Paul Keres
Soviet era · Estonia · 1916–1975
Runner-up in four consecutive Candidates cycles: the strongest player never to hold the title.
Career In The Collection
1000Games
385Wins
509Draws
106Losses
64%Score
1935–1975Active
Head-to-Head Records
| Opponent | Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vasily Smyslov | 40 | 9 | 22 | 9 | view games |
| Efim Geller | 34 | 7 | 20 | 7 | view games |
| Tigran Petrosian | 32 | 3 | 26 | 3 | view games |
| Max Euwe | 27 | 11 | 9 | 7 | view games |
| Mikhail Tal | 26 | 8 | 14 | 4 | view games |
| Boris Spassky | 25 | 3 | 17 | 5 | view games |
| David Bronstein | 25 | 3 | 17 | 5 | view games |
| Svetozar Gligoric | 25 | 8 | 15 | 2 | view games |
| Mikhail Botvinnik | 19 | 3 | 9 | 7 | view games |
| Samuel Reshevsky | 19 | 4 | 9 | 6 | view games |
| Miguel Najdorf | 15 | 2 | 11 | 2 | view games |
| Alexander Alekhine | 14 | 1 | 8 | 5 | view games |
| Viktor Korchnoi | 14 | 4 | 10 | 0 | view games |
| Reuben Fine | 12 | 3 | 8 | 1 | view games |
| Bobby Fischer | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | view games |
| Savielly Tartakower | 9 | 2 | 5 | 2 | view games |
| Lajos Portisch | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | view games |
| Lev Polugaevsky | 7 | 1 | 4 | 2 | view games |
| Jose Raul Capablanca | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | view games |
| Bent Larsen | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | view games |
| Anatoly Karpov | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | view games |
| Geza Maroczy | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | view games |
| Jan Timman | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | view games |
| Rudolf Spielmann | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | view games |
| Nona Gaprindashvili | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | view games |
1000 Games · Page 3 of 5
- 1964 vs Bruno Parma White Hoogovens E14 1/2-1/2
- 1964 vs Tigran Petrosian Black Buenos Aires A09 1/2-1/2
- 1964 vs Helmut Pfleger White Hastings6465 B17 1-0
- 1964 vs Herman Pilnik White Buenos Aires C83 1-0
- 1964 vs Lajos Portisch Black Hoogovens E18 1/2-1/2
- 1964 vs Antonio Rocha Black Hastings6465 D87 0-1
- 1964 vs Hector Rossetto White Buenos Aires C42 1/2-1/2
- 1964 vs Jorge A Rubinetti White Buenos Aires B48 1-0
- 1964 vs Anthony Fred Saidy White Tel Aviv olm fin-A A48 1-0
- 1964 vs Lothar Schmid Black Tel Aviv olm fin-A C92 1-0
- 1964 vs Samuel Schweber Black Tel Aviv olm fin-A E13 0-1
- 1964 vs Samuel Schweber White Buenos Aires E61 1-0
- 1964 vs Carel Benjamin Van den Berg Black Hoogovens E55 0-1
- 1964 vs Theo D Van Scheltinga Black Hoogovens E15 1/2-1/2
- 1964 vs Geber Villarroel Black Tel Aviv olm prel C90 0-1
- 1964 vs Edgar Walther White Tel Aviv olm prel E93 1-0
- 1964 vs Bernardo Wexler Black Buenos Aires D34 0-1
- 1964 vs Coenraad Zuidema White Hoogovens C97 1-0
- 1963 vs Vladimir S Antoshin Black Alekhine mem E55 1-0
- 1963 vs Vladimir Bagirov Black URS-chT C46 0-1
- 1963 vs Witold Balcerowski Black Alekhine mem E15 0-1
- 1963 vs Pal C Benko White Piatigorsky Cup C07 1-0
- 1963 vs Pal C Benko Black Piatigorsky Cup E15 0-1
- 1963 vs Efim Geller Black URS-chT A09 1-0
- 1963 vs Svetozar Gligoric Black Piatigorsky Cup E55 0-1
- 1963 vs Svetozar Gligoric White Piatigorsky Cup C71 1/2-1/2
- 1963 vs Svetozar Gligoric Black Alekhine mem E43 1/2-1/2
- 1963 vs Alexander V Grushevsky Black URS-chT C96 0-1
- 1963 vs Vlastimil Hort Black Alekhine mem C46 1/2-1/2
- 1963 vs Eleazar Jimenez Zerquera Black Alekhine mem C73 0-1
- 1963 vs Boris N Katalymov White URS-chT C07 1/2-1/2
- 1963 vs Viktor Korchnoi White URS-chT A30 1/2-1/2
- 1963 vs Franciscus Antonius Kuijpers White Alekhine mem C87 1-0
- 1963 vs Vladimir M Liberzon White Alekhine mem A48 0-1
- 1963 vs Aleksandar Matanovic White Alekhine mem E93 1-0
