sentences:  Ekström lost a 1944 match to the world-class grandmaster Paul Keres by 5–1, following Keres' 'hors concours' appearance at the 1944 Swedish Championship, where he had placed second.Ekström then finished second himself at the strong Hastings 1945/46 tournament, just half a point behind grandmaster Savielly Tartakower, with a score of 9/11.This was ahead of former World Champion Max Euwe, American champion Arnold Denker, and American Olympian Herman Steiner, who all trailed well behind with 7 points.