Efim Geller
Encyclopedia
Efim Petrovich Geller was a Soviet
chess
player and world-class grandmaster at his peak. He won the Soviet Championship twice (in 1955 and 1979) and was a Candidate
for the World Championship
on six occasions (1953, 1956, 1962, 1965, 1968, and 1971). He won four Ukrainian Championship
titles (in 1950, 1957, 1958, and 1959) and shared first in the 1991 World Seniors' Championship
, winning the title outright in 1992.
Geller was also a coach to World Champions Boris Spassky
and Anatoly Karpov
. He was also an author.
, USSR. He was a fine basketball player, and earned his Doctorate
in Physical Education
before specialising in chess. His development as a top player was delayed by the inception of World War II.
Geller's first notable result was sixth place in the 1947 Ukrainian Chess Championship
at Kiev
with 9.5/15; the winner was Alexei Sokolsky. He shared 3rd–5th places at Baku
1948 with 9/15, an event won by Jüri Randviir. Geller scored 11/18 in the 1948 Ukrainian Championship at Kiev for a shared 5th–8th place; the winners were Alexei Sokolsky and Poliak.
1949 with 11.5/16, advancing to the final later that year. His finals debut was sensational at URS-ch17 at Moscow 1949, since as a virtual unknown he tied for 3rd–4th places with 12.5/19, behind only winners David Bronstein
and Vasily Smyslov
. Geller defeated such established stars as Semyon Furman
, Isaac Boleslavsky
, Alexander Kotov
, Salo Flohr
, fellow finals debutant Tigran Petrosian
, Viacheslav Ragozin
, and Grigory Levenfish
. Despite this showing, he was obliged to return to the semifinal level the next year, but advanced successfully with a third-place finish in the 1950 qualifier at Kiev with 9/15. At URS-ch18 at Moscow 1950, Geller made 9/17 for a shared 7th–10th place; the winner was Paul Keres
. Also in 1950, Geller won the Ukrainian Championship at Kiev, the first of his four titles in that event; he repeated from 1957 to 1959, with all three events at Kiev. Geller in 1950 made a successful international debut at the Przepiorka Memorial at Iwonicz Zdroj
with 11.5/19 for seventh place in a powerful field; Keres won again.
Geller is reckoned to have been among the best ten players in the world for around twenty years. He was awarded the International Master title in 1951, and the International Grandmaster
title the following year.
Geller played in 23 USSR Chess Championship
s, a record equalled by Mark Taimanov
, achieving good results in many. He won in 1955 at Moscow (URS-ch22) when, despite losing five games, he finished with 12/19, then defeated Smyslov in the playoff match by the score of +1 =6. He won his second title in 1979 at Minsk
(URS-ch47) in his 54th year, making him the oldest Soviet champion.
Among his best results in other important tournaments were: clear first at Iwonicz Zdroj 1957, equal first with Taimanov at Dresden
1959, equal first with Lajos Portisch
at Beverwijk
1965, clear first at Kislovodsk
1966, clear first at Gothenburg
1967, clear first at Kislovodsk 1968, equal first with Mikhail Botvinnik
at Wijk aan Zee
1969 (ahead of Keres), equal first at Havana
1971 with Vlastimil Hort
, equal first at Hilversum
1973 with Laszlo Szabo
, clear first at Budapest
1973 ahead of Anatoly Karpov
, clear first at Teesside
1975, clear first at Moscow 1975 (ahead of Boris Spassky
, Viktor Korchnoi
, and Tigran Petrosian
), clear first at Las Palmas 1976, equal first with Gennadi Sosonko
at Wijk aan Zee 1977, clear first at Bogotá
1978, equal first at Bern 1987 with Daniel Campora
, clear first at Dortmund
'A' 1989, and equal first at New York
Manhattan 1990 with Gregory Kaidanov
, at age 65.
In Seniors' competition, Geller further distinguished himself in the early 1990s. At the World Seniors' Championship, Bad Woerishofen 1991, he tied for first with Smyslov at 8.5/11. Then, in the next year's Championship at the same site, Geller claimed clear first with the same score. Geller remained active in high-level competitive chess until age 70; his last event was the 1995 Russian Championship at Elista
.
