He also had quite a good record against Chekhover.

<In response to Mr Barden’s enquiry we can offer a quote from page 135 of the June 1962 Chess Life (the item mentioned in C.N. 8399). An interviewer asked Botvinnik:

‘Why did you decide against having a second in the return match with Tal?’

Botvinnik’s response:

‘My friend, the master Goldberg, with whom I have worked these past years, refused to be my second this time. He is older than I, and to second is far more tiring than to play. It is exhausting, and I understand his point of view. For example, when I help as a spectator at a chess tourney, I tire faster than if I play myself. And the second has to be alert for the five-hour duration of the game, as well as afterwards, to analyze the adjourned game throughout the night. So before me rose the question: “Should I engage a new second whom I may not have too much confidence in?” How could we successfully work together without a long friendship and mutual respect? Therefore, I decided not to use a second....'

From page 71 of The World Chess Championship 1963 by R.G. Wade (London, 1963):

https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/2020...

Goldberg Grigory Abramovich (1908-1976) - Soviet chess player, coach, chess journalist, master of sports, honored coach of the USSR, international referee.

Associate Professor A. Goldberg is the initiator of the creation and the first head of the specialization of Chess in GZOLIFK.

Grigory Goldberg was born on July 22, 1908. in Tsarskoye Selo (now Pushkin), later his family moved to Petrograd. Grigory studied at the Leningrad Institute of National Economy and played for the student team, played table tennis - had the first category, participated in city competitions. In the late 1920’s, Goldberg met Mikhail Botvinnik, who for many years became his friend and student. In his youth, Goldberg was the one who is usually called the head of the company’s soul. Already then he discovered extraordinary organizational abilities, leading the student chess movement. In the 1930-ies he was the soul of the chess organization of Leningrad.

From the Memories of M.Botvinnik: "At the end of 1929. In Odessa, the next championship of the USSR, the second in my chess life was held. At the same time, team competitions were held, where Goldberg played on the third board for Proletsud. After the tour, Grisha became the leader of the chess youth, and under his leadership we went to dinner. “Eleven beefs and one depraved with onions (in the menu, of course, there was a rosebrate – meat, which is afflicted with a bow), he loudly ordered the waiter, keeping a serious facial expression. His joininess had no boundaries!”

In 1932. Goldberg first reached the final of the championship of Leningrad, and in 1939. won the master title at the All-Union Tournament of candidates for master.

After the attack of fascist Germany, Goldberg was mobilized. He fought on the Western and Kalinin fronts, twice wounded. Since April 1942. At the courses of junior lieutenants, first worked as a commissioner of the machine gun battalion, then transferred to the advanced training courses.

He served as an officer of naval aviation, an assistant commander of the air base of the fleet, captain of the intendant service. For valor, he was awarded the Order of the Red Star and the Patriotic War of the II degree, medals "For the Defense of Leningrad", "For the capture of Konigsberg", "For the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945".

After the war, Goldberg gets to Moscow. He plays a lot of chess and twice breaks into the final of the championship of the country in 1945 and 1949, which in itself at that time was a great achievement. In 1950, Grigory Abramovich headed the chess department of the DSO "Trud", which in 1963. He organized the All-Russian Children's School of Botvinnik, where great chess players met with schoolchildren and young people.

In 1958. Goldberg accepted the offer of Botvinnik to become his second and helped his friend in a rematch against Vasily Smyslov. Master Goldberg and himself a frequent participant in the semifinals of the USSR, where he, as a representative of the old chess guard, fights at the chess table with the younger generation - B. Spassky, E. Geller, T. Petrosian.

In 1960, Grigory Abramovich taught at GTSOLIFK, where on his initiative in 1966. chess specialization appeared, which made it possible for the first time in the world to create a system of higher chess education. In 1982-1983 the Department of Chess was established.

Everything had to be done from scratch. There were no teachers, a curriculum, the legal status of future graduates. But thanks to Goldberg, there was a program, a status, and teachers.

