicions are sometimes raised that Keres was forced to "throw" games to allow Botvinnik to win the Championship. Chess historian Taylor Kingston investigated all the available evidence and arguments, and concluded that: Soviet chess officials gave Keres strong hints that he should not hinder Botvinnik's attempt to win the World Championship; Botvinnik only discovered this about half-way though the tournament and protested so strongly that he angered Soviet officials; Keres probably did not deliberately lose games to Botvinnik or anyone else in the tournament. ^[3]

Keres finished second or equal second in four straight Candidates' tournaments (1953, 1956, 1959, 1962), making him the player with the most runner-up finishes in that event, the most near-misses towards reaching a World Championship match. Keres participated in six Candidates' Tournaments (results from http://www.chessmetrics.com, the Paul Keres player file):

• Budapest 1950, 4th, behind David Bronstein and Isaac Boleslavsky, with 9. The Candidates Tournament was a triennial Chess tournament organized by the world chess federation FIDE as the final contest to determine the challenger for the Budapest ( also /ˈbʊ-/) is the capital city of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary it serves as the country's principal Political, David Ionovich Bronstein (Дави́д Ио́нович Бронште́йн February 19 1924 &ndash December 5 2006) was renowned as a leading Isaac Yefremovich Boleslavsky ( Russian: Исаак Ефремович Болеславский) ( June 9, 1919 Zolotonosha, Ukraine 5/18 (+3 =13 -2).
• Zurich 1953, tied 2nd-4th, along with David Bronstein and Samuel Reshevsky, two points behind Vasily Smyslov, with 16/28 (+8 =16 -4). Zürich (, Zürich German: Züri, Zurich, Zurigo; in English generally Zurich) is the largest city in Switzerland and capital of the David Ionovich Bronstein (Дави́д Ио́нович Бронште́йн February 19 1924 &ndash December 5 2006) was renowned as a leading Samuel Herman (Sammy Reshevsky (born Szmul Rzeszewski, November 26, 1911, Ozorków near Lodz, (then Russian Empire Vasily Vasiliyevich Smyslov (Васи́лий Васильевич Смысло́в (born March 24, 1921, in Moscow) is a Russian Chess
• Amsterdam 1956, 2nd, 1. Amsterdam (pronounced) is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west 5 points behind Vasily Smyslov, with 10/18 (+3 =14 -1). Vasily Vasiliyevich Smyslov (Васи́лий Васильевич Смысло́в (born March 24, 1921, in Moscow) is a Russian Chess
• Yugoslavia 1959, 2nd, 1. See also Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian 5 points behind Mikhail Tal, with 18. Mikhail Tal (Mihails Tāls Михаил Нехемьевич Таль Mikhail Nekhemievich Tal, mʲixa'iɫ̺ n̻ʲɛ'xɛmjɛvʲiʨ t̺al̻ sometimes transliterated Mihails 5/28 (+15 =7 -6). He had positive or equal scores against all the competitors, including 3-1 against Tal, but this was not enough, since Tal scored 14. 5/16 against the bottom four finishers.
• Curacao 1962, tied 2nd-3rd, with Efim Geller, half a point behind Tigran Petrosian, with 17/27 (+9 =16 -2). Curaçao (ˈkjuːrəsaʊ in English Dutch: Curaçao, Papiamento: Kòrsou) is an Island in the southern Caribbean Sea, Efim Petrovich Geller (Ефим Петрович Геллер March 8 1925 &ndash November 17 1998) was a Soviet Chess Tigran Petrosian (Տիգրան Պետրոսյան ( June 17, 1929 &ndash August 13, 1984) was World Chess Champion from 1963 This event is discussed further at World Chess Championship 1963. At the World Chess Championship 1963 Tigran Petrosian narrowly qualified to challenge Mikhail Botvinnik for the World Chess Championship, and then won the Keres won a match at Moscow 1962 against Geller, for an exempt place in the 1965 Candidates, by 4. Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of 5 - 3. 5 (+2 =5 -1).
• Riga 1965, lost his quarter-final match to eventual Candidates' winner Boris Spassky

by 6 - 4 (+2 =4 -4). Riga (Rīga riːga) the Capital of Latvia, is situated on the Baltic Sea coast on the mouth of the river Daugava. Boris Vasilievich Spassky (also Spasskij (Бори́с Васи́льевич Спа́сский (born January 30, 1937) is a Russian French This was the only match loss of Keres' long career.

Keres' run of four successive 2nd places in Candidates' tournaments (1953, 1956, 1959, 1962) has prompted suspicions that he was under orders not to win these events. Taylor Kingston concludes that: there was probably no pressure from Soviet officials, since from 1954 onwards Keres was rehabilitated and Botvinnik was no longer in favor with officials; at Curaçao in 1962 there was an unofficial conspiracy by Petrosian, Geller and Keres, and this worked out to Keres' disadvantage, since he may have been slightly stronger. ^[4]

