Alexander Alekhine vs Boris Gelfand
Two chess prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
The record, side by side
| Alexander Alekhine | Boris Gelfand | |
| Field | Sports | Sports |
| Sub-field | Chess | Chess |
| Born | 1892 | 1968 |
| Died | 1946 | living / not documented |
| Country of birth | France | Israel |
| Star sign | Scorpio | Gemini |
Who they are
Alexander Alekhine
When Alexander Alekhine arrived in Buenos Aires in September 1927 to challenge José Raúl Capablanca for the World Championship, the chess world expected a formality. Capablanca had not lost a competitive game in eight years. Grandmasters whispered that chess had reached its apex in the Cuban — that the game, played perfectly, would always draw, and that Capablanca was the player who played perfectly. Alekhine, a Russian émigré living in France, was a fine attacking player, perhaps the best combinational talent of his generation, but attacking chess against someone who never made errors was considered…
Full biography of Alexander Alekhine →
Boris Gelfand
Boris Gelfand is one of the most remarkable figures in the history of chess — a grandmaster who achieved the elite level under the Soviet system, survived the collapse of the USSR, rebuilt his career representing Israel, and at the age of forty-three competed for the World Chess Championship against Viswanathan Anand in one of the most dramatic title matches of the modern era. Born on June 24, 1968, in Minsk, in the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, he grew up in a chess culture of extraordinary depth and rigor, and carried that foundation across political…
Full biography of Boris Gelfand →
What they share
- Both are held here under Sports.
- Same sub-field: Chess.
Where they part
- Born in different countries: France and Israel.
- 76 years separate their births (1892 and 1968).
- Their lifetimes never overlapped.
Questions people ask
- Who came first, Alexander Alekhine or Boris Gelfand?
- Alexander Alekhine. Alexander Alekhine was born in 1892, Boris Gelfand in 1968.
- What field is each of them in?
- Alexander Alekhine is filed under Sports (Chess). Boris Gelfand is filed under Sports (Chess).
- Were they contemporaries?
- No - their lifetimes do not overlap.