Estonia · 100th birthday of Paul Keres

Issue date7 Jan 2016

Total mintage500,000

EU maximum500,000

Editions2

Edge letteringEESTI × 2, alternating upright/inverted, separated by dots

InscriptionPAUL KERES / EESTI / 2016

DesignerRiho Luuse

mintUAB Lietuvos monetų kalykla, Vilnius (Lithuania)

Issue occasion

The commemorative coin honors the 100th birthday of the Estonian chess grandmaster Paul Keres. The design shows his portrait together with several chess pieces and the semicircular inscription “PAUL KERES”. “EESTI” is also shown on the left, with the year of issue “2016” below it.

The design

The coin depicts a portrait of the famous Estonian chess player Paul Keres with several chess pieces. The inscription “PAUL KERES” appears in a semicircle at the top left. On the left side is the name of the issuing state, “EESTI”, with the year of issue, “2016”, below it.

The twelve stars of the European flag are shown on the coin’s outer ring.

Background on the topic

Paul Keres was born in Narva, which at the time belonged to the Russian Empire. His career unfolded during a period of repeated political upheavals: after Estonian independence, he represented his country at international Chess Olympiads. As a result of the Second World War and the incorporation of Estonia into the Soviet Union, he later competed for the USSR. Nevertheless, he remained closely associated with Estonia in the public consciousness.

Keres achieved his international breakthrough in the 1930s. At the AVRO Tournament in the Netherlands in 1938, he shared first place with Reuben Fine and finished ahead on the basis of their head-to-head result. The tournament brought together several of the strongest players of the time and was intended to determine a possible challenger to the world champion Alexander Aljechin. However, a title match did not take place; the war and political changes disrupted the organisation of the chess world at that time.

After the war, Keres remained among the world’s leading players for many years. He won the Soviet Championship three times and achieved high placings in several Candidates Tournaments. These competitions determined the challenger to the reigning world champion. However, Keres never qualified for the final World Championship match. He is therefore often described as one of the strongest players never to win the world championship title. In addition to tournament chess, he also worked as an author of chess-theoretical works and as a composer of chess problems.

In Estonia, Keres became a national figure of remembrance. His portrait had already appeared on the former Estonian five-kroon banknote. Chess held a high social status in Estonia and the Soviet Union; international successes were understood at the same time as cultural and political representation. The anniversary year was also taken up by organised chess outside Estonia. The coin issue thus built on an already established public remembrance of Keres and combined Estonian history with an internationally recognised sporting and intellectual tradition.