Three-time Soviet champion, career peak

In several other post-war events, however, Keres dominated the field. He won the exceptionally strong USSR Chess Championship three times. This is a list of all the winners of the USSR Chess Championship. In 1947, he won at Leningrad, URS-ch15, with 14/19 (+10 =8 -1); the field included every top Soviet player except Botvinnik. Saint Petersburg ( tr: Sankt-Peterburg,) is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River In 1950, he won at Moscow, URS-ch18, with 11. Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of 5/17 (+8 =7 -2) against a field which was only slightly weaker than in 1947. Then in 1951, he triumphed again at Moscow, URS-ch19, with 12/17 (+9 =6 -2) (http://www. Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of chessmetrics. Chessmetrics is a system for rating Chess players devised by Jeff Sonas. com, the Paul Keres player file), against a super-class field which included Efim Geller, Petrosian, Smyslov, Botvinnik, Yuri Averbakh, David Bronstein, Mark Taimanov, Lev Aronin, Salo Flohr, Igor Bondarevsky, and Alexander Kotov. Efim Petrovich Geller (Ефим Петрович Геллер March 8 1925 &ndash November 17 1998) was a Soviet Chess Yuri Lvovich Averbakh (born February 8, 1922, in Kaluga, Russia) is a Russian Chess David Ionovich Bronstein (Дави́д Ио́нович Бронште́йн February 19 1924 &ndash December 5 2006) was renowned as a leading Mark Evgenievich Taimanov (Марк Евгеньевич Тайманов (born February 7, 1926, Kharkov) is a leading Russian Chess Lev Aronin (born 20 July 1920, Kuibyshev, died 3 October 1983, Moscow) was a Soviet International Master Salomon Mikhailovich Flohr ( November 21, 1908 &ndash July 18, 1983) was a leading Czech and later Soviet Chess Igor Zakharovich Bondarevsky ( Russian: Игорь Захарович Бондаревский) ( May 12, 1913, Rostov-on-the-Don, Alexander Alexandrovich Kotov (Александр Александрович Котов ( &ndash January 8, 1981) was a Russian Chess grandmaster

Keres won Pärnu 1947 with 9. Pärnu (Pernau Пярну formerly Пернов Parnawa is a City in southwestern Estonia on the coast of Pärnu Bay an inlet of the Gulf of Riga 5/13 (+7 =5 -1), Szczawno-Zdrój 1950 with 14. Szczawno-Zdrój (Bad Salzbrunn to 1935 Ober Salzbrunn) is a spa town in Wałbrzych County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western 5/19 (+11 =7 -1), and Budapest 1952 with 12. Budapest ( also /ˈbʊ-/) is the capital city of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary it serves as the country's principal Political, 5/17 (+10 =5 -2) (http://www. chessmetrics. Chessmetrics is a system for rating Chess players devised by Jeff Sonas. com, the Paul Keres player file), the latter ahead of world champion Botvinnik and an all-star field which included Geller, Smyslov, Gideon Stahlberg, Laszlo Szabo, and Petrosian. Gideon Ståhlberg (or Stahlberg) (1908–1967 was a Swedish Chess grandmaster. The Budapest victory, which capped a stretch of four first-class wins over a two-year span, may represent the peak of his career. The Hungarian master and writer Egon Varnusz, in his books on Keres, states that at this time, "The best player in the world was Paul Keres" (Paul Keres' Best Games, Volume I: Closed Games, p. Egon Varnusz (born Budapest, Hungary, November 15, 1933) is a Hungarian Chess Master and writer xii).

Unmatched International team successes

After becoming a Soviet citizen, Keres represented the Soviet Union in seven consecutive Olympiads, winning seven consecutive team gold medals, five board gold medals, and one bronze board medal. His four straight board gold medals is an Olympiad record. Although not selected after 1964, Keres served successfully as a team trainer with Soviet international teams for the next decade. Altogether, in 11 Olympiads (counting the unofficial Munich 1936 event), and in 161 games, Keres accumulated a brilliant total of (+97 =51 -13), for 76. Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. 7%. His detailed Soviet Olympiad results, from,^[5] follow.

• Helsinki 1952, USSR board 1, 6. Helsinki (in Finnish;) or Helsingfors (in Swedish;) is the Capital and largest city of Finland. 5/12, team gold;
• Amsterdam 1954, USSR board 4, 13. Amsterdam (pronounced) is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west 5/14 (+13 =1 -0), team gold, board gold, best overall score;
• Moscow 1956, USSR board 3, 9. Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of 5/12 (+7 =5 -0), team gold, board gold;
• Munich 1958, USSR board 3, 9. Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. 5/12 (+7 =5 -0), team gold, board gold;
• Leipzig 1960, USSR board 3, 10. This sort of fix restores section edit linkpoints to where they belong 5/13 (+8 =5 -0), team gold, board gold;
• Varna 1962, USSR board 4, 9. Varna (Варна is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv 5/13 (+6 =7 -0), team gold, board bronze;
• Tel Aviv 1964, USSR board 4, 10/12 (+9 =2 -1), team gold, board gold. Tel Aviv-Yafo (תֵּל ־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ تل أبيب Tal ʾAbīb) (usually Tel Aviv) is the second-largest city in Israel

Keres also appeared three times for the Soviet Union in the European Team Championships, winning team and individual gold medals on all three occasions. He scored 14/18 (+10 =8 -0), for 77. 8%. His detailed Euroteams results, from,^[6] follow.

• Vienna 1957, USSR board 2, 3/5 (+1 =4 -0), team gold, board gold;
• Oberhausen 1961, USSR board 3, 6/8 (+4 =4 -0), team gold, board gold;
• Kapfenberg 1970, USSR board 8, 5/5 (+5 =0 -0), team gold, board gold. Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. Oberhausen (ˈoːbɐhaʊzən is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Kapfenberg (around 22000 inhabitants is a city in Styria, Austria, near Bruck an der Mur.

