Paul Keres

Paul Keres ([ˈpɑu̯l ˈkeres]; 7 January 1916 – 5 June 1975) was an Estonian chess grandmaster and chess writer. He was among the world's top players from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s, and narrowly missed a chance at a World Chess Championship match on five occasions. As Estonia was repeatedly invaded and occupied during World War II, Keres was forced by the circumstances to represent the former Soviet Union (1940–41, 1944–75) and Nazi Germany (1941–44) in international tournaments. Keres won the AVRO 1938 chess tournament, which led to negotiations for a title match against champion Alexander Alekhine, but the match never took place due to World War II. He was runner-up in the Candidates' Tournament on four consecutive occasions between 1953 and 1962. Due to these and other strong results, many chess historians consider Keres one of the greatest players in history, and the strongest player never to become world champion. "Super grandmaster" is an informal term to refer to the world's elite players — usually players who are serious contenders for the World Championship — and Keres fits this description. He was nicknamed "Paul the Second", "The Eternal Second" and "The Crown Prince of Chess".