Keres won the great AVRO 1938 tournament ahead of world champions and challengers, and finished second in four consecutive Candidates tournaments. He is often called the strongest player never to play a world championship match.
Keres grew up in Pärnu, Estonia, and taught himself much of his chess from newspaper columns. In 1938 he shared first place in AVRO, one of the strongest tournaments ever held, finishing ahead of Botvinnik, Alekhine and Capablanca.
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So close, so often
The Second World War destroyed his chance of a title match. After the war he finished second at the Candidates in 1953, 1956, 1959 and 1962 — always one step short. He remained one of the world’s best for four decades and is so loved in Estonia that his portrait appeared on a banknote.
Did you know?
♞Fact #1Tap to revealKeres finished second in four straight Candidates tournaments.
♝Fact #2Tap to revealHis portrait appeared on an Estonian banknote.
Three lessons from Keres for your own games
1Consistency keeps you at the top
2Attack and endgame skill go together
3Learn from newspapers, books — any source you have
Paul Keres’s games
Watch the featured game replay itself, or pick any game below. Every game opens move by move with engine analysis.