Later career and death

Beginning with the Pärnu 1947 tournament, Keres made some significant contributions as a chess organizer in Estonia; this is an often overlooked aspect of his career. Pärnu (Pernau Пярну formerly Пернов Parnawa is a City in southwestern Estonia on the coast of Pärnu Bay an inlet of the Gulf of Riga Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia ( Eesti or Eesti Vabariik) is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region

Keres continued to play exceptionally well on the international circuit. He tied 1st-2nd at Hastings 1954-55 with Smyslov on 7/9 (+6 =2 -1). Hastings is a town on the coast of East Sussex in England; it is also the administrative centre for the Borough of the same name He dominated an internal Soviet training tournament at Pärnu 1955 with 9. Pärnu (Pernau Пярну formerly Пернов Parnawa is a City in southwestern Estonia on the coast of Pärnu Bay an inlet of the Gulf of Riga 5/10. Keres placed 2nd at the 1955 Göteborg Interzonal, behind David Bronstein, with 13. Gothenburg ( Swedish:) /jœte'bɔrj/ is a city, a municipality, and an urban area on the west-coast of Sweden. Interzonal chess tournaments were tournaments organized by FIDE, the World Chess Federation David Ionovich Bronstein (Дави́д Ио́нович Бронште́йн February 19 1924 &ndash December 5 2006) was renowned as a leading 5/20. Keres defeated Wolfgang Unzicker in a 1956 exhibition match at Hamburg by 6-2 (+4 =4 -0). Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany He tied 2nd-3rd in the USSR Championship, Moscow 1957 (URS-ch24) with 13. Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of 5/21 (+8 =11 -2), along with Bronstein, behind Mikhail Tal. Mikhail Tal (Mihails Tāls Михаил Нехемьевич Таль Mikhail Nekhemievich Tal, mʲixa'iɫ̺ n̻ʲɛ'xɛmjɛvʲiʨ t̺al̻ sometimes transliterated Mihails Keres won Mar del Plata 1957 (15/17, ahead of Miguel Najdorf), and Santiago 1957 with 6/7, ahead of Alexander Kotov. Mar del Plata has a rich history of Chess tournaments most notably their international chess tournament and open tournament Miguel Najdorf (born Mendel (Mieczysław Najdorf in Grodzisk Mazowiecki near Warsaw, Poland, April 15, 1910 &ndash Santiago ( (litteraly in spanish Saint James) is the Capital of Chile, and the center of its largest Conurbation ( Greater Santiago Alexander Alexandrovich Kotov (Александр Александрович Котов ( &ndash January 8, 1981) was a Russian Chess grandmaster He won Hastings 1957-58 (7. Hastings is a town on the coast of East Sussex in England; it is also the administrative centre for the Borough of the same name 5/9, ahead of Svetozar Gligorić). Svetozar Gligorić ( Serbian Cyrillic: Светозар Глигорић) (born February 2 1923) is a Serbian Chess He was tied 3rd-4th at Zürich 1959, at 10. Zürich (, Zürich German: Züri, Zurich, Zurigo; in English generally Zurich) is the largest city in Switzerland and capital of the 5/15, along with Bobby Fischer, behind Tal and Gligoric. Robert James "Bobby" Fischer ( March 9 1943 – January 17 2008) was an American -born Chess Grandmaster He placed tied 7-8th in the URS-ch26 at Tbilisi with 10. Tbilisi (ˌtbiˈliːsi in Georgian: თბილისი is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari 5/19, as Petrosian won. Keres was third at Stockholm 1959-60 with 7/9. ('stɔkhɔlm is Sweden 's Capital and its largest City. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the He won at Pärnu 1960 with 12/15. Pärnu (Pernau Пярну formerly Пернов Parnawa is a City in southwestern Estonia on the coast of Pärnu Bay an inlet of the Gulf of Riga He was the champion at Zurich 1961 (9/11, ahead of Petrosian). Zürich (, Zürich German: Züri, Zurich, Zurigo; in English generally Zurich) is the largest city in Switzerland and capital of the At the elite Bled 1961 event, Keres shared 3rd-5th places, on 12. Bled (Veldes is a Municipality in northwestern Slovenia in the region of Upper Carniola. 5/19 (+7 =11 -1), behind only Mikhail Tal and Bobby Fischer. Mikhail Tal (Mihails Tāls Михаил Нехемьевич Таль Mikhail Nekhemievich Tal, mʲixa'iɫ̺ n̻ʲɛ'xɛmjɛvʲiʨ t̺al̻ sometimes transliterated Mihails Robert James "Bobby" Fischer ( March 9 1943 – January 17 2008) was an American -born Chess Grandmaster [2] In URS-ch29 at Baku 1961, Keres scored 11/20 for a shared 8-11th place, as Boris Spassky won. Baku (Bakı sometimes known as Baqy, Baky, Baki or Bakü, is the capital the largest city and the largest port of Azerbaijan Boris Vasilievich Spassky (also Spasskij (Бори́с Васи́льевич Спа́сский (born January 30, 1937) is a Russian French Keres shared first with World Champion Tigran Petrosian at the very strong 1963 Piatigorsky Cup in Los Angeles with 8. Tigran Petrosian (Տիգրան Պետրոսյան ( June 17, 1929 &ndash August 13, 1984) was World Chess Champion from 1963 The Piatigorsky Cup was a triennial series of double round-robin grandmaster Chess tournaments held in the United States in the 1960s Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West 5/14 (results from this period: http://www. chessmetrics. Chessmetrics is a system for rating Chess players devised by Jeff Sonas. com, the Paul Keres player file).

