Happened Today in the Chess World - Mar 8, 2024

THE WORLD CHAMPIONS' NEMESIS

Soviet Championship, Leningrad 1971: Anatoly Karpov plays Efim Geller 
Photo: e3e5.com - Spurce: @dgriffinchess

Today, we remember Grandmaster Efim Geller, born in Odesa, Ukraine, on March 8, 1925.
Geller was a two-timer soviet Champion (1955 and 1980), four-time Ukrainian Champion, six-time Candidate for the World title, seven-time team gold medalist at the Olympiads, and three-time individual gold medalist.
Geller won the World Senior Championship in 1993.
As the player with the highest knowledge of the opening in the whole Soviet Union (fundamental have been his theoretical contributions to the Sicilian and the Est Indiana), Geller worked as second for Spassky and Karpov.
Geller's results playing World Champions are impressive: He defeated eight World Champions and had positive scores against Botvinnik, Smyslov, Petrosian, and Fischer.
Geller had a degree in economics and was a decent basketball player.

Efim Geller-Nikolay Novotelnov, Mosca (Soviet Championship) 1951
White to move

Show Answer