Keres, Paul
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
Featured Games
0-1
Reshevsky, Samuel Herman vs Keres, Paul
World Championship 18th
1948
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Keres, Paul vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
World Championship 18th
1948
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Keres, Paul vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
World Championship 18th
1948
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Reshevsky, Samuel Herman vs Keres, Paul
World Championship 18th
1948
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Euwe, Max vs Keres, Paul
World Championship 18th
1948
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Keres, Paul vs Najdorf, Miguel
Gothenburg Interzonal
1955
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Smyslov, Vassily vs Keres, Paul
World Championship 18th
1948
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Keres, Paul vs Botvinnik, Mikhail
World Championship 18th
1948
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Portisch, Lajos vs Keres, Paul
Petropolis Interzonal
1973
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Smyslov, Vassily vs Keres, Paul
World Championship 18th
1948
View PrintGames (1570)
Search & Filter All Games →Nicolas vs Keres, Paul
0-1Madrid 1943 C77
Keres, Paul vs Fichtl, Jiri
1-0Prague 1943 D61
Thelen, Bedrich vs Keres, Paul
1/2-1/2Prague 1943 D94
Navarro, M. vs Keres, Paul
0-1Madrid 1943 A32
Keres, Paul vs Bartosek, Milan
1-0Prague 1943 C07
Keres, Paul vs Novotny, Oldrich
1-0Prague 1943 B01
Keres, Paul vs Sucha, Ruzena
1-0Prague 1943 C10
Prucha, Karel vs Keres, Paul
1/2-1/2Prague 1943 A57
Keres, Paul vs Ingelmo, A.
1-0Madrid 1943 B08
Dietze, Max vs Keres, Paul
0-1Prague 1943 D92
Keres, Paul vs Bogoljubow, Efim
1/2-1/2Salzburg 1942 C07
Keres, Paul vs Stoltz, Goesta
1-0Salzburg 1942 D43
Junge, Klaus vs Keres, Paul
1/2-1/2Munich 1942 E02
Keres, Paul vs Junge, Klaus
1/2-1/2Salzburg 1942 D45
Schmidt, Paul Felix vs Keres, Paul
1/2-1/2Salzburg 1942 E17
Keres, Paul vs Barcza, Gedeon
1-0Munich 1942 C90
Bogoljubow, Efim vs Keres, Paul
1/2-1/2Munich 1942 C50
Stoltz, Goesta vs Keres, Paul
1/2-1/2Munich 1942 E52
Keres, Paul vs Richter, Kurt
0-1Munich 1942 A28
Keres, Paul vs Napolitano, Mariano
1-0Munich 1942 E33
Stoltz, Goesta vs Keres, Paul
0-1Salzburg 1942 D04
Keres, Paul vs Rabar, Braslav
1-0Munich 1942 C90
Keres, Paul vs Rellstab, Ludwig Sr
1-0Munich 1942 C41
Bogoljubow, Efim vs Keres, Paul
0-1Salzburg 1942 E14
Rohacek, V. vs Keres, Paul
0-1Munich 1942 C11
Junge, Klaus vs Keres, Paul
0-1Salzburg 1942 E02
Keres, Paul vs Foltys, Jan
1-0Munich 1942 B55
Keres, Paul vs Schmidt, Paul Felix
1/2-1/2Salzburg 1942 C36
Keres, Paul vs Bondarevsky, Igor
1-0Leningrad/Moscow 1941 B11
Lilienthal, Andor vs Keres, Paul
1-0Leningrad/Moscow 1941 E19
Bondarevsky, Igor vs Keres, Paul
1/2-1/2Leningrad/Moscow 1941 D12
Keres, Paul vs Boleslavsky, Isaak
1/2-1/2Leningrad/Moscow 1941 C19
Boleslavsky, Isaak vs Keres, Paul
1-0Leningrad/Moscow 1941 C99
Keres, Paul vs Bondarevsky, Igor
1-0Leningrad/Moscow 1941 E02
Boleslavsky, Isaak vs Keres, Paul
1/2-1/2Leningrad/Moscow 1941 C92
Lilienthal, Andor vs Keres, Paul
1/2-1/2Leningrad/Moscow 1941 E58
Keres, Paul vs Lilienthal, Andor
1-0Leningrad/Moscow 1941 C86
Keres, Paul vs Lilienthal, Andor
1-0Leningrad/Moscow 1941 C31
Keres, Paul vs Boleslavsky, Isaak
1/2-1/2Leningrad/Moscow 1941 C19
Bondarevsky, Igor vs Keres, Paul
1/2-1/2Leningrad/Moscow 1941 E39
Makogonov, Vladimir Andreevich vs Keres, Paul
1-0URS-ch12 1940 E87
Gerstenfeld, Eduard Issakovich vs Keres, Paul
0-1URS-ch12 1940 C87
Keres, Paul vs Veresov, Gavriil N
0-1URS-ch12 1940 E20
Dubinin, Peter Vasilievich vs Keres, Paul
0-1URS-ch12 1940 C90
Keres, Paul vs Kotov, Alexander
1-0URS-ch12 1940 E33
Keres, Paul vs Ragozin, Viacheslav
1-0URS-ch12 1940 C79
Keres, Paul vs Mikenas, Vladas
1/2-1/2URS-ch12 1940 C15
Stolberg, Mark Moiseevich vs Keres, Paul
0-1URS-ch12 1940 A28
Lisitsin, Georgy vs Keres, Paul
0-1URS-ch12 1940 D94
Keres, Paul vs Lilienthal, Andor
1/2-1/2URS-ch12 1940 C19