Further tournament championships followed. He won Beverwijk 1964, with 11. The Corus chess tournament takes place every year usually in January in a small town called Wijk aan Zee, part of the larger Beverwijk in the province of North 5/15, tied with Iivo Nei. Iivo Nei (born 31 October 1931, Tartu) is an Estonian chess master He shared first place with World Champion Tigran Petrosian at Buenos Aires 1964, with 12. Tigran Petrosian (Տիգրան Պետրոսյան ( June 17, 1929 &ndash August 13, 1984) was World Chess Champion from 1963 Buenos Aires is the Capital and largest city of Argentina. It is geographically located on the southern shore of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern 5/17. [3] He won at Hastings 1964-65 with 8/9. Hastings is a town on the coast of East Sussex in England; it is also the administrative centre for the Borough of the same name He shared 1st-2nd places at Marianske Lazne 1965 on 11/15 with Vlastimil Hort. Mariánské Lázně (ˈmarɪjanskɛ ˈlazɲɛ Marienbad is a Spa town in the Carlsbad Region of the Czech Republic. Vlastimil Hort (born 12 January 1944) is a Chess grandmaster of Czech nationality In URS-ch33 at Tallinn 1965, he scored 11/19 for 6th place, as Leonid Stein won. Tallinn (historically known by the German, Swedish and Danish name Reval or the Polish name Rewal, among other names Leonid Zakharovich Stein (Леонид Захарович Штейн November 12 1934 – July 4 1973) Soviet Grandmaster He won at Stockholm 1966-67 with 7/9. ('stɔkhɔlm is Sweden 's Capital and its largest City. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the At Winnipeg 1967, he shared 3rd-4th places on 5. Winnipeg (ˈwɪnɨpɛg is the capital and largest city in the Canadian province of Manitoba, and 7th largest municipality in Canada with a population 5/9 as Bent Larsen and Klaus Darga won (http://www. Jørgen Bent Larsen (born March 4 1935, Thisted) is a Danish Chess Grandmaster. Klaus Viktor Darga (born 24 February 1934 in Berlin, Germany) is a German Grandmaster Chess player chessmetrics. Chessmetrics is a system for rating Chess players devised by Jeff Sonas. com, the Paul Keres player file).

At Bamberg 1968, he won with 12/15, two points ahead of World Champion Tigran Petrosian. Bamberg is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in Upper Franconia on the river Regnitz, close to its confluence with the river Main Tigran Petrosian (Տիգրան Պետրոսյան ( June 17, 1929 &ndash August 13, 1984) was World Chess Champion from 1963 He was 2nd at Luhacovice 1969 with 10. Luhačovice (ˈlʊɦatʃovɪtsɛ Luhatschowitz is a Spa town in the Zlín Region, Czech Republic. 5/15, behind Viktor Korchnoi. Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi (also Korchnoy Kortchnoy Kortschnoi etc At Tallinn 1969, he shared 2nd-3rd places on 9/13 as Stein won. Tallinn (historically known by the German, Swedish and Danish name Reval or the Polish name Rewal, among other names At Wijk aan Zee 1969, he shared 3rd-4th places on 10. Wijk aan Zee (pronounced /ʋɛik aːn zeː/ is a small town on the coast of the North Sea in the municipality of Beverwijk in the province of North Holland 5/15, as Geller and Botvinnik won. He won Budapest 1970 with 10/15, ahead of Laszlo Szabo. Budapest ( also /ˈbʊ-/) is the capital city of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary it serves as the country's principal Political, Also in 1970, Keres's 3:1 with Ivkov on the tenth board gave victory to the Soviet team in the match vs Rest of the World. Borislav Ivkov (born November 12, 1933 in Belgrade) is a Serbian Chess Grandmaster. There have been three Chess matches featuring Russia (USSR vs Rest of the World. He shared 1st-2nd at Tallinn 1971 with Mikhail Tal on 11. Tallinn (historically known by the German, Swedish and Danish name Reval or the Polish name Rewal, among other names Mikhail Tal (Mihails Tāls Михаил Нехемьевич Таль Mikhail Nekhemievich Tal, mʲixa'iɫ̺ n̻ʲɛ'xɛmjɛvʲiʨ t̺al̻ sometimes transliterated Mihails 5/15. He shared 2nd-3rd at Parnu 1971, on 9. Pärnu (Pernau Пярну formerly Пернов Parnawa is a City in southwestern Estonia on the coast of Pärnu Bay an inlet of the Gulf of Riga 5/13, as Stein won. He shared 2nd-4th at Amsterdam 1971 with 9/13, as Smyslov won. Amsterdam (pronounced) is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west He shared 3rd-5th places at Sarajevo 1972 on 9. TemplateInfobox City for more fields--> Sarajevo is the Capital city and largest urban center of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with 5/15, as Szabo won. He placed 5th at San Antonio 1972 on 9. 5/15, as Petrosian, Lajos Portisch, and Anatoly Karpov won (http://www.chessmetrics.com, the Paul Keres player file). Lajos Portisch (born April 4, 1937 in Zalaegerszeg, Hungary) is a Hungarian chess Grandmaster, whose positional style earned Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov (Анатолий Евгеньевич Карпов born May 23, 1951) is a Russian Chess grandmaster

