Efim Bogoljubov vs Vasily Smyslov
Two chess prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
The record, side by side
| Efim Bogoljubov | Vasily Smyslov | |
| Field | Sports | Sports |
| Sub-field | Chess | Chess |
| Born | 1889 | 1921 |
| Died | 1952 | 2010 |
| Country of birth | Russia | Russia |
| Star sign | Aries | Pisces |
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 →
Vasily Smyslov
There is a quality in the chess of Vasily Smyslov that analysts have struggled for decades to name precisely. The word most often used is harmony — his pieces moved as if pulled by gravitational attraction to their correct squares, his positions unfolded with the logic of a musical composition, his endgame technique translated apparently equal positions into victories with a consistency that approached the mechanical. But harmony is an aesthetic judgment, and Smyslov's chess was something more than aesthetically pleasing. It was, in the deepest sense, correct — and correctness sustained over a career…
Full biography of Vasily Smyslov →
What they share
- Both are held here under Sports.
- Same sub-field: Chess.
- Both born in Russia.
- Their lifetimes overlap.
Where they part
- 32 years separate their births (1889 and 1921).
Questions people ask
- Who came first, Efim Bogoljubov or Vasily Smyslov?
- Efim Bogoljubov. Efim Bogoljubov was born in 1889, Vasily Smyslov in 1921.
- What field is each of them in?
- Efim Bogoljubov is filed under Sports (Chess). Vasily Smyslov is filed under Sports (Chess).
- Were they contemporaries?
- Yes - their lifetimes overlap.