Efim Bogoljubov vs Anatoly Karpov
Two chess prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
The record, side by side
| Efim Bogoljubov | Anatoly Karpov | |
| Field | Sports | Sports |
| Sub-field | Chess | Chess |
| Born | 1889 | 1951 |
| Died | 1952 | living / not documented |
| Country of birth | Russia | Russia |
| Star sign | Aries | Gemini |
Who they are
Efim Bogoljubov
A story — possibly apocryphal, certainly too good not to record — holds that when someone asked Efim Bogoljubov why he was so confident before a particular game, he replied: "When I have White, I win because I have White. When I have Black, I win because I am Bogoljubov." The line captures the man perfectly: large ego, enormous confidence, an infectious delight in chess, and enough genuine talent to partially justify every bit of it. Bogoljubov was not quite the best chess player of his era, but he was very nearly so, and the…
Full biography of Efim Bogoljubov →
Anatoly Karpov
In 1975, Anatoly Karpov became World Chess Champion without playing a match — a circumstance both extraordinary and deeply unsatisfying to a man who had earned the right to the title through years of flawless tournament play. Bobby Fischer, the reigning champion, refused to defend the crown under the agreed match conditions, forfeiting the title by default. Karpov, just twenty-three years old, was handed the championship. What he did with it over the next decade silenced any suggestion that he was a champion by default: he played with a suffocating, systematic brilliance that produced one…
Full biography of Anatoly Karpov →
What they share
- Both are held here under Sports.
- Same sub-field: Chess.
- Both born in Russia.
- Their lifetimes overlap.
Where they part
- 62 years separate their births (1889 and 1951).
Questions people ask
- Who came first, Efim Bogoljubov or Anatoly Karpov?
- Efim Bogoljubov. Efim Bogoljubov was born in 1889, Anatoly Karpov in 1951.
- What field is each of them in?
- Efim Bogoljubov is filed under Sports (Chess). Anatoly Karpov is filed under Sports (Chess).
- Were they contemporaries?
- Yes - their lifetimes overlap.