At Tallinn 1973, he shared 3rd-6th places on 9/15, as Mikhail Tal won. Tallinn (historically known by the German, Swedish and Danish name Reval or the Polish name Rewal, among other names Mikhail Tal (Mihails Tāls Михаил Нехемьевич Таль Mikhail Nekhemievich Tal, mʲixa'iɫ̺ n̻ʲɛ'xɛmjɛvʲiʨ t̺al̻ sometimes transliterated Mihails His last Interzonal was Petropolis 1973, where he scored 8/17 for a shared 12-13th place, as Henrique Mecking won. Petrópolis, also known as The Imperial City of Brazil, is a town in the state of Rio de Janeiro, about 65 km from Rio de Janeiro. Henrique Mecking (born 23 January 1952; first name spelled Enrique in some references also known as "Mequinho" in Brazil was a leading Brazilian That same year, he made his last Soviet Championship appearance, at Moscow for URS-ch41, scoring 8/17 for a shared 9-12th place, as Boris Spassky won. Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of Boris Vasilievich Spassky (also Spasskij (Бори́с Васи́льевич Спа́сский (born January 30, 1937) is a Russian French His health declined the next year, and he did not play any major events in 1974. Keres' last major tournament win was Tallinn 1975, just a few months before his death. Tallinn (historically known by the German, Swedish and Danish name Reval or the Polish name Rewal, among other names ^[7]

He died of a heart attack in Helsinki, Finland, at the age of 59 (it is commonly reported that he died on the same date in Vancouver, Canada). Myocardial infarction ( MI or AMI for acute myocardial infarction) also known as a heart attack, occurs when the blood supply Helsinki (in Finnish;) or Helsingfors (in Swedish;) is the Capital and largest city of Finland. Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. Vancouver (vænˈkuːvɚ is a coastal Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page His death occurred while returning to his native Estonia from a tournament in Vancouver, which he had won (http://www.chessmetrics.com, the Paul Keres player file). The Paul Keres Memorial Chess Tournament has been held annually in Vancouver ever since.

Over 100,000 were in attendance at his state funeral in Tallinn, Estonia, where the leaders of Estonia were on guard of honour, and FIDE President Max Euwe, his old friend and rival, was also present (Paul Keres' Best Games, Volume I: Closed Games, by Egon Varnusz, Cadogan Chess 1987, p. Fédération Internationale des Échecs or World Chess Federation is an international organization that connects the various national Chess federations around the Machgielis (Max Euwe (last name is pronounced /øwə/ ( May 20, 1901 – November 26, 1981) was a Dutch Chess Grandmaster Egon Varnusz (born Budapest, Hungary, November 15, 1933) is a Hungarian Chess Master and writer xiii).

Chess legacy and writings

Paul Keres was ranked among the top 10 players in the world between approximately 1936 and 1965, and overall he had one of the highest winning percentages of all grandmasters in history. Chessmetrics, which specializes in calculating historic ELO ratings and accounting for ratings inflation, has placed his 20-year peak rating as the seventh highest ever, at 2755, from 1944 to 1963. Chessmetrics is a system for rating Chess players devised by Jeff Sonas. The Elo rating system is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in two-player games such as Chess and Go.

He was one of the very few players who had a plus record against Capablanca. He also had plus records against World Champions Euwe and Tal, and equal records against Smyslov, Petrosian and Anatoly Karpov. Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov (Анатолий Евгеньевич Карпов born May 23, 1951) is a Russian Chess grandmaster In his long career, he played no fewer than ten world champions. He beat every world champion from Capablanca through Bobby Fischer (his two games with Karpov were drawn), making him the only player ever to beat nine undisputed world champions. Robert James "Bobby" Fischer ( March 9 1943 – January 17 2008) was an American -born Chess Grandmaster Other notable grandmasters against whom he had plus records include Fine, Flohr, Viktor Korchnoi, Efim Geller, Savielly Tartakower, Mark Taimanov, Milan Vidmar, Svetozar Gligoric, Isaac Boleslavsky, Efim Bogoljubov and Bent Larsen. Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi (also Korchnoy Kortchnoy Kortschnoi etc Efim Petrovich Geller (Ефим Петрович Геллер March 8 1925 &ndash November 17 1998) was a Soviet Chess Ksawery Tartakower (Russian Савелий Григорьевич Тартаковер generally known as Saviely or Savielly Tartakower in English less often Mark Evgenievich Taimanov (Марк Евгеньевич Тайманов (born February 7, 1926, Kharkov) is a leading Russian Chess Milan Vidmar ( June 22 1885 – October 9 1962) was a Slovene Electrical engineer, chess player, chess theorist Svetozar Gligorić ( Serbian Cyrillic: Светозар Глигорић) (born February 2 1923) is a Serbian Chess Isaac Yefremovich Boleslavsky ( Russian: Исаак Ефремович Болеславский) ( June 9, 1919 Zolotonosha, Ukraine Efim Dmitriyevich Bogoljubow (Bogoljubov Bogolyubov (Ефи́м Дми́триевич Боголю́бов April 14, 1889 &ndash June 18, Jørgen Bent Larsen (born March 4 1935, Thisted) is a Danish Chess Grandmaster.

