Efim Geller
Efim Geller (Ukrainian Ефим Геллер, scientific transcription Efim Geller, also Russian Ефим Петрович Геллер, scientific transliteration Efim Petrovich Geller, born March 8, 1925 in Odessa, † November 17, 1998 in Moscow ) was a Ukrainian- Soviet chess grandmaster.
Life
Efim Geller, a doctorate in economics, was relatively late for chess, his passion was allegedly previously in basketball. In the early 1950s he made the chess world 's attention. In 1949 he won in the semifinals to Tbilisi USSR championship, the same year he shared in the USSR Championship 3rd and 4th place. In 1951 he shared the 2nd and 3rd place in the national championship and was sent by the USSR Chess Federation to the Interzonal to Stockholm in 1952. His fourth place in the tournament qualified him for the Candidates tournament in 1953 in Zurich and Neuhausen. His 7th place in the tournament was honorable. In 1955 he was first USSR champion. In 1956 he was again participants in the Candidates' Tournament in Amsterdam, where he shared 3rd to 7th was.
In 1962 Geller was behind Bobby Fischer Interzonal in Stockholm Second, together with the eventual champion Tigran Petrosian. During the subsequent Candidates Tournament in Curacao he told 2nd and 3rd place - in this tournament he achieved a positive result against Robert James Fischer ( 2, -1, = 1). Also in the next cycle came Geller to the candidate. 1965 ( the regulations had been changed - now they played tournaments instead of a major tournament ) in the quarterfinals, he defeated former World Champion Vasily Smyslov with 5.5 to 2.5, but he was defeated in the semifinals Boris Spassky, afterwards the challenger of the World Champion, with 2.5-5.5. In 1968 he was defeated by eventual champion Boris Spassky in the quarter- finals with 2.5-5.5. He also qualified in 1970 by his 3rd place in the Interzonal in Palma for the candidate fights, but he also failed, this time in the quarter- finals. Viktor Korchnoi defeated him 5.5 to 2.5. This was his last attempt to get under the candidate for the world championship throne. In 1972 he was seconded Boris Spassky in its title defense against Robert James Fischer. In 1979 he was for the second time USSR champion.
Geller has gone down in history as the chess player a positive record against the world champion Mikhail Botvinnik ( 4 = 5 -1), Bobby Fischer ( 5, = 2, -3), Vasily Smyslov ( 11, = 31, -7 ) and Tigran Petrosian ( 6 = 33, -2 ) has. Eight times he took part in inter-zonal tournaments, seven times he won the USSR Chess Olympiads at the gold medal. In 1979, he won a 54 -year-old USSR Championship; previously managed this no player over 50 years. Shone Also in team competitions Geller. Seven times he won the team gold medal at the USSR Chess Olympiads (1952, 1954, 1956, 1962, 1968, 1970 and 1980), ie in a period of 28 years. He won three gold and two silver medals for his individual score. Mikhail Tal once said the view that Geller would have achieved a much better result in his career, when the Second World War would not have come up (which probably also applies to Keres ).
Geller's best historical Elo rating was 2765th This he achieved in August 1963. In 1963 he was temporarily at No. 2 in the world rankings.
In 1989 Geller won the Grand Masters tournament of the Dortmund Chess Days. In 1992 Geller became world champion in the senior.