several times. He was a Candidate
at Zurich 1953
and Amsterdam
1956. His best result was in the 1962 cycle. He finished second to Bobby Fischer
at the Stockholm
Interzonal
. Then in the Candidates', he ended up just half a point short of playing for the title by scoring 17/27 at Curaçao
, tying for second place with Keres. That tournament was won by Tigran Petrosian
, who went on to win the title the next year. Geller lost a playoff match to Keres at Moscow 1962 by 4.5/3.5, but was able to enter the 1965 Candidates' matches when Botvinnik (defeated World Champion) declined to take part. He defeated Smyslov by 5.5–2.5 at Moscow in the first round, but lost to Spassky by 5.5–2.5 at Riga
in the semifinals. In a 1966 Copenhagen
playoff match against Bent Larsen
, the two players split eight games with two wins each, and Larsen won the first tiebreak game to secure Candidates' exemption in case of a withdrawal by a qualified player in the next cycle. (Eventually, this turned out not to matter, since none withdrew.) In the 1968 cycle, Geller again lost to Spassky, at Sukhumi
by 5.5–2.5, in a Candidates' first-round match. He had to return to the Interzonal
stage in 1970 at Palma de Mallorca
, but qualified as a Candidate again, losing his first match to Korchnoi at Moscow by 5.5–2.5. In 1973, he tied with Lajos Portisch
and Lev Polugaevsky
for second place at the Petropolis
Interzonal, but lost out in the three-way playoff match tournament at Portorož
, with two qualifying spots at stake, so did not advance.
Chess Olympiads#Best individual results in men's Olympiads
Geller was also selected on six occasions for the USSR team to the European Team Championships.
His team won gold each time, and he won four gold medals on his board. According to olimpbase.org, his overall score in Euroteams events is: (+17 =19 −1), for 71.6 per cent.
According to Jeff Sonas' Chessmetrics
rating system, Geller was ranked No. 3 in the world from 1962–63, and was in the world's top ten for much of the 1950s and 60s, and broke back into the top ten in 1973, 1975–7 and 1979–80.http://www.chessmetrics.com/PL/PL12392.htm Geller also had an overall plus score against world champions, +40 −32 =123, comprising Max Euwe
+1 −1 =0, Mikhail Botvinnik +4 −1 =5, Vasily Smyslov +11 −7 =31, Mikhail Tal +6 −6 =22, Tigran Petrosian +6 −2 =33, Boris Spassky +6 −9 =22, Bobby Fischer +5 −3 =2, Anatoly Karpov
+1− 2 =5, and Garry Kasparov
+0 −1 =3.
Total score against six World Champions (*) : 40 wins, 32 losses, 121 draws
.
expert, and was one of the pioneers in developing the King's Indian Defence
to prominence, along with fellow Ukrainians Isaac Boleslavsky
and David Bronstein
. Geller also greatly advanced the knowledge in several variations of the Sicilian Defence
, such as the quiet line with 6.Be2 against the Najdorf Variation 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6, which he used to defeat Bobby Fischer
. He introduced the sharp Geller Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.e4) against the Slav Defence. He acted as second (assistant) to World Champion Boris Spassky in the World Championship match of 1972 against Bobby Fischer
, and later seconded World Champion Anatoly Karpov
, as well as his lifelong close friend Tigran Petrosian
. His books included an autobiography, translated by Bernard Cafferty as Grandmaster Geller at the Chessboard (1969). This was later updated and reissued in 1983 under the title The Application of Chess Theory, and contains 100 well-annotated games. Former champion Botvinnik stated that, in his opinion, Geller was the best player in the world in the late 1960s. Geller seemed to be stronger in tournament play than in matches.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
player and world-class grandmaster at his peak. He won the Soviet Championship twice (in 1955 and 1979) and was a Candidate
Candidates Tournament
The Candidates Tournament is a chess tournament organized by the world chess federation FIDE since 1950, as the final contest to determine the challenger for the World Chess Championship...
for the World Championship
World championship
A world championship is the top achievement for any sport or contest. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best nation, team, individual in the world in a particular field. Certain sports do not have a world championship, instead...
on six occasions (1953, 1956, 1962, 1965, 1968, and 1971). He won four Ukrainian Championship
Ukrainian Chess Championship
This is a list of all the winners of the Ukrainian Chess Championship, including those held when Ukraine was a Soviet republic and those held after Ukraine became independent. Players' names listed in parentheses indicate that the player won the tournament but did not receive the title since he...
titles (in 1950, 1957, 1958, and 1959) and shared first in the 1991 World Seniors' Championship
World Senior Chess Championship
The World Senior Chess Championship is an annual chess tournament established in 1991 by FIDE, the World Chess Federation.Participants must have reached 60 years old on 1 January of the year of the event...
, winning the title outright in 1992.
Geller was also a coach to World Champions Boris Spassky
Boris Spassky
Boris Vasilievich Spassky is a Soviet-French chess grandmaster. He was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from late 1969 to 1972...
and Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He was the official world champion from 1975 to 1985 when he was defeated by Garry Kasparov. He played three matches against Kasparov for the title from 1986 to 1990, before becoming FIDE World Champion once...
. He was also an author.
Early life
Geller grew up in OdessaOdessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
, USSR. He was a fine basketball player, and earned his Doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in Physical Education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
before specialising in chess. His development as a top player was delayed by the inception of World War II.
