Efim Bogoljubov vs Paul Keres
Two chess prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
The record, side by side
| Efim Bogoljubov | Paul Keres | |
| Field | Sports | Sports |
| Sub-field | Chess | Chess |
| Born | 1889 | 1916 |
| Died | 1952 | 1975 |
| Country of birth | Russia | Estonia |
| Star sign | Aries | Capricorn |
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 →
Paul Keres
Paul Keres appeared on Estonia's five-kroon banknote long before chess decided to honor him — a nation recognized something in him that the chess world's bureaucratic misfortunes kept denying. "The Eternal Second" was his curse and his epithet, but the truth embedded in that nickname is that four times across three decades he reached the penultimate stage of the World Championship cycle, and four times the title slipped away through circumstance, politics, and the Soviet chess system's invisible hand. The chess world is unanimous: had history offered Keres one clean shot at the championship, he…
Full biography of Paul Keres →
What they share
- Both are held here under Sports.
- Same sub-field: Chess.
- Their lifetimes overlap.
Where they part
- Born in different countries: Russia and Estonia.
- 27 years separate their births (1889 and 1916).
Questions people ask
- Who came first, Efim Bogoljubov or Paul Keres?
- Efim Bogoljubov. Efim Bogoljubov was born in 1889, Paul Keres in 1916.
- What field is each of them in?
- Efim Bogoljubov is filed under Sports (Chess). Paul Keres is filed under Sports (Chess).
- Were they contemporaries?
- Yes - their lifetimes overlap.