Paul Keres (January 7, 1916 – June 5, 1975), was an Estonian chess grandmaster, and a renowned chess writer. He was among the world's top players from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s.
Keres narrowly missed a chance at a world championship match on five occasions. He won the 1938 AVRO tournament, which led to negotiations for a title match against champion Alexander Alekhine, but the match never took place due to World War II. After the war Keres was runner-up in the Candidates' Tournament on four consecutive occasions.
Due to these and other strong results, many chess historians consider Keres the strongest player never to become world champion. He was nicknamed "Paul the Second", "The Eternal Second" and "The Crown Prince of Chess". Keres was the only player in chess history to defeat nine undisputed world champions.
Read more about Paul Keres: Early Life, Pre-war Years, World Championship Match Denied, World War II, Dangerous Circumstances, World Championship Candidate (1948–65), Three-time Soviet Champion, Career Peak, Unmatched International Team Successes, Later Career, Death, Chess Legacy and Writings, Acknowledgements, Notable Chess Games, Quotes, Books