From the memos of M. Botvinnik: “Grisha searched the country of talented applicants from year to year, fought for increasing the number of students to chess specialization and was rightfully proud of the success of his pets...”

Grigory Abramovich Goldberg died in 1976, buried in the Novodevichy Cemetery.

<
<Goldberg Grigory Abramovich (1908-1976) - Soviet chess player, coach, chess journalist, master of sports, honored coach of the USSR, international referee.>

Associate Professor G. A. Goldberg is the initiator of the creation and the first head of the Chess specialization at the State Central Institute of Physical Culture and Sport.

Grigory Goldberg was born on July 22, 1908 in Tsarskoye Selo (now Pushkin), later his family moved to Petrograd. Grigory studied at the Leningrad Institute of National Economy and played for the student team, played table tennis - had a first category, participated in city competitions. In the late 1920s, Goldberg met Mikhail Botvinnik, who became his friend and student for many years. In his youth, Goldberg was what is usually called a ringleader, the life of the party. Even then, he showed extraordinary organizational skills, heading the student chess movement. In the 1930s, he was the soul of the Leningrad chess organization.

From the memoirs of M. Botvinnik: “At the end of 1929, the next USSR championship was held in Odessa, the second in my chess life. At the same time, team competitions were held, where Goldberg played on the third board for Proletstud. After the round, Grisha became the leader of the chess youth, and under his leadership we went to dinner. “Eleven beefsteaks and one razbrat with onions (the menu, of course, included razbrat - meat stewed with onions), - he loudly ordered the waiter, maintaining a serious expression on his face. His cheerfulness knew no bounds!”

In 1932, Goldberg reached the final of the Leningrad Championship for the first time, and in 1939 he won the master title at the All-Union Candidate Master Tournament.

1,2 — Grigory Goldberg, 1930s. 3 — Students participating in the All-Union Chess Match of 3 Cities in Leningrad (2nd from the right at the column — A. Hydrat )

After the attack of Nazi Germany, Goldberg was mobilized. He fought on the Western and Kalinin Fronts, and was wounded twice. From April 1942, he attended junior lieutenant courses, first working as a commissar for a machine-gun battalion, and then transferred to advanced courses for command personnel.

Order and presentation for the awarding of the next Red Star to G. Goldberg

He served as an officer in naval aviation, assistant to the commander of the naval air base, and captain of the quartermaster service. For his valor, he was awarded the Order of the Red Star and the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd class, and the medals "For the Defense of Leningrad", "For the Capture of Koenigsberg", and "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945".

Nomination for the award of the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd degree, to G.A. Goldberg.

After the war, Goldberg moved to Moscow. He played a lot of chess and twice reached the final of the national championship in 1945 and 1949, which in itself was a great achievement at the time. In the 1950s, Grigory Abramovich headed the chess department of the Trud Voluntary Sports Society, where in 1963 he organized the All-Russian Botvinnik Children's School, where great chess players met with schoolchildren and young people.

In 1958, Goldberg accepted Botvinnik's offer to become his second and helped his friend in the rematch against Vasily Smyslov. Master Goldberg himself is a frequent participant in the USSR semifinals, where he, as a representative of the old chess guard, fights at the chess table with the younger generation - B. Spassky, E. Geller, T. Petrosian.

In the 1960s, Grigory Abramovich taught at the State Central Institute of Physical Culture and Sport, where, on his initiative, a chess specialization appeared in 1966, which allowed for the first time in the world to create a system of higher chess education. In the 1982-1983 academic year, a chess department was created.

Everything had to be done from scratch. There were no teachers, no curriculum, no legal status for future graduates. But thanks to Goldberg, the program, the status, and the teachers appeared.

From the memoirs of M. Botvinnik: “From year to year, Grisha searched the country for talented applicants, fought to increase the number of students admitted to the chess specialization and was rightfully proud of the successes of his protégés…”.

Grigory Abramovich Goldberg died in 1976 and was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery.

Sources:

Igor YANNAREV — “TO THE TEACHER. On the 100th Anniversary of G. A. Goldberg’s Birth”

Russian Chess Federation - Grigory Golberg>