Boris Gelfand: The Quiet Cancer Who Strikes Back

Data source: https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Boris_Gelfand

The astrological analysis of chess player Boris Gelfand is based on the data listed above on the cited website and assumes that the data is correct and accurate.

The analysis of GM Gelfand’s natal chart is once again a personal story for me, this time for a completely different reason than in the case of GM Praggnanandhaa. In this case, the connection is related to the date of birth: Mr. Gelfand and I were born in the same year and only a few days apart. What is especially interesting is that, despite this short difference in birth dates, we have a fairly similar structure, especially the one related to the mental and personality note. We both also come from nations that had to make a special effort to survive, which builds additional ability-based elements into the genetics. Well, let us explore this structure.

On the personality level, Boris is a Cancer, with the Sun in a close conjunction on one side with Mars, which, judging by his outward appearance, gives him a strong physical component, and on the other side with Venus, which gives him a very pleasant and warm human energy. Since this stellium of planets is placed in the 12th house, the house of Pisces, his energy of gentle and emotional water is even more emphasized, although as a person he is not very exposed and acts in a hidden, withdrawn way, often from an unconscious space of being. His Leo Ascendant conceals this even further and gives him some of that external strength and presence that is very important for a chess player.

An additional positive personality note is given by the sextile of this stellium with Jupiter. This aspect makes him an eternal optimist, with positive physical and emotional energy, a truly positive being. How can a person with such aspects be a cold-blooded chess machine that grinds everything in front of him? I do not have this aspect myself; in my case, instead of Jupiter, Pluto and Neptune are in sextile and trine, which gives more personal power, aggression, and visionary ability.

So what is it that gives Boris his chess “killer” instinct?

First, we see that his Mercury is in Gemini, where the mental channel is very fast, intelligent, creative, and communicative. Mercury in Gemini is the mark of synthetic, creative, and highly dynamic mental energy, which is fluid, adaptable, and fast. This Mercury is in very strong aspects with Uranus, with which it forms a very exact square; with Saturn, with which it also forms a very exact sextile; with Pluto, with which it forms a slightly less exact square; and in a very wide conjunction with Mars on one side and the Moon on the other. Finally, there is also a very wide sextile with Jupiter. We soon realize that Mercury is essentially the planet at the center of a stellium of five planets, connecting almost all the other planets — Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Pluto, and even Neptune through an inconjunction — into a unified structure that functions as a dynamic and creative mental, personal, and physical block.

The key chess structure, however, is Mercury in square with Uranus and in sextile with Saturn. The first aspect gives the dynamics and tension needed for brilliant creation and new ideas. This dynamo is almost nuclear-powered: an inexhaustible and eternal source of mental energy, which, if brought to the edge or even beyond it, can lead to nervous overload and an almost complete inability to stop mental processes and tension. Because of the second aspect, this danger is significantly reduced, as the sextile between Mercury and Saturn is highly supportive. It gives cold, icy, and very straightforward logic, sharp as the finest katana, and enables the bearer of this aspect to use all the abilities of logical reasoning. If this aspect were a trine, the ability to calculate over very long distances would be even better. These two aspects give Boris a very powerful tool for dealing with chess and other mental challenges, which he greatly enjoys.

The additional wide aspects of Mercury with Pluto — square, a detective mind; Mars — conjunction, a focused mental-physical connection as a generator of ideas and mental breakthrough; the Moon — conjunction, a connection between intuition and conscious mental energy; the Sun — conjunction, high intelligence; Jupiter — sextile, additional judgment ability and expansive mental energy; and Neptune — inconjunction, the need to adjust between the mental and visionary principles — provide an exceptional range of all possible colors in this mental rainbow of the grandmaster’s palette, capable of handling almost all the efforts that the game of chess demands from a player. Perhaps only a very exact trine is missing, one that would make calculation over very long distances easier for him. This is probably his greatest challenge.

GM Gelfand has another element that is very important for his success in the hard world of the struggle for power and dominance. This is Saturn in the 10th house, which acts like a great helium balloon pulling him upward and encouraging him throughout his life to strive, strengthen himself, and be courageous in all battles that led upward and forward. Without stopping and without hesitation, even though all the other elements would have preferred to take this path more slowly and calmly. Saturn pushed him forward, and in doing so it was very successful, penetrating, and effective.

As a Cancer, Boris is a very dangerous defensive player, and only a few manage to break through his shell. All those who fail to do so can expect an exceptional counterattack, which in most cases reaches its target. Often, in the end, they do not even realize what actually happened or where it came from.

But it was there all along, hidden and ready to strike.