Gelfand Boris Abramovich (24.06.1968)
Israeli Grandmaster (1989) born in Belorussia. European U20 Champion in 1987/88, USSR Junior Champion in 1985. World Cup winner in 2009. Finalist at the 2012 World Chess Championship against V. Anand, he lost the match after tie-break games (6-6 and 2½–1½).
Boris began playing chess at 4 and at the age of 11 he was a candidate master. He improved his chess skills under the coaching of Kapengut then with Huzman.
Best results: Norilsk 1987, 1st; World Junior 1988, 1-3rd with Joel Lautier (who had a better tie-break); Amsterdam Open 1988, 1-3rd; Klaipeda 1988, 1-2nd; Vilnius, 1-2nd; Arnhem 1988, 1-2nd USSR ch. 1989, 2nd; Linares 1990, 2nd; Dortmund 2nd, Manila Interzonal 1990, 1-2nd; Wijk aan Zee 1-2nd; Moscow Alekhine 1992 1-2nd; Interzonal Biel 1993, 1st; Vienna 1993, 1-3rd; Tilburg 1993; 1-2nd; Cap d’Agde 1994 and 2002, 1st; Rubinstein Memorial 1998 and 2002, 1st; Monaco Amber Rapid, 2001 and 2002, 1st; Cannes NAO 2002, 1st; Ashdod 2004, 1st; Pamplona 2004, 1st; Bermuda 2005, 1st; Biel 2005, 1st; World Championship Tournament in Mexico, 2nd-3rd with Vladimir Kramnik behind Vishy Anand; . In 2008 he shared first at Pivdenny Bank Chess Cup 2008, 1-2nd; Candidates Tournament 2011, 1st; London FIDE Grand Prix 2012, 1-2nd; Moscow Alekhine 2013, 1-2nd, Moscow Tal 2013, 1-2nd; Paris FIDE Grand Prix 2013, 1-2nd; Baku FIDE Grand Prix 2014, 1st; Moscow Nutcracker 2015, 1st.
Gelfand appeared in a total of 11 Chess Olympiads, representing Soviet-Union once, Belarus twice, and Israel eight times where he collected 4 medals including one team gold (1990).
Alon Greenfeld, once the captain and coach of the Israeli national team said: “Professional, the most professional you can be. That’s the best way to describe him. There are players who may be his equal in pure talent, and who also have tremendous knowledge and understanding of the game like Gelfand, but very few have managed to maintain such a level of professionalism for so many years. He’s a phenomenon.”
In 2007, Boris published his autobiography in My Most Memorable Games and in 2015 Positional Decision Making in Chess.
Peak rating: 2777 in 2013.