Geller's first notable result was sixth place in the 1947 Ukrainian Chess Championship
Ukrainian Chess Championship
This is a list of all the winners of the Ukrainian Chess Championship, including those held when Ukraine was a Soviet republic and those held after Ukraine became independent. Players' names listed in parentheses indicate that the player won the tournament but did not receive the title since he...
at Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
with 9.5/15; the winner was Alexei Sokolsky. He shared 3rd–5th places at Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
1948 with 9/15, an event won by Jüri Randviir. Geller scored 11/18 in the 1948 Ukrainian Championship at Kiev for a shared 5th–8th place; the winners were Alexei Sokolsky and Poliak.
Grandmaster
He began to make his mark in the late 1940s. He won the USSR Championship semifinal qualifier at TbilisiTbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
1949 with 11.5/16, advancing to the final later that year. His finals debut was sensational at URS-ch17 at Moscow 1949, since as a virtual unknown he tied for 3rd–4th places with 12.5/19, behind only winners David Bronstein
David Bronstein
David Ionovich Bronstein was a Soviet chess grandmaster, who narrowly missed becoming World Chess Champion in 1951. Bronstein was described by his peers as a creative genius and master of tactics...
and Vasily Smyslov
Vasily Smyslov
Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov was a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster, and was World Chess Champion from 1957 to 1958. He was a Candidate for the World Chess Championship on eight occasions . Smyslov was twice equal first at the Soviet Championship , and his total of 17 Chess Olympiad medals won...
. Geller defeated such established stars as Semyon Furman
Semyon Furman
Semyon Abramovich Furman was a Soviet chess International Grandmaster and trainer. He is best known for developing Anatoly Karpov into a World Chess Champion, but was a formidable player himself, as well as a successful coach for several other world-class players...
, Isaac Boleslavsky
Isaac Boleslavsky
Isaac Yefremovich Boleslavsky was a Soviet–Jewish chess Grandmaster.-Early career:Boleslavsky taught himself chess at age 9...
, Alexander Kotov
Alexander Kotov
Alexander Alexandrovich Kotov was a Soviet chess grandmaster and author. He was a Soviet champion, a two-time world title Candidate, and a prolific chess author. Kotov served in high posts in the Soviet Chess Federation and most of his books were written during the period of Cold War between the...
, Salo Flohr
Salo Flohr
Salomon Mikhailovich Flohr was a leading Czech and later Soviet chess grandmaster of the mid-20th century, who became a national hero in Czechoslovakia during the 1930s. His name was used to sell many of the luxury products of the time, including Salo Flohr cigarettes, slippers and eau-de-cologne...
, fellow finals debutant Tigran Petrosian
Tigran Petrosian
Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian was a Soviet-Armenian grandmaster, and World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" due to his playing style because of his almost impenetrable defence, which emphasised safety above all else...
, Viacheslav Ragozin
Viacheslav Ragozin
Viacheslav Vasilyevich Ragozin was a Soviet chess Grandmaster, an International Arbiter of chess, and a World Correspondence Chess Champion. He was also a chess writer and editor.- Biography :...
, and Grigory Levenfish
Grigory Levenfish
Grigory Yakovlevich Levenfish was a leading Jewish Russian chess grandmaster of the 1920s and 1930s. He was twice Soviet champion - in 1934 and 1937. In 1937 he tied a match against future world champion Mikhail Botvinnik...
. Despite this showing, he was obliged to return to the semifinal level the next year, but advanced successfully with a third-place finish in the 1950 qualifier at Kiev with 9/15. At URS-ch18 at Moscow 1950, Geller made 9/17 for a shared 7th–10th place; the winner was Paul Keres
Paul Keres
Paul Keres , was an Estonian chess grandmaster, and a renowned chess writer. He was among the world's top players from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s....
. Also in 1950, Geller won the Ukrainian Championship at Kiev, the first of his four titles in that event; he repeated from 1957 to 1959, with all three events at Kiev. Geller in 1950 made a successful international debut at the Przepiorka Memorial at Iwonicz Zdroj
Iwonicz Zdrój
Iwonicz-Zdrój . It is located in the heartland of the Doły , and its average altitude is 410 metres above sea level, although there are some hills located within the confines of the city....
with 11.5/19 for seventh place in a powerful field; Keres won again.
Geller is reckoned to have been among the best ten players in the world for around twenty years. He was awarded the International Master title in 1951, and the International Grandmaster
International Grandmaster
The title Grandmaster is awarded to strong chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain....
title the following year.
Geller played in 23 USSR Chess Championship
USSR Chess Championship
This is a list of all the winners of the USSR Chess Championship. It was the strongest national chess championship ever held, with eight world chess champions and four world championship finalists among its winners...
s, a record equalled by Mark Taimanov
Mark Taimanov
Mark Evgenievich Taimanov is a leading Soviet and Russian chess player and concert pianist.-Chess:He was awarded the International Grandmaster title in 1952 and played in the Candidates Tournament in Zurich in 1953, where he tied for eighth place. From 1946 to 1956, he was among the world's top...