He wrote a number of chess books, including a well-regarded, deeply annotated collection of his best games, Grandmaster of Chess ISBN 0-668-02645-6, The Art of the Middle Game (with Alexander Kotov) ISBN 0-486-26154-9, and Practical Chess Endings ISBN 0-7134-4210-7. Alexander Alexandrovich Kotov (Александр Александрович Котов ( &ndash January 8, 1981) was a Russian Chess grandmaster All three books are still considered among the best of their kind for aspiring masters and experts. He also wrote several tournament books, including an important account of the 1948 World Championship Match Tournament. He authored several openings treatises, often originally in German, as listed by the Hungarian writer Egon Varnusz: Spanisch bis Franzosisch, Dreispringer bis Konigsgambit, and Vierspringer bis Spanisch. He contributed to the first volume, 'C', of the first edition of the Yugoslav-published Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (ECO), which appeared in 1974, just before his death the next year. Keres also co-founded the Riga magazine Shakhmaty. Riga (Rīga riːga) the Capital of Latvia, is situated on the Baltic Sea coast on the mouth of the river Daugava.

Keres made many important contributions to opening theory. Perhaps best-known is the Keres Attack against the Scheveningen Variation of the Sicilian Defence (1. Scheveningen (ˈsxeːfənɪŋə is one of the eight Districts of The Hague, as well as one of its subdistricts ( wijken) The Sicilian Defence is a Chess opening that begins with the moves 1 e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. g4), which was successfully introduced against Bogolyubov at Salzburg 1943, and today remains a topical and important line. An original system on the Black side of the Closed Ruy Lopez (1. The Ruy Lopez, called the Spanish Opening or Spanish Game outside English speaking countries, is a Chess opening characterised by the moves e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 0-0 9. h3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4 Nd7) was introduced by Keres at the 1962 Candidates' tournament, and it had a run of popularity for several years. He also popularized the Keres Defence (1. d4 e6 2. c4 Bb4+). Another important system on the Black side of the English Opening was worked out by him; it runs 1. In Chess, the English Opening is the opening where White begins 1 c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 c6.

The Hungarian writer Egon Varnusz wrote that Keres "published 180 problems and 30 studies. Egon Varnusz (born Budapest, Hungary, November 15, 1933) is a Hungarian Chess Master and writer One of his rook endings won first prize in 1947. " (Paul Keres' Best Games, Volume 1: Closed Games (Cadogan 1994. ))

Keres won top-class tournaments from the 1930s into the 1970s, a span of nearly 40 years, and won events in western Europe, eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, South America, and North America. Western Europe at its most general meaning means 'all the countries in the West of Europe ' Eastern Europe is a general term that refers to the Geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the European continent. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a Botvinnik, by contrast, never competed in the Americas during his career.

His rival Samuel Reshevsky, while paying tribute to Keres' talent, tried to pinpoint why Keres never became world champion, and also complimented his friendly personality. Samuel Herman (Sammy Reshevsky (born Szmul Rzeszewski, November 26, 1911, Ozorków near Lodz, (then Russian Empire "Well, I believe that Keres failed in this respect because he lacked the killer instinct. He was too mild a person to give his all in order to defeat his opponents. He took everything, including his chess, philosophically. Keres is one of the nicest people that I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. With his friendly and sincere smile, he makes friends easily. He is goodnatured and kind. Yes, he loves chess, but being a human being is his first consideration. In addition to chess, Keres is interested in tennis, Ping-Pong, swimming, and bridge. Tennis is a sport played between two players ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles) Swimming is the movement by humans or animals through Water, usually without artificial assistance A bridge is a Structure built to span a Gorge, Valley, Road, railroad track, River, Body of water "^[8]

Acknowledgements

The five kroons (5 krooni) Estonian banknote bears his portrait. The kroon ( sign: KR; code: EEK) is the Currency of Estonia. It is subdivided into 100 senti (singular sent He is the only chess player whose portrait is on a banknote. ^[9]

A statue honouring him can be found on Tõnismägi in Tallinn. Tõnismägi (literally St Anthony 's Hill, also known as Tonismagi in international press is a 36 meter high Hillock adjacent to Tallinn (historically known by the German, Swedish and Danish name Reval or the Polish name Rewal, among other names

An annual international chess tournament has been held in Tallinn every other year since 1969. Securities Trading Access Messaging Protocol (STAMP is a message format protocol used in Canadian Stock market describing electronic communications between exchange The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Keres won this tournament in 1971 and 1975. Starting in 1976 after Keres' death, it has been called the Paul Keres Memorial Tournament. Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. There is also an annual Keres Memorial tournament in Vancouver. Vancouver (vænˈkuːvɚ is a coastal ^[10] There are also a number of chess clubs and festivals named after him.

In 2000, Keres was elected the Estonian Sportsman of the Century. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar.

There is also a street in Nõmme, a district of Tallinn, which was named after Keres. History Earlier Nõmme was a town of its own in the beginning of the Soviet occupation ( 1940) unified to Tallinn and not restituted until today Tallinn (historically known by the German, Swedish and Danish name Reval or the Polish name Rewal, among other names

Notable chess games

• Paul Keres vs Alexander Alekhine, Margate 1937, Ruy Lopez (C71), 1-0 Here Keres outplayed Alekhine already in the first 15 moves. The game is crowned by two small combinations.
• Paul Keres vs José Raúl Capablanca, AVRO Amsterdam 1938, French, Tarrasch, Open Variation, Main line (C09), 1-0 Almost unpredictable jumps of the White Knight slowly destroy Black's position. A beautiful tactical game.
• Max Euwe vs Paul Keres, Amsterdam 1940 (match), Queen's Indian, Old Main line (E19), 0-1
• Paul Keres vs Jaroslav Šajtar, Amsterdam 1954 (ol), Sicilian, Najdorf (B94), 1-0 A typical Sicilian sacrifice on e6.
• Paul Keres vs Mikhail Botvinnik, Moscow 1956 (Alekhine Memorial), Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer Attack (B63), 1-0
• Paul Keres vs Edgar Walther, Tel Aviv 1964, King's Indian, Petrosian System (E93), 1-0 The game where Keres introduced a new plan against the King's Indian opening: Bg5, h4, Nh2 and a sacrifice on g4.

