Max Euwe vs Boris Gelfand
Two chess prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
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The record, side by side
| Max Euwe | Boris Gelfand | |
| Field | Sports | Sports |
| Sub-field | Chess | Chess |
| Born | 1901 | 1968 |
| Died | 1981 | living / not documented |
| Country of birth | Netherlands | Israel |
| Star sign | Aries | Gemini |
Who they are
Max Euwe
In December 1935, in a match played across fifteen Dutch cities, a mild-mannered Amsterdam schoolteacher and mathematician accomplished one of the most stunning upsets in chess history. Machgielis "Max" Euwe defeated Alexander Alekhine — the dazzling, terrifying, seemingly invincible World Champion — by a score of 15.5 to 14.5, claiming the title of 5th World Chess Champion. The chess world was stunned. Alekhine was widely considered the strongest player alive; Euwe was a respected amateur — gifted, studious, but surely not in Alekhine's category. The match proved otherwise. For two years, the most powerful chess…
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.
- Their lifetimes overlap.
Where they part
- Born in different countries: Netherlands and Israel.
- 67 years separate their births (1901 and 1968).
Questions people ask
- Who came first, Max Euwe or Boris Gelfand?
- Max Euwe. Max Euwe was born in 1901, Boris Gelfand in 1968.
- What field is each of them in?
- Max Euwe is filed under Sports (Chess). Boris Gelfand is filed under Sports (Chess).
- Were they contemporaries?
- Yes - their lifetimes overlap.