, achieving good results in many. He won in 1955 at Moscow (URS-ch22) when, despite losing five games, he finished with 12/19, then defeated Smyslov in the playoff match by the score of +1 =6. He won his second title in 1979 at Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
(URS-ch47) in his 54th year, making him the oldest Soviet champion.
Among his best results in other important tournaments were: clear first at Iwonicz Zdroj 1957, equal first with Taimanov at Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
1959, equal first with Lajos Portisch
Lajos Portisch
Lajos Portisch is a Hungarian chess Grandmaster, whose positional style earned him the nickname, the "Hungarian Botvinnik"...
at Beverwijk
Corus chess tournament
The Tata Steel Chess Tournament formerly called 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 Holland in the Netherlands...
1965, clear first at Kislovodsk
Kislovodsk
Kislovodsk is a city in Stavropol Krai, Russia, which lies in the North Caucasian region of the country, between the Black and Caspian Seas. The closest airport is located in the city of Mineralnye Vody. Population:...
1966, clear first at Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
1967, clear first at Kislovodsk 1968, equal first with Mikhail Botvinnik
Mikhail Botvinnik
Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik, Ph.D. was a Soviet and Russian International Grandmaster and three-time World Chess Champion. Working as an electrical engineer and computer scientist at the same time, he was one of the very few famous chess players who achieved distinction in another career while...
at Wijk aan Zee
Corus chess tournament
The Tata Steel Chess Tournament formerly called 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 Holland in the Netherlands...
1969 (ahead of Keres), equal first at Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
1971 with Vlastimil Hort
Vlastimil Hort
Vlastimil Hort is a chess Grandmaster of Czech nationality. During the 1960s and 1970s he was one of the world's strongest players and reached the Candidates stage of competition for the world chess championship, but was never able to compete for the actual title.Hort was born in Kladno,...
, equal first at Hilversum
Hilversum
is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Located in the region called "'t Gooi", it is the largest town in that area. It is surrounded by heathland, woods, meadows, lakes, and smaller villages...
1973 with Laszlo Szabo
László Szabó (chess player)
László Szabó was a prominent Hungarian Grandmaster of chess.Born in Budapest, he burst onto the international chess scene in 1935, at the unusually young age of 18...
, clear first at Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
1973 ahead of Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He was the official world champion from 1975 to 1985 when he was defeated by Garry Kasparov. He played three matches against Kasparov for the title from 1986 to 1990, before becoming FIDE World Champion once...
, clear first at Teesside
Teesside
Teesside is the name given to the conurbation in the north east of England made up of the towns of Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar, Billingham and surrounding settlements near the River Tees. It was also the name of a local government district between 1968 and 1974—the County Borough of...
1975, clear first at Moscow 1975 (ahead of Boris Spassky
Boris Spassky
Boris Vasilievich Spassky is a Soviet-French chess grandmaster. He was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from late 1969 to 1972...
, Viktor Korchnoi
Viktor Korchnoi
Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi ; pronounced in the original Russian as "karch NOY"; Ви́ктор Льво́вич Корчно́й, born March 23, 1931 is a professional chess player, author and currently the oldest active grandmaster on the tournament circuit...
, and Tigran Petrosian
Tigran Petrosian
Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian was a Soviet-Armenian grandmaster, and World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" due to his playing style because of his almost impenetrable defence, which emphasised safety above all else...
), clear first at Las Palmas 1976, equal first with Gennadi Sosonko
Gennadi Sosonko
Gennadi Borisovich Sosonko is a Dutch chess Grandmaster .At the beginning of his career, in 1958, he won in the Leningrad juniors championship.Sosonko moved from the Soviet Union to the Netherlands via Israel in 1972...
at Wijk aan Zee 1977, clear first at Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
1978, equal first at Bern 1987 with Daniel Campora
Daniel Cámpora
Daniel Hugo Cámpora an Argentine chess Grandmaster.He was Argentine Junior Champion in 1975. He was twice Argentine Champion in 1986 and 1989, and twice Sub-Champion in 1978 and 1987....
, clear first at Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
'A' 1989, and equal first at New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
Manhattan 1990 with Gregory Kaidanov
Gregory Kaidanov
Gregory Kaidanov is a Grandmaster of chess.As of April 2007, his Elo rating was 2587, making him the #9 player in the US and the 179th-highest rated player in the world. His peak rating was 2646 in 2002....
, at age 65.
In Seniors' competition, Geller further distinguished himself in the early 1990s. At the World Seniors' Championship, Bad Woerishofen 1991, he tied for first with Smyslov at 8.5/11. Then, in the next year's Championship at the same site, Geller claimed clear first with the same score. Geller remained active in high-level competitive chess until age 70; his last event was the 1995 Russian Championship at Elista
Elista
-Twin towns/sister cities:Elista is twinned with the following sister cities. Howell, New Jersey, United States Lhasa, Tibet, China. Ulan-Ude, Buryat Republic, Russia-See also:*Geden Sheddup Choikorling Monastery*Burkhan Bakshin Altan Sume-External links:...
