Boris Gelfand, a Belarusian and Israeli grandmaster born in Minsk in 1968, remains one of the most persistent contenders in modern chess. A veteran of six World Championship candidate cycles, he reached his apex in 2012 when he challenged Viswanathan Anand for the world title, ultimately falling in a high-stakes rapidplay tiebreak after a level twelve-game match.
Development and Early Success
Introduced to the game at age five through the book Journey to the Chess Kingdom, Gelfand underwent rigorous training in the Soviet system. Between 1974 and 1983, he studied under coaches including Eduard Zelkind, Tamara Golovey, Albert Kapengut, and the Tigran Petrosian School. His early competitive results signaled elite potential, featuring victories at the 1983 Sokolsky Memorial and consecutive Belarusian Chess Championships in 1984 and 1985. He won the 1985 USSR Junior Championship and secured the European Junior title in 1987 and 1988.
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Awarded the Grandmaster title in 1989 following a successful debut at the USSR Championship, Gelfand quickly became a fixture in top-tier international events. Throughout the 1990s, he achieved podium finishes or victories at major tournaments including Linares, Wijk aan Zee, Tilburg, and the 1993 Biel Interzonal. His consistent performance solidified his status, as he remained within the top 20 of the FIDE world rankings for years, also claiming the 1994 Dos Hermanas title and multiple Rubinstein Memorial victories.
Championship Cycles and International Status
Gelfand’s career is defined by his longevity in World Championship qualifying. After competing in the 1991, 1994, 2002, and 2007 cycles, he secured his most significant international success by winning the Chess World Cup 2009. This victory paved the way for his 2011 Candidates Tournament win in Kazan, Russia. Outside of championship play, he has represented Israel in eleven Chess Olympiads and performed in events like the 2009 Maccabiah Games.
Fast facts
- Born: 1968, Minsk
- Citizenship: Belarus, Israel, Soviet Union
- Award: Order of Friendship
- Chess World Cup 2009: Winner
- World Chess Championship 2012: Challenger
- Occupations: chess player, non-fiction writer
- Top 30 FIDE ranking period: 1990 to 2017
Questions readers ask
Did Boris Gelfand win the World Chess Championship?
No, he was the challenger in 2012 but lost the rapidplay tiebreak to Viswanathan Anand.
How many times was Gelfand a World Championship candidate?
He competed as a candidate six times: in 1991, 1994–95, 2002, 2007, 2011, and 2013.
Achievements
- Order of Friendship
