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Keres, Paul

classical era

Paul Keres (1916-1975) was an Estonian grandmaster known as the "Crown Prince of Chess" for being arguably the strongest player never to become World Champion, finishing runner-up in the Candidates Tournament four consecutive times from 1953-1962. After winning the prestigious AVRO 1938 tournament ahead of future world champions, his title chances were derailed by World War II, beginning a career-long pattern of near-misses at the ultimate prize.

Total Games

1570

Wins

696

Draws

708

Losses

166

44.3% wins45.1% draws10.6% losses

Most Played Openings

C86 - Ruy Lopez: Closed, Worrall Attack26E14 - Queen's Indian Defense: Spassky System25C84 - Ruy Lopez: Closed23C99 - Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense, Panov System22C87 - Ruy Lopez: Closed, Averbakh Variation22D41 - Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense21C71 - Ruy Lopez: Noah's Ark Trap21C73 - Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Modern Steinitz Defense19C92 - Ruy Lopez: Closed18E19 - Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Main Line17

Most Faced Opponents

Smyslov, Vassily40 gamesGeller, Efim P34 gamesPetrosian, Tigran V32 gamesEuwe, Max27 gamesStahlberg, Gideon26 gamesTal, Mihail26 gamesSpassky, Boris V25 gamesGligoric, Svetozar25 gamesBronstein, David I25 gamesFlohr, Salo21 games

Featured Games

FCGFCG
0-1

Reshevsky, Samuel Herman vs Keres, Paul

World Championship 18th

1948

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FCGFCG
0-1

Keres, Paul vs Botvinnik, Mikhail

World Championship 18th

1948

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FCGFCG
0-1

Keres, Paul vs Botvinnik, Mikhail

World Championship 18th

1948

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FCGFCG
1-0

Reshevsky, Samuel Herman vs Keres, Paul

World Championship 18th

1948

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FCGFCG
0-1

Euwe, Max vs Keres, Paul

World Championship 18th

1948

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FCGFCG
1-0

Keres, Paul vs Najdorf, Miguel

Gothenburg Interzonal

1955

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FCGFCG
1-0

Smyslov, Vassily vs Keres, Paul

World Championship 18th

1948

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FCGFCG
1-0

Keres, Paul vs Botvinnik, Mikhail

World Championship 18th

1948

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FCGFCG
1-0

Portisch, Lajos vs Keres, Paul

Petropolis Interzonal

1973

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FCGFCG
0-1

Smyslov, Vassily vs Keres, Paul

World Championship 18th

1948

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Games (1570)

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Keres, Paul vs Unzicker, Wolfgang
1-0
Hamburg m 1956 C97
Keres, Paul vs Taimanov, Mark E
1/2-1/2
Alekhine mem 1956 B66
Keres, Paul vs Taimanov, Mark E
1-0
URS-ch22 1955 E13
Lisitsin, Georgy vs Keres, Paul
0-1
URS-ch22 1955 A06
Kotov, Alexander vs Keres, Paul
1/2-1/2
URS-ch22 1955 D71
Keres, Paul vs Flohr, Salo
1/2-1/2
URS-ch22 1955 D40
Keres, Paul vs Byrne, Robert E
1-0
URS-USA telex 1955 B20
Byrne, Robert E vs Keres, Paul
1/2-1/2
URS-USA telex 1955 E24
Randviir, Juri vs Keres, Paul
1/2-1/2
Parnu 1955 C86
Keres, Paul vs Benko, Pal C
1/2-1/2
HUN-URS 1955 B20
Simagin, Vladimir vs Keres, Paul
0-1
URS-ch22 1955 C46
Byrne, Robert E vs Keres, Paul
0-1
URS-USA telex 1955 C39
Keres, Paul vs Ragozin, Viacheslav
1-0
Parnu 1955 C90
Keres, Paul vs Sherbakov, Vitaly S
1-0
URS-ch22 1955 D03
Bilek, Istvan vs Keres, Paul
1/2-1/2
HUN-URS 1955 A09
Keres, Paul vs Byrne, Robert E
1-0
URS-USA telex 1955 B63
Keres, Paul vs Kortschnoj, Viktor
1/2-1/2
URS-ch22 1955 B70
Keres, Paul vs Lilienthal, Andor
1-0
Parnu 1955 C82
Furman, Semen Abramovich vs Keres, Paul
1-0
URS-ch22 1955 D27
Keres, Paul vs Arulaid, Alexander
1-0
Parnu 1955 C75
Borisenko, Georgy K vs Keres, Paul
0-1
URS-ch22 1955 D50
Keres, Paul vs Mikenas, Vladas
0-1
URS-ch22 1955 B88
Benko, Pal C vs Keres, Paul
1/2-1/2
HUN-URS 1955 D02
Keres, Paul vs Barcza, Gedeon
1-0
HUN-URS 1955 B95
Ilivitzki, Georgi A vs Keres, Paul
1-0
URS-ch22 1955 E45
Keres, Paul vs Averbakh, Yuri L
1/2-1/2
URS-ch22 1955 A04
Keres, Paul vs Mikenas, Vladas
1-0
Parnu 1955 D33
Tolush, Alexander V vs Keres, Paul
0-1
Parnu 1955 E05
Flohr, Salo vs Keres, Paul
1/2-1/2
Parnu 1955 A30
Keres, Paul vs Nei, Iivo
1-0
Parnu 1955 D48
Antoshin, Vladimir S vs Keres, Paul
1/2-1/2
URS-ch22 1955 C92
Mikkov, U. vs Keres, Paul
0-1
Parnu 1955 E87
Ilivitzki, Georgi A vs Keres, Paul
0-1
Parnu 1955 B38
Keres, Paul vs Szabo, Laszlo
1-0
HUN-URS 1955 B64
Keres, Paul vs Kluger, Gyula
1-0
HUN-URS 1955 C86
Barcza, Gedeon vs Keres, Paul
1/2-1/2
HUN-URS 1955 D02
Kan, Ilia Abramovich vs Keres, Paul
0-1
URS-ch22 1955 A57
Keres, Paul vs Alexander, Conel Hughes
1-0
Hastings5455 1954 C42
Keres, Paul vs Agustsson, Gudmundur
1-0
Amsterdam olm 1954 B11
Keres, Paul vs Donner, Jan Hein
1-0
Amsterdam olm 1954 C86
Pilnik, Herman vs Keres, Paul
0-1
Amsterdam olm 1954 C90
Keres, Paul vs Bolbochan, Julio
1-0
ARG-URS 1954 B77
Pachman, Ludek vs Keres, Paul
1/2-1/2
Hastings5455 1954 E14
Bobekov, R. vs Keres, Paul
0-1
Amsterdam olm 1954 D32
Keres, Paul vs Palmason, Gundmundur
1-0
Amsterdam olm 1954 B88
Pavey, Max vs Keres, Paul
1-0
USA-URS 1954 E68
Donner, Jan Hein vs Keres, Paul
0-1
Hastings5455 1954 A63
Keres, Paul vs Stoltz, Goesta
1-0
SWE-URS 1954 C80
Unzicker, Wolfgang vs Keres, Paul
0-1
Hastings5455 1954 C71
Keres, Paul vs Pavey, Max
1-0
USA-URS 1954 C10
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