Efim Geller
Notable Games

Efim Geller

20 celebrated games · 916 in the full archive
Player Index ◈ Biography 916 CURATED GAMES

Notable Games

  • 1950.11.27 Geller, Efim P vsSokolsky, Alexey Pavlovich 1-0 French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation 25 moves URS-ch18 Final 18th Soviet Championship, Moscow 1950 — an early attacking win in the French Winawer as the 25-year-old from Odessa forced his way into the Soviet elite.
  • 1952.03.04 Botvinnik, Mikhail vsGeller, Efim P 0-1 King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Long Variation 47 moves Budapest Maroczy Memorial Budapest 1952 — Geller beats reigning World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik from the Black side of his trusted King's Indian Defence, one of the openings he did much to establish.
  • 1953.09.22 Geller, Efim P vsNajdorf, Miguel 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Opocensky Variation 57 moves Candidates Tournament Zurich Candidates 1953 — a win over Miguel Najdorf in the Najdorf Sicilian at one of history's greatest tournaments, using the quiet 6.Be2 system Geller trusted for a lifetime.
  • 1958.01.16 Geller, Efim P vsSpassky, Boris Vasilievich 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Closed, Breyer Defense, Zaitsev Hybrid 39 moves URS-ch25 Final 25th Soviet Championship, 1958 — a model Ruy Lopez (Breyer) win over the young Boris Spassky.
  • 1962.05.03 Geller, Efim P vsFischer, Robert James 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Opocensky Variation, Traditional Line 41 moves Candidates Tournament-05 Curaçao Candidates 1962 — Geller defeats the rising Bobby Fischer with his trusted 6.Be2 against the Najdorf; he would keep a lifetime plus score against Fischer.
  • 1963.08.14 Geller, Efim P vsPetrosian, Tigran V 1-0 French Defense: Winawer Variation, Advance Variation 42 moves URS-chT Republics 09th final A A French Winawer win over Tigran Petrosian — one of four World Champions (with Botvinnik, Smyslov and Fischer) against whom Geller held a lifetime plus score.
  • 1965.04.25 Geller, Efim P vsSmyslov, Vasily V 1-0 Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation, Spassky Variation 31 moves Candidates qf Geller-Smyslov +3-0=5 1965 Candidates quarter-final, Moscow — the celebrated tactical masterpiece: Geller left his queen en prise on g5 and crashed through Smyslov's kingside and back rank.
  • 1966.09.24 Stein, Leonid vsGeller, Efim P 0-1 King's Indian Defense: Accelerated Averbakh Variation 23 moves URS-chT Cup 05th USSR Team Championship 1966 — a 23-move King's Indian rout of Leonid Stein, a fellow King's Indian specialist.
  • 1967.05.25 Geller, Efim P vsPortisch, Lajos 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Closed, Smyslov Defense 23 moves October Revolution 50years Moscow 1967 — a 23-move Ruy Lopez attacking win over Lajos Portisch.
  • 1967.04.04 Fischer, Robert James vsGeller, Efim P 0-1 Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Poisoned Pawn Accepted 25 moves Monaco Grand Prix-01 GM Monaco 1967 — Geller beats Fischer in the Najdorf Poisoned Pawn, the first of two wins over him that year while Fischer was demolishing nearly everyone else.
  • 1967.08.07 Fischer, Robert James vsGeller, Efim P 0-1 Sicilian Defense: Sozin Attack, Main Line 23 moves Skopje Solidarnost-01 Skopje 1967 — a second win over Fischer within four months, a 23-move Sicilian.
  • 1968.09.18 Geller, Efim P vsBronstein, David Ionovich 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Löwenthal Variation 37 moves Kislovodsk International Kislovodsk 1968 — a sharp Sicilian win over David Bronstein.
  • 1971.03.07 Geller, Efim P vsVelimirovic, Dragoljub 1-0 King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Yugoslav Variation, Advance Line 52 moves Capablanca Memorial-08 Capablanca Memorial, Cuba 1971 — Geller outplays the renowned attacker Dragoljub Velimirovic from the White side of a King's Indian.
  • 1973.10.15 Geller, Efim P vsKeres, Paul 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Closed, Averbakh Variation 29 moves URS-ch41 Final 41st Soviet Championship, 1973 — a 29-move Ruy Lopez win over Paul Keres, finished by a direct attack on the king.
  • 1975 Geller, Efim P vsTal, Mikhail 1-0 Pirc Defense: Classical Variation, Quiet System, Parma Defense 41 moves Moscow Moscow 1975 — in a wild clash of attackers, Geller marches his own king up the board to dodge Tal's checks and win.
  • 1976.11.29 Geller, Efim P vsKarpov, Anatoly 1-0 French Defense: Winawer Variation, Petrosian Variation 42 moves URS-ch44 Final 44th Soviet Championship, Moscow 1976 — Geller sacrifices his queen (25.Qxe6) to beat reigning World Champion Anatoly Karpov, whose second he had been in the 1974 Candidates final.
  • 1990 Geller, Efim P vsDreev, Alexey 1-0 French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Modern System 25 moves New York op New York 1990 — at 65 Geller wins a 25-move French Tarrasch miniature, two years before he took the 1992 World Senior Championship.
  • 1955.04.19 Smyslov, Vasily V vsGeller, Efim P 0-1 King's Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, Closed Variation, Main Line 34 moves URS-ch22 Finalplof Geller-Smyslov+1-0=6 Moscow 1955 — a 34-move win with Black against Vasily V Smyslov. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part II, game 95 (PDF page 650).
  • 1955.09.06 Geller, Efim P vsPanno, Oscar 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Goteborg Variation 23 moves Interzonal-03 Gothenburg 1955, Interzonal — a 23-move win with White against Oscar Panno. Selected in Efim Geller, The Application of Chess Theory, game 18 (PDF page 48).
  • 1979.12 Beliavsky, Alexander G vsGeller, Efim P 0-1 Queen's Gambit Declined: Tartakower Defense 38 moves URS-ch47 Final Minsk 1979 — a 38-move win with Black against Alexander G Beliavsky. Selected in Efim Geller, The Application of Chess Theory, game 46 (PDF page 113).
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