The Palm Beach Post, West Palm Beach, Florida, Sunday, December 27, 1998 - Page 598
Although Ewfim Geller never played a match for the world championship, the record of the Ukrainian grandmaster against those of his era who held the title was indeed extraordinary.
Geller, who passed away on November 17 at the age of 73, had a lifetime record (draws not included) of 4-1 against Mikhail Botvinnik, 10-7 against Vassily Smyslov, 4-2 against Tigran Petrosian and 5-3 against Bobby Fischer.
Dead even in 12 games with Mikhail Tal, his only negative result was a 6-9 record against Boris Spassky.
Geller had a deep love for the game and was reportedly happiest when immersed in its study. His capacity to discover new ideas and brilliantly implement them resulted in some remarkably quick wins against the best players of his time.
Because of his ability for original analysis, Geller was chosen to assist Spassky during his historic match with Fischer in 1972.
The onset of World War II delayed Geller's chess career. As a result, he did not attain the title of master until 1946 at the age of 21. But he retained his powers well past his statistical prime. In 1979, at the age of 55, he won the Soviet Championship for the second and last time.
His results against Fischer are eloquent testimony of his powers. During three consecutive tournaments — two of them held in 1967 when Fischer was virtually unbeatable — Geller defeated him in their individual game. The skein was finally broken in a 1970 game, when Fischer achieved victory after a Geller blunder on the 71st move.
In the accompanying box is a devastating win against Botvinnik from a 1966 Belgrade tournament.