Quotes

• "At Amsterdam in 1954 he scored 96. 4% on fourth board and won another game so brilliant against Šajtar of Czechoslovakia that the Soviet non-playing captain, Kotov, told to me that it was 'a true Soviet game. Jaroslav Šajtar ( December 3 1921 – February 4 2003) was a Czech Chess master and an honorary grandmaster, Czechoslovakia may also refer to what is now the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Alexander Alexandrovich Kotov (Александр Александрович Котов ( &ndash January 8, 1981) was a Russian Chess grandmaster ' I told this to Keres who, with the nearest approach to acerbity I ever saw him show, said: 'No, it was a true Estonian game. '" – Grandmaster Harry Golombek
• "At the Warsaw team tournament in 1935, the most surprising discovery was a gangling, shy, 19-year-old Estonian. Harry Golombek OBE ( March 1[[ 911]]– January 7 1995) was a British Chess International Master and honorary grandmaster Some had never heard of his country before, nobody had ever heard of Keres. But his play at top board was a wonder to behold. Not merely because he performed creditably in his first serious encounters with the world's greatest; others have done that too. It was his originality, verve, and brilliance which astounded and delighted the chess world. " – Grandmaster Reuben Fine
• "I loved Paul Petrovitch with a kind of special, filial feeling. Reuben Fine ( October 11 1914  &ndash March 26 1993) was one of the best Chess players in the world from the mid 1930s through Honesty, correctness, discipline, diligence, astonishing modesty – these were the characteristics that caught the eye of the people who came into contact with Keres during his lifetime. But there was also something mysterious about him. I had an acute feeling that Keres was carrying some kind of a heavy burden all through his life. Now I understand that this burden was the infinite love for the land of his ancestors, an attempt to endure all the ordeals, to have full responsibility for his every step. I have never met a person with an equal sense of responsibility. This man with internally free and independent character was at the same time a very well disciplined person. Back then I did not realise that it is discipline that largely determines internal freedom. For me, Paul Keres was the last Mohican, the carrier of the best traditions of classical chess and – if I could put it this way – the Pope of chess. The Last of the Mohicans is a Historical novel by James Fenimore Cooper, first published in January 1826 History See also History of the Papacy Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, who Jesus named as the "shepherd" and Why did he not become the champion? I know it from personal experience that in order to reach the top, a person is thinking solely of the goal, he has to forget everything else in this world, toss aside everything unnecessary – or else you are doomed. How could Keres forget everything else?" – Former World Champion Boris Spassky^[11]
• "I was unlucky, like my country. Boris Vasilievich Spassky (also Spasskij (Бори́с Васи́льевич Спа́сский (born January 30, 1937) is a Russian French " – Paul Keres, on why he never became world champion. ^[12]

Books

• Keres, Paul & Kotov, Alexander (1964), The Art of the Middle Game, Penguin Books 
• Keres, Paul (1984), Practical Chess Endings, Batsford, ISBN 0-7134-4210-7 

Tournament and match record

Keres' tournament and match record:^[13][14]

