Efim Geller Quotes

Russia, Chess Player
March 8, 1925 – November, 17, 1998.

Efim Petrovich Geller was a Ukrainian chess player and world-class grandmaster at his peak. He won the Soviet Championship twice and was a Candidate for the World Championship on six occasions . He won four Ukrainian Championship titles and shared first in the 1991 World Seniors' Championship, winning the title outright in 1992.

From time to time, like many other players, I glance through my own games of earlier years, and return to positions and variations which have gone out of practice. I attempt to restore them, to find new ideas and plans.

Efim Geller
- Practice
- Games
- Players
Just as it is wrong to work on chess by studying only the first 10-15 moves, so it is wrong to play one and the same opening system, even though it be rich in variations and nuances.

Efim Geller
- Play
- Chess
- Variations

It so often happens that, after sacrificing a pawn, a player aims not to obtain the initiative for it, but to regain sacrificed material.

Efim Geller
- Aims
- Sacrificing
- Regain
It was clear to me that the vulnerable point of the American Grandmaster (Bobby Fischer) was in double-edged, hanging, irrational positions, where he often failed to find a win even in a won position.

Efim Geller
The choice of opening, whether to aim for quiet or risky play, depends not only on the style of a player, but also on the disposition with which he sits down at the board.

Efim Geller
- Player
- Choice
- Aim