.
World title Candidate
Geller reached the later stages of the World ChampionshipWorld Chess Championship
The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest this title....
several times. He was a Candidate
Candidates Tournament
The Candidates Tournament is a chess tournament organized by the world chess federation FIDE since 1950, as the final contest to determine the challenger for the World Chess Championship...
at Zurich 1953
Zurich 1953 chess tournament
Zurich 1953 was a chess tournament won by Vasily Smyslov. It was a Candidates Tournament for the 1954 World Chess Championship.-References:...
and Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
1956. His best result was in the 1962 cycle. He finished second to Bobby Fischer
Bobby Fischer
Robert James "Bobby" Fischer was an American chess Grandmaster and the 11th World Chess Champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. Fischer was also a best-selling chess author...
at the Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
Interzonal
Interzonal
Interzonal chess tournaments were tournaments organized by FIDE, the World Chess Federation, and were a stage in the triennial World Chess Championship cycle.- Zonal tournaments :...
. Then in the Candidates', he ended up just half a point short of playing for the title by scoring 17/27 at Curaçao
Curaçao
Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, tying for second place with Keres. That tournament was won by Tigran Petrosian
Tigran Petrosian
Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian was a Soviet-Armenian grandmaster, and World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" due to his playing style because of his almost impenetrable defence, which emphasised safety above all else...
, who went on to win the title the next year. Geller lost a playoff match to Keres at Moscow 1962 by 4.5/3.5, but was able to enter the 1965 Candidates' matches when Botvinnik (defeated World Champion) declined to take part. He defeated Smyslov by 5.5–2.5 at Moscow in the first round, but lost to Spassky by 5.5–2.5 at Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
in the semifinals. In a 1966 Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
playoff match against Bent Larsen
Bent Larsen
Jørgen Bent Larsen was a Danish chess Grandmaster and author. Larsen was known for his imaginative and unorthodox style of play and he was the first western player to pose a serious challenge to the Soviet Union's dominance of chess...
, the two players split eight games with two wins each, and Larsen won the first tiebreak game to secure Candidates' exemption in case of a withdrawal by a qualified player in the next cycle. (Eventually, this turned out not to matter, since none withdrew.) In the 1968 cycle, Geller again lost to Spassky, at Sukhumi
Sukhumi
Sukhumi is the capital of Abkhazia, a disputed region on the Black Sea coast. The city suffered heavily during the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict in the early 1990s.-Naming:...
by 5.5–2.5, in a Candidates' first-round match. He had to return to the Interzonal
Interzonal
Interzonal chess tournaments were tournaments organized by FIDE, the World Chess Federation, and were a stage in the triennial World Chess Championship cycle.- Zonal tournaments :...
stage in 1970 at Palma de Mallorca
Palma de Mallorca
Palma is the major city and port on the island of Majorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. The names Ciutat de Mallorca and Ciutat were used before the War of the Spanish Succession and are still used by people in Majorca. However, the official name...
, but qualified as a Candidate again, losing his first match to Korchnoi at Moscow by 5.5–2.5. In 1973, he tied with Lajos Portisch
Lajos Portisch
Lajos Portisch is a Hungarian chess Grandmaster, whose positional style earned him the nickname, the "Hungarian Botvinnik"...
and Lev Polugaevsky
Lev Polugaevsky
Lev Abramovich Polugaevsky was an International Grandmaster of chess and frequent contender for the world chess championship, although he never achieved that title...
for second place at the Petropolis
Petrópolis
Petrópolis , also known as The Imperial City of Brazil, is a town in the state of Rio de Janeiro, about 65 km from the city of Rio de Janeiro....
Interzonal, but lost out in the three-way playoff match tournament at Portorož
Portorož
- External links :**...
, with two qualifying spots at stake, so did not advance.
Beating the best
Geller represented the USSR seven times in Chess Olympiads, over an impressive 28-year span from 1952 to 1980, and contributed well each time to the team gold medal victories. He won three gold medals and three silver medals on his board. His overall score in Olympiad play is: (+46 =23 −7), for 75.7 per cent.Chess Olympiads#Best individual results in men's Olympiads
- Helsinki 195210th Chess OlympiadThe 10th Chess Olympiad, organized by the FIDE and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between August 9 and August 31, 1952, in Helsinki, Finland.-References:* OlimpBase...
, board 4, 10.5/14 (+8 =5 −1), board silver medal; - Amsterdam 195411th Chess OlympiadThe 11th Chess Olympiad, organized by the FIDE and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between September 4 and September 25, 1954, in Amsterdam, Netherlands...