- 1963 vs Eduard A Mnatsakanian White URS-chT D20 1-0
- 1963 vs Miguel Najdorf White Piatigorsky Cup B43 1/2-1/2
- 1963 vs Miguel Najdorf Black Piatigorsky Cup A85 1-0
- 1963 vs Kaarle Sakari Ojanen White EST-FIN m E77 1-0
- 1963 vs Kaarle Sakari Ojanen Black EST-FIN m E46 0-1
- 1963 vs Fridrik Olafsson White Piatigorsky Cup D81 1-0
- 1963 vs Fridrik Olafsson Black Piatigorsky Cup A11 0-1
- 1963 vs Nikola Padevsky White Alekhine mem B71 1/2-1/2
- 1963 vs Oscar Panno White Piatigorsky Cup E76 1/2-1/2
- 1963 vs Oscar Panno Black Piatigorsky Cup E19 0-1
- 1963 vs Tigran Petrosian Black Piatigorsky Cup A28 1/2-1/2
- 1963 vs Tigran Petrosian White Piatigorsky Cup B18 1/2-1/2
- 1963 vs Wolfgang Pietzsch White Alekhine mem D35 1/2-1/2
- 1963 vs Samuel Reshevsky White Piatigorsky Cup C87 0-1
- 1963 vs Samuel Reshevsky Black Piatigorsky Cup A23 1-0
- 1963 vs Vladimir Simagin Black Alekhine mem C73 1-0
- 1963 vs Vasily Smyslov Black Alekhine mem E39 1/2-1/2
- 1963 vs Laszlo Szabo White Alekhine mem C95 1-0
- 1963 vs Mikhail Tal Black Alekhine mem C96 1/2-1/2
- 1963 vs Mikhail Tal Black URS-chT E18 1/2-1/2
- 1963 vs Boris T Vladimirov White Alekhine mem B42 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Akakinci White Varna olm A55 1-0
- 1962 vs Pal C Benko Black Candidats Tournament C26 0-1
- 1962 vs Pal C Benko White Candidats Tournament B43 1-0
- 1962 vs Pal C Benko Black Candidats Tournament A07 1-0
- 1962 vs Pal C Benko White Candidats Tournament B35 1-0
- 1962 vs Frantisek Blatny White Varna olm C93 1-0
- 1962 vs Josef Boey Black Varna olm B00 0-1
- 1962 vs Julio Bolbochan Black Varna olm E15 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Isaak Boleslavsky Black URS-chT C41 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Hans Bouwmeester Black NLD-URS m A11 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Hans Bouwmeester White NLD-URS m B07 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Hans Bouwmeester Black Varna olm A07 0-1
- 1962 vs Miroslav Filip Black Candidats Tournament E51 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Miroslav Filip White Candidats Tournament B49 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Miroslav Filip Black Candidats Tournament D29 0-1
- 1962 vs Miroslav Filip White Candidats Tournament B42 1-0
- 1962 vs Bobby Fischer White Candidats Tournament D35 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Bobby Fischer White Candidats Tournament B20 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Bobby Fischer Black Candidats Tournament C96 1-0
- 1962 vs Bobby Fischer Black Candidats Tournament C96 0-1
- 1962 vs Efim Geller White Candidats Tournament B65 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Efim Geller Black Candidats Tournament A34 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Efim Geller White Candidats playoff 2pl A56 0-1
- 1962 vs Efim Geller Black Candidats playoff 2pl E55 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Efim Geller Black Candidats playoff 2pl A35 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Efim Geller White Candidats playoff 2pl D41 1-0
- 1962 vs Efim Geller White Candidats Tournament E61 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Efim Geller Black Candidats playoff 2pl E54 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Efim Geller Black Candidats Tournament D41 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Efim Geller White Candidats playoff 2pl A46 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Efim Geller Black Candidats playoff 2pl E53 0-1
- 1962 vs Efim Geller White Candidats playoff 2pl B36 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Florin Gheorghiu White Varna olm A48 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Hans Joachim Hecht Black Varna olm C73 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs M. Johansson White Stockholm training B99 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Viktor Korchnoi White Candidats Tournament E03 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Viktor Korchnoi White Candidats Tournament B48 1-0