Tournaments

Year	Tournament	Place	Notes
1935	Olympiad 1935 6th Olympiad	–	+11−5=3 on first board for Estonia
1935	Helsinki	2	Frydman won
1936	Nauheim	1–2	shared 1–2 with Alekhine
1936	Dresden	8–9	Alekhine won
1936	Zandvoort	3–4	Fine won
1937	Margate	1–2	shared 1–2 with Fine
1937	Ostend	1–3	shared 1–3 with Grob and Fine
1937	Prague	1	ahead of Zinner
1937	Vienna	1	Quadrangular
1937	Kemeri	4–5	Reshevsky, Flohr, and Petrovs shared 1st–3rd
1937	Pärnu	2–4	Schmidt won
1937	Olympiad 1937 7th Olympiad	–	individual silver (+9−2=4) on first board for Estonia
1937	Semmering/Baden	1	ahead of Fine
1937/8	Hastings	2–3	Reshevsky won
1938	Noordwijk	2	Eliskases won
1938	AVRO	1–2	shared 1–2 with Fine, ahead of Botvinnik
1939	Leningrad-Moscow	12–13	Flohr won
1939	Margate	1	ahead of Capablanca and Flohr
1939	Olympiad 1939 8th Olympiad	–	+12−2=5 on first board for bronze medal winning Estonia
1939	Buenos Aires	1–2	shared 1–2 with Najdorf
1940	USSR Championship 1940 12th USSR Championship	4	Lilienthal and Bondarevsky won
1941	USSR Championship 1941 Absolute USSR Championship	2	behind Botvinnik
1942	Salzburg	2	behind Alekhine
1942	Munich	2	"European Championship", behind Alekhine
1943	Prague	2	behind Alekhine
1943	Poznan	1	ahead of Grünfeld
1943	Salzburg	1–2	shared 1–2 with Alekhine
1943	Madrid	1
1944	Lidköping	2	Swedish Championship
1944/45	Riga	1	Baltic Championship
1946	Tbilisi	1	Georgian Championship
1947	Pärnu	1
1947	USSR Championship 1947 15th USSR Championship	1
1947	Moscow	6-7
1948	World Championship Tournament	3–4	Botvinnik 1st, Smyslov 2nd
1949	USSR Championship 1949 17th USSR Championship	8
1950	Budapest	4	Candidates Tournament, Bronstein and Boleslavsky 1st–2nd, Smyslov 3rd
1950	Szczawno-Zdrój	1
1950	USSR Championship 1950 18th USSR Championship	1
1951	USSR Championship 1951 19th USSR Championship	1
1952	USSR Championship 1952 20th USSR Championship	10–11	Botvinnik won
1952	Budapest	1
1952	Olympiad 1952 10th Olympiad	–	+3−2=7 on first board for gold medal USSR team
1953	Zürich	2–4	Candidates Tournament, Smyslov 1st
1954	Olympiad 1954 11th Olympiad	–	individual gold (+13−0=1) on fourth board for gold medal USSR team
1954/5	Hastings	1–2	shared 1–2 with Smyslov
1955	USSR Championship 1955 22nd USSR Championship	7–8	Geller won
1955	Göteborg	2	Interzonal, Bronstein won
1956	Amsterdam	2	Candidates Tournament, Smyslov won
1956	Olympiad 1956 12th Olympiad	–	individual gold (+7−0=5) on third board for gold medal USSR team
1956	Moscow	7–8
1957	USSR Championship 1957 24th USSR Championship	2–3	Tal won
1957	Mar del Plata	1
1957	Santiago	1
1957/8	Hastings	1
1958	Olympiad 1958 13th Olympiad	–	individual gold (+7−0=5) on third board for gold medal USSR team
1959	USSR Championship 1959 26th USSR Championship	7–8	Petrosian won
1959	Zürich	3–4	Tal won
1959	Bled/Belgrade/Zagreb	2	Candidates Tournament, Tal won
1959/60	Stockholm	3
1960	Olympiad 1960 14th Olympiad	–	individual gold (+8−0=5) on third board for gold medal USSR team
1961	Zürich	1
1961	Bled	3–5	Tal won
1961	USSR Championship 1961 29th USSR Championship	8–11
1962	Curaçao	2–3	1962 Candidates Tournament, Petrosian won
1962	Olympiad 1962 15th Olympiad	−	individual bronze (+6−0=7) on fourth board on gold medal USSR team
1963	Los Angeles	1–2	1st Piatigorsky Cup, tied with Petrosian for first
1964	Beverwijk	1–2	Hoogovens tournament, shared 1–2 with Nei
1964	Buenos Aires	1–2	shared 1–2 with Petrosian
1964	Olympiad 1964 16th Olympiad	−	individual gold (+9−1=2) on fourth board for gold medal USSR team
1964/5	Hastings	1
1965	Mariánské Lázně	1–2	shared 1–2 with Hort
1965	USSR Championship 1965 33rd USSR Championship	6	Stein won
1966/7	Stockholm	1
1967	Moscow	9–12
1967	Winnipeg	3–4
1968	Bamberg	1
1969	Beverwijk	3–4	Hoogovens tournament, behind Botvinnik and Geller
1969	Tallinn	2–3
1970	Budapest	1
1971	Amsterdam	2–4
1971	Pärnu	2–3
1971	Tallinn	3–6
1972	Sarajevo	3–5
1972	San Antonio	5	Karpov, Petrosian, and Portisch shared 1st–3rd
1973	Tallinn	3–6
1973	Dortmund	6–7
1973	Petropolis	12–13	Interzonal, Mecking 1st; Geller, Polugaevsky, and Portisch 2nd–4th
1973	USSR Championship 1973 41st USSR Championship	9–12	Spassky won
1975	Tallinn	1
1975	Vancouver	1

Matches

Year	Opponent	Result
1935	Gunnar Friedemann	+2 −1 =0
1935	Feliks Kibbermann	+3 −1 =0
1936	Paul Felix Schmidt	+3 −3 =1
1938	Gideon Ståhlberg	+2 −2 =4
1939/40	Max Euwe	+6 −5 =3
1944	Folke Ekström	+4 −0 =2
1956	Wolfgang Unzicker	+4 −0 =4
1962	Efim Geller	+2 −1 =5
1965	Boris Spassky	+2 −4 =4
1970	Borislav Ivkov	+2 −0 =2

Notes

References

• Keres, Paul; Harry Golombek (ed. Harry Golombek OBE ( March 1[[ 911]]– January 7 1995) was a British Chess International Master and honorary grandmaster and trans. ). Grandmaster of Chess: The Complete Games of Paul Keres.   Arco, New York, 1977.
• Varnusz, Egon. Egon Varnusz (born Budapest, Hungary, November 15, 1933) is a Hungarian Chess Master and writer Paul Keres' Best Games, Volume 1: Closed Games.   Cadogan Chess, London, 1994, ISBN 1-85744-064-1.
• Paul Keres Best Games, Volume II: Semi-Open Games, by Egon Varnusz, London 1994, Cadogan Chess, ISBN 0-08-037139-6.

External links

• Paul Keres at ChessGames.com
• Estonian banknotes
• Paul Keres at www.chesslady.com

ChessGamescom is a large Chess community on the Internet with over 100000 members

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