, 1st reserve, 5/7 (+4 =2 −1), board gold medal; - Moscow 195612th Chess OlympiadThe 12th Chess Olympiad, organized by the FIDE and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between August 31 and September 25, 1956, in Moscow, Soviet Union.-References:...
, 2nd reserve, 7.5/10 (+7 =1 −2), board gold medal; - Varna 196215th Chess OlympiadThe 15th Chess Olympiad, organized by the FIDE and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between September 15 and October 10, 1962, in Varna, Bulgaria.-References:* OlimpBase...
, 1st reserve, 10.5/12 (+10 =1 −1), board gold medal; - Lugano 196818th Chess OlympiadThe 18th Chess Olympiad, organized by the FIDE and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between October 17 and November 7, 1968, in Lugano, Switzerland.-References:* OlimpBase...
, board 4, 9.5/12 (+7 =5 −0), board silver medal; - Siegen 197019th Chess OlympiadThe 19th Chess Olympiad, comprising an open team tournament and the Annual Congress of the Fédération Internationale des Échecs, took place between September 5 and September 27, 1970, in the small town of Siegen, West Germany.-Tournament report:...
, 2nd reserve, 8/12 (+6 =4 −2); - Valletta 198024th Chess OlympiadThe 24th Chess Olympiad, organized by the FIDE and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, took place between November 20 and December 6, 1980, in La Valletta, Malta.-References:* OlimpBase...
, board 4, 6.5/9 (+4 =5 −0), board silver medal.
Geller was also selected on six occasions for the USSR team to the European Team Championships.
His team won gold each time, and he won four gold medals on his board. According to olimpbase.org, his overall score in Euroteams events is: (+17 =19 −1), for 71.6 per cent.
- OberhausenOberhausenOberhausen is a city on the river Emscher in the Ruhr Area, Germany, located between Duisburg and Essen . The city hosts the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and its Gasometer Oberhausen is an anchor point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage. It is also well known for the...
1961, board 7, 6.5/9 (+4 =5 −0), board gold medal; - KapfenbergKapfenbergKapfenberg is a city in Styria, Austria, near Bruck an der Mur. The town's landmark is Burg Oberkapfenberg. Main employer in the city of Kapfenberg was and still is the steel manufacturer Böhler....
1970, board 4, 4/6 (+3 =2 −1), board gold medal; - Bath, Somerset 1973, board 7, 4.5/5 (+4 =1 −0), board gold medal;
- Moscow 1977, board 6, 4.5/7 (+2 =5 −0), board gold medal;
- SkaraSkaraSkara is a locality and the seat of Skara Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 18595 inhabitants in 2005. Despite its small size, it has a long educational and ecclesiastical history. One of Sweden's oldest high schools, Katedralskolan , is situated in Skara...
1980, board 5, 4/6 (+2 =4 −0); - PlovdivPlovdivPlovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
1983, 2nd reserve, 3/4 (+2 =2 −0).
According to Jeff Sonas' Chessmetrics
Chessmetrics
Chessmetrics is a system for rating chess players devised by Jeff Sonas. It is intended as an improvement over the Elo rating system.-Implementation:...
rating system, Geller was ranked No. 3 in the world from 1962–63, and was in the world's top ten for much of the 1950s and 60s, and broke back into the top ten in 1973, 1975–7 and 1979–80.http://www.chessmetrics.com/PL/PL12392.htm Geller also had an overall plus score against world champions, +40 −32 =123, comprising Max Euwe
Max Euwe
Machgielis Euwe was a Dutch chess Grandmaster, mathematician, and author. He was the fifth player to become World Chess Champion . Euwe also served as President of FIDE, the World Chess Federation, from 1970 to 1978.- Early years :Euwe was born in Watergraafsmeer, near Amsterdam...
+1 −1 =0, Mikhail Botvinnik +4 −1 =5, Vasily Smyslov +11 −7 =31, Mikhail Tal +6 −6 =22, Tigran Petrosian +6 −2 =33, Boris Spassky +6 −9 =22, Bobby Fischer +5 −3 =2, Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He was the official world champion from 1975 to 1985 when he was defeated by Garry Kasparov. He played three matches against Kasparov for the title from 1986 to 1990, before becoming FIDE World Champion once...
+1− 2 =5, and Garry Kasparov
Garry Kasparov
Garry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, a former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist, and one of the greatest chess players of all time....
+0 −1 =3.