- 1962 vs Viktor Korchnoi Black Candidats Tournament A23 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Viktor Korchnoi Black Candidats Tournament D34 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Burkhard Malich White Varna olm D94 1-0
- 1962 vs Burkhard Malich Black Varna olm E13 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Vladas Mikenas White URS-chT D94 1-0
- 1962 vs Nikolay N Minev White Varna olm C11 1-0
- 1962 vs Kaarle Sakari Ojanen White FIN-EST m B94 1-0
- 1962 vs Kaarle Sakari Ojanen Black FIN-EST m A28 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Tigran Petrosian Black Candidats Tournament D19 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Tigran Petrosian White Candidats Tournament D59 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Tigran Petrosian Black Candidats Tournament E41 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Tigran Petrosian White Candidats Tournament B36 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Mikhail Shofman White URS-chT A85 1-0
- 1962 vs Boris Spassky White URS-chT C87 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Laszlo Szabo White Varna olm E14 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Mikhail Tal Black Candidats Tournament C96 0-1
- 1962 vs Mikhail Tal Black URS-chT C87 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Mikhail Tal White Candidats Tournament B48 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Mikhail Tal Black Candidats Tournament C96 0-1
- 1962 vs Paul Troeger Black Varna olm D04 1/2-1/2
- 1962 vs Arne Zwaig Black Varna olm A04 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Yuri L Averbakh Black URS-ch29 E14 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Vladimir Bagirov Black URS-ch29 C84 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Gedeon Barcza White EU-chT B17 1-0
- 1961 vs Mario Bertok Black Bled C92 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Edwin Bhend Black Zuerich C77 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Arthur Bernard Bisguier Black Bled D40 1-0
- 1961 vs David Bronstein White URS-ch29 C42 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Arne Burehall Black Stockholm B72 0-1
- 1961 vs Martin Christoffel White Zuerich C03 1-0
- 1961 vs Dragoljub M Ciric Black JUG-URS B19 1-0
- 1961 vs Dragoljub M Ciric Black JUG-URS B19 1-0
- 1961 vs Klaus Darga Black EU-chT A09 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Klaus Darga White Bled E14 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Bozidar Djurasevic White JUG-URS E14 1-0
- 1961 vs Jan Hein Donner White Bled D42 1-0
- 1961 vs Miroslav Filip Black EU-chT E18 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Bobby Fischer Black Bled B11 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Efim Geller Black Bled D27 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Milan Germek White Bled E76 1-0
- 1961 vs Aivars Gipslis White URS-ch29 A48 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Svetozar Gligoric Black Bled D27 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Svetozar Gligoric White Zuerich C97 1-0
- 1961 vs Bukhuti Gurgenidze White URS-ch29 A48 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Beng Eric Horberg Black Stockholm C50 0-1
- 1961 vs Vlastimil Hort Black EU-chT C71 0-1
- 1961 vs Borislav Ivkov White Bled C97 1-0
- 1961 vs Svein Johannessen White Stockholm E14 1-0
- 1961 vs M. Johansson White Stockholm D20 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Dieter Keller Black Zuerich C55 0-1
- 1961 vs Abram Khasin White URS-ch29 B72 0-1
