chess-The Oxford Companion to Chess - First Edition by David Hooper & Kenneth Whyld

KERES 163
and having lew opportunities in his youth 1oneer darcs (in effect aI challcnsen) were selecled by
other playe$. fic played in(ead several hundrcd uDE. Keres canc third (+8=5 7) cqual aith
gancs by correspondencei by thh means he Resbersky altcr Botvinnil and Smyslov. Keres
acquired suflicienr sLill to wia the nalion.l oler thc. t,layed in all live Candidates loumadenlsl
lhe board championship in 1934. Estonia, havine Budapest 1950, loDllh (+3:12 2); NcuhauseF
tound hersclf a slar. decided ro compcte in the zunch 1953, second (+8=16-4) equal *nh
Olynpiad at Warsa* 1935 Keres lcd the team, Reshcvsky after Sntslovi Amsterd.B 1956.
scorcd more wins lhan anyothcr top-board Plalei, sccond (+3=14 1) altcr Smyslovi Bled-Zagrcb
a.d surpnsed the chcsswodd with bolh hissueNs Bellrade 1959. sccond (+15=? 6l after L{Liand
and ue brilliance of his Play. (Hc aho hd an cu;eao 1962, second (+9=16-2) equ.l with
Estonian ream in l937..ndagain in l9l9shenhis GILL.R h all a point afl er PFrRos Y^N In a Play otf to
country Non the bronze mcdal.) Keres soon dclcrnine a ch.ll.nger (should the .hampion.
p.oved rhar his results in WarsaNBe!.noaeidenl. Bolvinnik- retnc sithout playjig) Keres defeated
He shared fi6r prizewirhrE(sNtr(+4=5) ar Bad celler (+2=5 1). Seeded as a Candidate in 1965
Nauheim 1936 and vnh rIN. (+6=3) ahead oi (crcs lost the quarteFinal oalch to sP^ssKt.
Alckhine at Margate 1937. Keres wnies that Dnring these yca6 Keres won a match agrinst
bccanse oI one or tso conparative lailuresaround uNzciEB (1956. +4=,1)- won the UssR Champron\hip
in la5U (+t=?-2) dnJ lorl (+q=6-Z),
this tine he began playing in a nore solid manner.
taking lewer risks, which brought him firsl Pnze Jnd $un or \hdrcd fiAt prize in '* nrunS
(+6=6-2) ahead oi Finc, c
iniernationll totrrnamenrs: Budapest 1952
sn, and FroHr at Sennering-Baden 1937, lhe (+10=5 2) ahead oi Gellcr. Botvinnik, and
strongen tournamcni of the year. Widcly rcgarded Snyslov: llaslings 195,L5 (+6=2 1) equal sith
dsapossiblcluturechanpion, Kcrcswasinvited to Smtslov: Zurnh l96r (+?=4) aheadolPcirosyanl
,lay in the tournamcnr 1938, a gatb€ing oi Los Angelcs 1S63. about calegory 14 (+6=5 3),
rhe world s ^vxo besr cieht platers and th. shongest qucl qirh Perrosyan, Bclctr\itk lo6a (+8=7)i
lournamcnt held up to that timc. Playing even cnd Manan\Le Lczne 065 (+7=8) equn wirh
morc solidly Ke.es sored +3:ll to share lirst Hort. In seven Olympiadsconsecutively lrom 1952
prize witb Fine.ln thc same yearhe drew rmatch ro 1961(eresmadcthe besl score al tnirdorfourth
wirhsriHru.R.; (+2:4 2). Soon aller KcrcsNoo board on fonr occasions and a rotal score oI
a1 Margate 1939 (+6-3) ahead of Capablanca and +53:32-3.In l9T5heplaycdin his lasl all play all
Flohrthe Second World warbegan. and hopesol a tou,rrament, ac.tegory I I eventheld, aPpropriately.
in Tallinn. and son ftst prizc (+6=9)
world cbrnpionship matcb lorhinor anyonechc
Returning home aier a tnp 10 Canada, where be
While Enoni! and lhc Netherlands were slill al won rhc Swiss systen opcn chanpionship, he dicd
perce Keres dcreated ElwE (+6=3-5) in natch from a beafl auack in llelskinki. Thc grealesilos
phy lqlo 10. Sr\ munlh\ laLcr Eslunir becrme lo .bess sincc lhe dealh ol Alekhine , s.id
nr nt the Suuer Unr.n rnd Kere\. now Ru(\irn '
citizen, playedin thc llSSRChamPionshipoi1940, Keres had played i. cight of rhe ten calegory 15
and ar Leningrad Moscow 19J1, the so'caued or 16 rournamcnts held dunng hn adulr lifc.
'.bsolutc championship', in which he took second sinni.g or sharnrg one fiBl prize,llve sccond, one
p1a.e (+6= 10 3) altcr Dorl,NNr ahead 6r sMrs third- and one fourih: had orheNisc plared in
Lor and BorrsrAvsky. Shortl! alteNards Estonia abour 40 strong international tournamenis, Nin
*as nrvadcd and Keres lound hinsell under ning orshaing t9nrstandTsecondpizesrandh.d
Ceirnan rule. He playcd in several toumanenls. won fie Sovicl Championship ftree tines. Only
notabl! rro stronE evenb at Salzbnrs. takins tNo or lhree playeB othei lban wond champioDs
second placc (+1:4 2) altcr Alekhine in 1942 had sucb a 6ne record, and the sobriquet 'crowtr
and sha.ing fi61 prize sith him (bolh scored prince oI chess uscd iD his lilelime was vell
+5=51 in 1943. I-atcr that yeai he playcd at earned. Hc aho composed problens a.d siudics.
Madrid- then made hisvry lo Swedcn. When lhe Apparentlyrel ed qhen playing, he nroved lhe
$ar in EDrope ended he rcturncd home. bul not men quietly, neler displaying ill-tenper. Hn
bclore makine a deal sith lhe Soliet ruftonlies chard and lact madc hinr fiiends everywhere, not
He Nould be forgilcn lor playing in GcrmaD leisl in English{peaking counfties (hc spokc the
tourn.nents, i.c. collaboralingsirh thc encmy. Io languageduently). ln 1962 hcwasclecled Esionian
return Kcrcs promised not to interlere witb Sportsmn ol rhe Ycar, a iestimony lo both his
Borvinnik s challenge ro Alekhine.In 1947, !t his ichicvcmcnrs and his populariqr From 193, Kercs
second alrenpl, Kcres won lhe USSR Cham- g,adually changed bis slylc. and although he was
remenbered lbr his brilliant tacli6 both betore
For some years he conccntrarcd his efioas on xnd aiter this .hanee his stlle bec.re wholly
$odd cbanpionship cvenis. Sevetr lines aCAND! clasical he chose clerr cutlines ofplay. simplilied
DAIE, he sas never challenger, a distindion he so that only tbe essertial lcatures oI lhe posnlon
often failcd 10 achie!e by lh. narowest of marEns. rem.ined, and cschcscd taclical Play unless lhe
Hh li.st attempr came in thc Norld cbrnPionship
'nrn:h nmmrn.nr ol consequcnccs Ncre ioreseeable. He prelercd
l!48 lor wbich rhe caf,di- well csrablihed openings and neler lost his liking