Lifetime scores against top grandmasters
Note: only official tournament and match games are counted here.| Player | Wins | Losses | Draws Draw (chess) In chess, a draw is when a game ends in a tie. It is one of the possible outcomes of a game, along with a win for White and a win for Black . Usually, in tournaments a draw is worth a half point to each player, while a win is worth one point to the victor and none to the loser.For the most part,... |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mikhail Botvinnik Mikhail Botvinnik Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik, Ph.D. was a Soviet and Russian International Grandmaster and three-time World Chess Champion. Working as an electrical engineer and computer scientist at the same time, he was one of the very few famous chess players who achieved distinction in another career while... * |
4 | 1 | 7 |
| David Bronstein David Bronstein David Ionovich Bronstein was a Soviet chess grandmaster, who narrowly missed becoming World Chess Champion in 1951. Bronstein was described by his peers as a creative genius and master of tactics... |
5 | 4 | 12 |
| Bobby Fischer Bobby Fischer Robert James "Bobby" Fischer was an American chess Grandmaster and the 11th World Chess Champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. Fischer was also a best-selling chess author... * |
5 | 3 | 2 |
| Paul Keres Paul Keres Paul Keres , was an Estonian chess grandmaster, and a renowned chess writer. He was among the world's top players from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s.... |
7 | 8 | 21 |
| Viktor Korchnoi Viktor Korchnoi Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi ; pronounced in the original Russian as "karch NOY"; Ви́ктор Льво́вич Корчно́й, born March 23, 1931 is a professional chess player, author and currently the oldest active grandmaster on the tournament circuit... |
6 | 11 | 16 |
| Bent Larsen Bent Larsen Jørgen Bent Larsen was a Danish chess Grandmaster and author. Larsen was known for his imaginative and unorthodox style of play and he was the first western player to pose a serious challenge to the Soviet Union's dominance of chess... |
4 | 5 | 2 |
| Tigran Petrosian Tigran Petrosian Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian was a Soviet-Armenian grandmaster, and World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" due to his playing style because of his almost impenetrable defence, which emphasised safety above all else... * |
6 | 3 | 34 |
| Lajos Portisch Lajos Portisch Lajos Portisch is a Hungarian chess Grandmaster, whose positional style earned him the nickname, the "Hungarian Botvinnik"... |
4 | 2 | 12 |
| Vasily Smyslov Vasily Smyslov Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov was a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster, and was World Chess Champion from 1957 to 1958. He was a Candidate for the World Chess Championship on eight occasions . Smyslov was twice equal first at the Soviet Championship , and his total of 17 Chess Olympiad medals won... * |
11 | 9 | 33 |
| Boris Spassky Boris Spassky Boris Vasilievich Spassky is a Soviet-French chess grandmaster. He was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from late 1969 to 1972... * |
8 | 10 | 22 |
| Mark Taimanov Mark Taimanov Mark Evgenievich Taimanov is a leading Soviet and Russian chess player and concert pianist.-Chess:He was awarded the International Grandmaster title in 1952 and played in the Candidates Tournament in Zurich in 1953, where he tied for eighth place. From 1946 to 1956, he was among the world's top... |
8 | 9 | 13 |
| Mikhail Tal Mikhail Tal Mikhail Tal was a Soviet–Latvian chess player, a Grandmaster, and the eighth World Chess Champion.Widely regarded as a creative genius, and the best attacking player of all time, he played a daring, combinatorial style. His play was known above all for improvisation and unpredictability.... * |
6 | 6 | 23 |
| Total | 74 | 71 | 197 |
Total score against six World Champions (*) : 40 wins, 32 losses, 121 draws
Draw (chess)
In chess, a draw is when a game ends in a tie. It is one of the possible outcomes of a game, along with a win for White and a win for Black . Usually, in tournaments a draw is worth a half point to each player, while a win is worth one point to the victor and none to the loser.For the most part,...
.
Legacy
Geller is best remembered today for the tactical ability and original attacking style which characterised the earlier part of his career. In later years he became a more rounded player. He was noted as an openingsChess opening
A chess opening is the group of initial moves of a chess game. Recognized sequences of opening moves are referred to as openings as initiated by White or defenses, as created in reply by Black. There are many dozens of different openings, and hundreds of named variants. The Oxford Companion to...
expert, and was one of the pioneers in developing the King's Indian Defence
King's Indian Defence
The King's Indian Defence is a common chess opening. It arises after the moves:Black intends to follow up with 3...Bg7 and 4...d6.The Grünfeld Defence arises when Black plays 3...d5 instead, and is considered a separate opening...
to prominence, along with fellow Ukrainians Isaac Boleslavsky
Isaac Boleslavsky
Isaac Yefremovich Boleslavsky was a Soviet–Jewish chess Grandmaster.-Early career:Boleslavsky taught himself chess at age 9...
and David Bronstein
David Bronstein
David Ionovich Bronstein was a Soviet chess grandmaster, who narrowly missed becoming World Chess Champion in 1951. Bronstein was described by his peers as a creative genius and master of tactics...
. Geller also greatly advanced the knowledge in several variations of the Sicilian Defence
Sicilian Defence
The Sicilian Defence is a chess opening that begins with the moves:The Sicilian is the most popular and best-scoring response to White's first move 1.e4...
