Efim Petrovich Geller was a Soviet chess International Grandmaster and World Championship Candidate. He was born on March 8, 1925, in Odessa, Ukraine, and died on November 17, 1998. Geller was a five-time Ukrainian Champion and won several international tournaments in Moscow (1952, 1957), Moscow (1959), Stockholm (1954), Zurich (1959), Baku (1961), Kislovodsk (1968). He also became a two-time candidate for the World Championship but never gained the title.
Geller was particularly known for his prowess as a brilliant theoretician and for his deep understanding of complicated middlegame positions. During his career, he notably beat four World Champions in both classical and rapid games: Vasily Smyslov, Tigran Petrosian, Anatoly Karpov, and Garry Kasparov. He was successful against Bobby Fischer, holding a positive record against him, and was also renowned for his coaching work. He helped prepare Anatoly Karpov, Gary Kasparov, and Boris Spassky for their World Championship matches.
Geller was also an accomplished writer whose contributions to chess theory, particularly in the domain of the closed games, remain highly respected. His variations in the King's Indian and Sicilian Defences are still widely used today. He was awarded the International Grandmaster title in 1952 and became an International Senior in 1982.
Before his death in 1998, Geller was living and working in his native Odessa, Ukraine, where he had remained influential in the chess community. His immense contributions to and impact on the game of chess are widely acknowledged among chess players and enthusiasts worldwide.