Profile of the Day: Paul Keres

Paul Keres

Do you enjoy a game of chess? Today Estonia celebrates the 100th birthday of famous Estonian chess grandmaster Paul Keres.

Keres was born on January 7, 1916 in Narva, Estonia. He showed an aptitude for chess at an early age, first learning about the game from his father and older brother, Harald. His brother would later go on to become a prominent physicist and is considered the father of the Estonian school of relativistic gravitation theory.

From the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s, Keres was considered to be one of the world’s top chess players. He won numerous chess tournaments and although, he bested several world champions in tournaments, he never had the chance to play for the World Champion title himself. He died suddenly on June 5, 1975 in Helsinki, Finland while returning from a tournament victory in Canada. A state funeral was held in Tallinn, Estonia, where over 100,000 people came to pay their respects.

In 2000, Keres was elected the Estonian Sportsman of the 20th Century, and today, continues to remain one of the country’s national heroes. In honor of his 100th birthday, the Bank of Estonia has issued a 2-Euro commemorative coin with an image of the chess grandmaster.

Are you related to Paul Keres? Explore his family tree on Geni and discover how you’re connected!
 

View Paul Keres’s Geni Profile

Image: Nationaal Archief, Wikimedia Commons