, such as the quiet line with 6.Be2 against the Najdorf Variation 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6, which he used to defeat Bobby Fischer
Bobby Fischer
Robert James "Bobby" Fischer was an American chess Grandmaster and the 11th World Chess Champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. Fischer was also a best-selling chess author...
. He introduced the sharp Geller Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.e4) against the Slav Defence. He acted as second (assistant) to World Champion Boris Spassky in the World Championship match of 1972 against Bobby Fischer
Bobby Fischer
Robert James "Bobby" Fischer was an American chess Grandmaster and the 11th World Chess Champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. Fischer was also a best-selling chess author...
, and later seconded World Champion Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He was the official world champion from 1975 to 1985 when he was defeated by Garry Kasparov. He played three matches against Kasparov for the title from 1986 to 1990, before becoming FIDE World Champion once...
, as well as his lifelong close friend Tigran Petrosian
Tigran Petrosian
Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian was a Soviet-Armenian grandmaster, and World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" due to his playing style because of his almost impenetrable defence, which emphasised safety above all else...
. His books included an autobiography, translated by Bernard Cafferty as Grandmaster Geller at the Chessboard (1969). This was later updated and reissued in 1983 under the title The Application of Chess Theory, and contains 100 well-annotated games. Former champion Botvinnik stated that, in his opinion, Geller was the best player in the world in the late 1960s. Geller seemed to be stronger in tournament play than in matches.
Notable chess games
- Alexander Kotov vs Efim Geller, USSR Championship, Moscow 1949, King's Indian Defence, Fianchetto Variation (E68), 0–1 Geller makes his debut at the top Soviet event, and makes sure he's noticed with wins like this.
- Tigran Petrosian vs Efim Geller, USSR Championship, Moscow 1949, King's Indian Defence, Petrosian Variation (E93), 0–1 Petrosian's new system gets a rough ride in one of its first games.
- Efim Geller vs Alexei Sokolsky, USSR Championship, Moscow 1950, French Defence, Winawer Variation (C18), 1–0 A drastic victory spurred by a new opening idea on White's eighth move.
- Mikhail Botvinnik vs Efim Geller, Budapest 1952, King's Indian Defence, Fianchetto Variation (E68), 0–1 Geller wins a crucial game over the World Champion.
- Efim Geller vs Paul Keres, USSR Championship, Tbilisi 1959, Nimzo–Indian Defence, Rubinstein Variation (E45), 1–0 Keres had a big edge in wins over Geller early on, but Geller started to close the gap.
- Efim Geller vs Bobby Fischer, Curaçao Candidates 1962, Sicilian Defence, Najdorf Variation, Opocensky Variation (B92), 1–0 Rising American star Bobby Fischer gets overrun by Geller's queenside advance.
- Efim Geller vs Boris Spassky, USSR Spartakiad 1964, Sicilian Defence, Scheveningen Variation (B83), 1–0 Geller had the edge over Spassky in tournament play, but the younger Spassky dominated in their two matches.
- Efim Geller vs Vasily Smyslov, Candidates' Match, Moscow 1965, game 5, Grunfeld Defence, Exchange Variation (D87), 1–0 A fabulous tactical masterpiece involving repeated Queen sacrifices, exploiting Black's weak back rank.
- Efim Geller vs Bent Larsen, Playoff Match, Copenhagen 1966, game 2, Sicilian Defence, Richter–Rauzer Variation (B69), 10 Larsen is a tactical wizard who gets outplayed in this encounter.
- Leonid Stein vs Efim Geller, USSR Team Championship, Moscow 1966, King's Indian Defence, Averbakh Variation (E70), 0–1 Two King's Indian maestros go toe-to-toe, and Geller comes out on top.
- Bobby Fischer vs Efim Geller, Skopje 1967, Sicilian Defence, Velimirovic Attack (B89), 0–1 During a stretch when Fischer was beating virtually everybody else, Geller was dominating Fischer. Here Fischer miscalculates and is drastically punished.
- Efim Geller vs David Bronstein, Kislovodsk 1968, Sicilian Defence, de la Bourdonnais Variation (B32), 1–0 Bronstein was another player who dominated Geller at first, but Geller persevered and started winning.
- Efim Geller vs Viktor Korchnoi, Candidates' Match, Moscow 1971, game 4, Sicilian Defence, Dragon Variation (B78), 1–0 When it came to a theoretical duel, Geller could certainly hold his own with anyone.
- Efim Geller vs Mikhail Tal, Moscow 1975, Pirc Defence (B08), 1–0 A tactical melee between two attacking geniuses.
- Efim Geller vs Anatoly Karpov, USSR Championship, Moscow 1976, French Defence, Winawer Variation (C16), 1–0 Geller crosses up World Champion Karpov, whom he was coaching, with a surprise in the opening, to counter Karpov's own unusual defensive choice.