Paul Keres
Notable Games

Paul Keres

19 celebrated games · 972 in the full archive
Player Index ◈ Biography 972 CURATED GAMES

Notable Games

  • 1935.08.26 Keres, Paul vsWinter, William 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Nimzowitsch Variation, Advance Variation 19 moves Olympiad-06 A 19-move Sicilian miniature at the 1935 Warsaw Olympiad, finished off by a piece sacrifice and a mating attack in Keres's international breakthrough.
  • 1937.04.07 Keres, Paul vsAlekhine, Alexander 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Modern Steinitz Defense 23 moves Kent County CA-30 Premier The 21-year-old Keres outplays former World Champion Alexander Alekhine in a Ruy Lopez at Margate 1937, a signature win of his rise to the world elite.
  • 1938.11.14 Keres, Paul vsCapablanca, Jose Raul 1-0 French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Open System, Main Line 38 moves AVRO A celebrated French Tarrasch win over former World Champion Jose Raul Capablanca at the mighty AVRO 1938 tournament, where Keres tied for first.
  • 1938.11.12 Keres, Paul vsReshevsky, Samuel Herman 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Steinitz Deferred 44 moves AVRO A Ruy Lopez victory over Samuel Reshevsky at AVRO 1938, one of Keres's key results in sharing first place in perhaps the strongest tournament ever held.
  • 1940.01.05 Euwe, Max vsKeres, Paul 0-1 Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Main Line 34 moves Match Keres-Euwe +6-5=3 A brilliant Queen's Indian counterattack against former World Champion Max Euwe from their 1939-40 match, which Keres won to confirm his championship credentials.
  • 1948.05.16 Keres, Paul vsBotvinnik, Mikhail 1-0 French Defense: Winawer Variation, Fingerslip Variation, Main Line 39 moves World-ch17 Tournament Keres's lone win over Mikhail Botvinnik at the 1948 World Championship tournament, a French Winawer struck in the final round.
  • 1948.04.22 Keres, Paul vsEuwe, Max 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Open, Howell Attack 34 moves World-ch17 Tournament A win over former World Champion Max Euwe at the 1948 World Championship tournament, the event where Keres shared third place with Samuel Reshevsky.
  • 1950.04.18 Keres, Paul vsKotov, Alexander 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Opocensky Variation 27 moves Candidates Tournament A sharp Sicilian Najdorf attacking win over Alexander Kotov at the 1950 Budapest Candidates Tournament.
  • 1953.09.27 Keres, Paul vsPetrosian, Tigran V 1-0 King's Indian Defense 56 moves Candidates Tournament A King's Indian win over future World Champion Tigran Petrosian at the 1953 Zurich Candidates Tournament.
  • 1955.09.06 Keres, Paul vsNajdorf, Miguel 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Goteborg Variation 25 moves Interzonal-03 The famous "Gothenburg" game: Keres refutes Najdorf's Sicilian with 11.Nxe6! at the 1955 Gothenburg Interzonal, part of the celebrated Soviet trilogy.
  • 1955.08.20 Keres, Paul vsSpassky, Boris Vasilievich 1-0 Queen's Indian Defense: Spassky System 30 moves Interzonal-03 A Queen's Indian win over future World Champion Boris Spassky at the 1955 Gothenburg Interzonal.
  • 1956.11.02 Keres, Paul vsBotvinnik, Mikhail 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Richter-Rauzer Variation, Traditional Variation 34 moves Alekhine Memorial-01 A Sicilian Richter-Rauzer win over World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik at the 1956 Alekhine Memorial in Moscow.
  • 1959.09.10 Keres, Paul vsTal, Mikhail 1-0 English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Queen's Knight Variation 64 moves Candidates Tournament An English Opening win over Mikhail Tal at the 1959 Candidates Tournament, where Keres finished a close second in the year Tal earned his title shot.
  • 1959.10.18 Fischer, Robert James vsKeres, Paul 0-1 Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack, Mindeno Variation, Exchange Line 55 moves Candidates Tournament Keres grinds down a 16-year-old Bobby Fischer in a 55-move Caro-Kann endgame at the 1959 Candidates Tournament.
  • 1962.08.25 Keres, Paul vsGeller, Efim P 1-0 Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Pillsbury Variation 28 moves Candidates Tournament-05 playoff 2nd A Semi-Tarrasch win over Efim Geller in the eighth game of their August 1962 Moscow playoff for second place. Keres won the match 4½–3½, securing entry to the next Candidates event.
  • 1964.11.03 Keres, Paul vsWalther, Edgar 1-0 King's Indian Defense: Petrosian Variation, Keres Defense 36 moves Olympiad-16 Preliminaries A A King's Indian attacking win over Edgar Walther at the 1964 Tel Aviv Olympiad, admired for Keres's energetic sacrificial handling of the Petrosian System.
  • 1937.04.17 Dunkelblum, Arthur vsKeres, Paul 0-1 Indian Defense: Spielmann-Indian 22 moves Ostend Int Ostend 1937 — a 22-move win with Black against Arthur Dunkelblum. Selected in Irving Chernev, 1000 Best Short Games of Chess, PDF page 477.
  • 1937.09.14 Keres, Paul vsEliskases, Erich Gottlieb 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Wing Gambit, Deferred Variation 33 moves Semmering und Baden bei Wien Semmering/ Baden bei Wien 1937 — a 33-move win with White against Erich Gottlieb Eliskases. Selected in Savielly Tartakower and Julius du Mont, 500 Master Games of Chess, game 314 (PDF page 215).
  • 1937.09.18 Keres, Paul vsFlohr, Salo 1-0 King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation 24 moves Semmering und Baden bei Wien Semmering/ Baden bei Wien 1937 — a 24-move win with White against Salo Flohr. Selected in Savielly Tartakower and Julius du Mont, 500 Master Games of Chess, game 443 (PDF page 305).
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