- 1961 vs Ratmir D Kholmov Black URS-ch29 C48 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Alexander Kotov Black Stockholm E39 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Yury Isakovich Kots Black URS-ch29 C97 0-1
- 1961 vs Josef Kupper Black Zuerich C73 0-1
- 1961 vs Bent Larsen Black Zuerich B21 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Anatoly Lein White URS-ch29 C10 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs William James Lombardy Black Zuerich E53 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Erik Lundin Black Stockholm A47 0-1
- 1961 vs Aleksandar Matanovic White EU-chT A48 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Aleksandar Matanovic White JUG-URS C97 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Aleksandar Matanovic White Bled C97 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Milan Matulovic White Zuerich C16 1-0
- 1961 vs Milan Matulovic White JUG-URS A48 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Miguel Najdorf Black Bled E19 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Rashid Nezhmetdinov Black URS-ch29 B11 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Zandor Nilsson White Stockholm C67 1-0
- 1961 vs Fridrik Olafsson White Bled B18 1-0
- 1961 vs Ludek Pachman Black Bled A28 0-1
- 1961 vs Bruno Parma Black Bled C75 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Tigran Petrosian White Bled B18 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Tigran Petrosian Black Zuerich E12 0-1
- 1961 vs Lev Polugaevsky Black URS-ch29 C11 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Lajos Portisch White Bled C09 1-0
- 1961 vs Rafael Saborido Black EU-chT E82 0-1
- 1961 vs Vladimir A Savon Black URS-ch29 C49 0-1
- 1961 vs Lothar Schmid White Zuerich B02 1-0
- 1961 vs Leonid Shamkovich Black URS-ch29 D27 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Vladislav I Shianovsky White URS-ch29 C71 1-0
- 1961 vs Kristian Skold Black Stockholm C74 1-0
- 1961 vs Vasily Smyslov White URS-ch29 B42 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Boris Spassky Black URS-ch29 C92 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Gideon Stahlberg White Stockholm B45 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Mark E Taimanov Black URS-ch29 A13 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Mikhail Tal White URS-ch29 D30 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Mikhail Tal Black Bled C85 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Rudolf Teschner White EU-chT C82 1-0
- 1961 vs Petar Trifunovic White EU-chT D67 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Petar Trifunovic White Bled C43 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Mijo Udovcic Black JUG-URS D02 1/2-1/2
- 1961 vs Mijo Udovcic Black Bled A17 0-1
- 1961 vs Evgeni Vasiukov White URS-ch29 B42 0-1
- 1961 vs Boris T Vladimirov White URS-ch29 B40 1-0
- 1961 vs Edgar Walther White Zuerich B92 1/2-1/2
- 1960 vs Alfred Beni White Leipzig olm prel E14 1-0
- 1960 vs Mario Bertok Black Leipzig olm fin-A D27 1/2-1/2
- 1960 vs Istvan Bilek White Leipzig olm fin-A B82 1-0
- 1960 vs Hans Bouwmeester Black Leipzig olm prel D04 1/2-1/2
- 1960 vs Algimantas Cesnauskas Black Baltic tourn C46 0-1
- 1960 vs Peter H Clarke White Leipzig olm fin-A B81 1-0
- 1960 vs Klaus Darga Black URS-BRD C92 1/2-1/2
- 1960 vs Erich Gottlieb Eliskases Black Leipzig olm fin-A D41 1/2-1/2
- 1960 vs Max Euwe White Leipzig olm fin-A E57 1/2-1/2
- 1960 vs Fauconnier Black Leipzig olm prel D04 0-1
- 1960 vs Miroslav Filip Black Leipzig olm fin-A E53 1/2-1/2
- 1960 vs G. Gamrekeil Black Baltic tourn D27 0-1
- 1960 vs Aivars Gipslis Black Baltic tourn C71 1/2-1/2
Keep Studying
Open any game above to read it move by move, or replay it on the interactive board. When a position grabs you, have Stockfish analyze the whole game, or play the ideas out against Stockfish yourself. All the players are on the Grandmaster Games hub.