Efim Geller
Efim Geller | |
---|---|
Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union | |
Died | 17 November 1998 Moscow, Russia | (aged 73)
Title | Grandmaster (1952) |
Peak rating | 2620 (January 1976) |
Efim Petrovich Geller (
Early life
Geller grew up in
Geller's first notable result was sixth place in the 1947
Grandmaster
Geller began to make his mark in the late 1940s, as he won the USSR Championship semifinal qualifier at
Geller is reckoned to have been among the best ten players in the world for around twenty years. He was awarded the
Geller played in 23 USSR Chess Championships, 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 equal first 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) at the age of 54, 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
In Seniors' competition, Geller further distinguished himself in the early 1990s. At the World Seniors' Championship,
World title candidate
Geller reached the later stages of the
Geller's best result was in the
In the 1965 Candidates he defeated Smyslov by 5½–2½ at Moscow in the first round, but lost to Spassky by 5½–2½ 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
Team tournaments
Geller represented the USSR seven times in the Chess Olympiad, over a 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 on his board. His overall score in the Olympiad play is: (+46−7=23), for 75.7 per cent.
- Helsinki 1952, board 4, 10½/14 (+8−1=5), board silver medal;
- Amsterdam 1954, 1st reserve, 5/7 (+4−1=2), board gold medal;
- Moscow 1956, 2nd reserve, 7½/10 (+7−2=1), board gold medal;
- Varna 1962, 1st reserve, 10½/12 (+10−1=1), board gold medal;
- Lugano 1968, board 4, 9½/12 (+7−0=5), board silver medal;
- Siegen 1970, 2nd reserve, 8/12 (+6−2=4);
- Valletta 1980, board 4, 6½/9 (+4−0=5), 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: (+17−1=19), for 71.6 per cent.
- Oberhausen 1961, board 7, 6½/9 (+4−0=5), board gold medal;
- Kapfenberg 1970, board 4, 4/6 (+3−1=2), board gold medal;
- Bath, Somerset 1973, board 7, 4½/5 (+4−0=1), board gold medal;
- Moscow 1977, board 6, 4½/7 (+2−0=5), board gold medal;
- Skara 1980, board 5, 4/6 (+2−0=4);
- Plovdiv 1983, 2nd reserve, 3/4 (+2−0=2).
Assessment
According to Jeff Sonas' Chessmetrics rating system, Geller was ranked No. 2 in the world May–July 1963, and was in the world's top ten for much of the 1950s and 1960s.[2] After FIDE adopted the Elo rating system in 1971, Geller appeared in the top 10 three times: in 1971 (equal 6th, 2630), 1976 (equal 8th, 2620) and 1981 (equal 10th, 2615).
Geller had an overall plus score against four world champions: Mikhail Botvinnik +4−1=7, Vasily Smyslov +11−8=37, Tigran Petrosian +5−3=32, Bobby Fischer +5−3=2.[3] In total, Geller played ten and beat eight world chess champions, and his overall record in games in classical chess against world champions is positive: +39−36=131 (Max Euwe +1−1, Mikhail Botvinnik +4−1=7, Vassily Smyslov +11−8=37, Mikhail Tal +6−6=23, Tigran Petrosian +5−3=32, Boris Spassky +6−10=22, Bobby Fischer +5−3=2, Anatoly Karpov +1−2=5, Garry Kasparov +0−1=2, Viswanathan Anand +0−1=1). Geller did rather badly against Korchnoi (+6−11=16) and Polugaevsky (+4−11=21).
Lifetime scores against top grandmasters
Note: only official tournament and match games in classical chess are counted here.
Player | Wins | Losses | Draws |
---|---|---|---|
Mikhail Botvinnik | 4 | 1 | 7 |
David Bronstein | 5 | 5 | 15 |
Bobby Fischer | 5 | 3 | 2 |
Svetozar Gligoric |
4 | 1 | 22 |
Vlastimil Hort | 2 | 1 | 11 |
Paul Keres | 7 | 9 | 21 |
Viktor Korchnoi | 6 | 11 | 16 |
Bent Larsen | 3 | 5 | 9 |
Tigran Petrosian | 5 | 3 | 32 |
Lev Polugaevsky | 4 | 11 | 21 |
Lajos Portisch | 4 | 2 | 12 |
Vasily Smyslov | 11 | 8 | 37 |
Boris Spassky | 6 | 10 | 22 |
Leonid Stein | 6 | 1 | 7 |
Mark Taimanov | 8 | 7 | 12 |
Mikhail Tal | 6 | 6 | 23 |
Total | 86 | 84 | 269 |
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
Geller was featured in the 2014 Bobby Fischer biopic Pawn Sacrifice, portrayed by Edward Zinoviev.
Notable games
- Alexander Kotov vs. 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. 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.
- 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. Geller, Budapest 1952, King's Indian Defence, Fianchetto Variation (E68), 0–1 Geller wins a crucial game over the World Champion.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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. 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. 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Geller vs. Mikhail Tal, Moscow 1975, Pirc Defence (B08), 1–0 A tactical melee between two attacking geniuses.
- 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 and finishes him off with a queen sacrifice.
See also
References
- ISBN 0-19-281986-0.
- ^ "Efim Geller". Chessmetrics. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
- ^ Becerra, Julio (24 May 2011). "A Threat to the Champions". Chess.com. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
External links
- Efim Geller chess games at 365Chess.com
- Efim Geller player profile and games at Chessgames.com
- Efim Geller Chess Olympiad record at OlimpBase.org
- Efim Geller FIDE rating history at OlimpBase.org
- Crowther, Mark (23 November 1998), THE WEEK IN CHESS 211: Yefim Petrovich Geller 1925–1998, The Week in Chess
- Thomas Jr., Robert McG. (21 November 1998). "Yefim Geller, Grandmaster Of Daring Attacks, Dies at 73". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 4 September 2017.