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Emanuel Lasker
Times obituary
A GREAT CHESS MASTER
Dr. Emanuel Lasker, whose death in New York on Saturday was announced by our New York Correspondent, was one of the greatest chess players that have ever lived, and the length of his active career was probably unique.
From 1889 or thereabouts until 1914, his pre-eminence as a match player was unchallenged, and he was equally successful, though less active, in tournament play. He was already 50 when he lost the world championship, which he had held since 1894, to J. R. Capablanca. With most first-rank masters, a decisive defeat at that age would have meant the end of their active career; but with Lasker, it was only a prelude to a renascence, and one of his greatest tournament triumphs was achieved four years later.
Born in Berlin in 1868, he became a doctor of mathematics and was by profession a university lecturer But the greater part of his career was taken up by chess. He learned the game by playing it at the age of 12 and won his first tournament at the age of 21 in Berlin. Over the next 25 years, his more important tournament successes included: British Chess Association, London, 1892, first; Quintangular Tournament, London, 1892, first; New York, 1893, first; Hastings, 1895, third; St. Petersburg Quadrangular, 1896, first; Nuremberg, 1896, first; London, 1899, first; Paris, 1900, first; Cambridge Springs, 1904, second equal; Chigorin Memorial, St. Petersburg, 1909, first; St. Petersburg, 1914, first (half a point ahead of Capablanca).
During match play over the same period, Lasker was invincible. After a series of decisive victories over such players as Blackburne, Mieses, Bird, Showalter, and Janowski, he won the world championship title by defeating Steinitz in 1894 by 10 games to five; in 1897, he successfully defended it against the same player by 10 games to two. The games in the first series were glorious: in the second, Steinitz, already an old hand, was obviously past his best. Subsequently, he won matches against Marshall (8-nil) and Tarrasch (8-3). Schlechter, however, drew a match in 1910, each side winning one and eight games being drawn.
In 1920, after protracted negotiations, the match with Capablanca at last took place, and Capablanca won it by four games to nothing, with 10 draws. Lasker may have been affected by the great heat in Cuba in the summer or it may simply be that Capablanca's perfect technique was too much for him. However that may be, it is certain that his defeat was due to no falling off in his powers: for in the New York Tournament of 1924, like St. Petersburg, 1914, one of the strongest ever held, he won first prize with the magnificent score of 16 out of 20, 11 points ahead of Capablanca and 4 points ahead of Alekhine. He lost one game only, to Capablanca. In 1925 he achieved another remarkable performance in Russia, being second to Bogoljuboff and again being ahead of his great rival, Capablanca. Ten years later he went through another Moscow tournament of the front rank unbeaten, finishing third with 124, half point behind Botvinnik and Flohr. In 1936 at the age of 68 he took part in the great Nottingham tournament, and his score of & was only 11 points behind that of Capablanca and Botvinnik, the joint winners.
Lasker, who was a Jew, left Germany owing to the Nazi persecution of his race, and for some time made his home in Russia, where he became professor of a chess school in Moscow. To the disgrace of his father, Krylenko, however, he went to the United States. Lasker's conception of life, as expounded in his writings, was that of a 112-year-old struggle, and as a chess player he was undoubtedly the greatest fighter that the game had seen. Supremely wary and tenacious, he would deliberately involve himself in difficulties to complicate the struggle and give himself chances of outplaying his opponent; and once he had the advantage, he would push it home with relentless vigour and decision.
A GREAT CHESS MASTER
Dr. Emanuel Lasker, whose death in New York on Saturday was announced by our New York Correspondent, was one of the greatest chess players that have ever lived, and the length of his active career was probably unique.
From 1889 or thereabouts until 1914, his pre-eminence as a match player was unchallenged, and he was equally successful, though less active, in tournament play. He was already 50 when he lost the world championship, which he had held since 1894, to J. R. Capablanca. With most first-rank masters, a decisive defeat at that age would have meant the end of their active career; but with Lasker, it was only a prelude to a renascence, and one of his greatest tournament triumphs was achieved four years later.
Born in Berlin in 1868, he became a doctor of mathematics and was by profession a university lecturer But the greater part of his career was taken up by chess. He learned the game by playing it at the age of 12 and won his first tournament at the age of 21 in Berlin. Over the next 25 years, his more important tournament successes included: British Chess Association, London, 1892, first; Quintangular Tournament, London, 1892, first; New York, 1893, first; Hastings, 1895, third; St. Petersburg Quadrangular, 1896, first; Nuremberg, 1896, first; London, 1899, first; Paris, 1900, first; Cambridge Springs, 1904, second equal; Chigorin Memorial, St. Petersburg, 1909, first; St. Petersburg, 1914, first (half a point ahead of Capablanca).
During match play over the same period, Lasker was invincible. After a series of decisive victories over such players as Blackburne, Mieses, Bird, Showalter, and Janowski, he won the world championship title by defeating Steinitz in 1894 by 10 games to five; in 1897, he successfully defended it against the same player by 10 games to two. The games in the first series were glorious: in the second, Steinitz, already an old hand, was obviously past his best. Subsequently, he won matches against Marshall (8-nil) and Tarrasch (8-3). Schlechter, however, drew a match in 1910, each side winning one and eight games being drawn.
In 1920, after protracted negotiations, the match with Capablanca at last took place, and Capablanca won it by four games to nothing, with 10 draws. Lasker may have been affected by the great heat in Cuba in the summer or it may simply be that Capablanca's perfect technique was too much for him. However that may be, it is certain that his defeat was due to no falling off in his powers: for in the New York Tournament of 1924, like St. Petersburg, 1914, one of the strongest ever held, he won first prize with the magnificent score of 16 out of 20, 11 points ahead of Capablanca and 4 points ahead of Alekhine. He lost one game only, to Capablanca. In 1925 he achieved another remarkable performance in Russia, being second to Bogoljuboff and again being ahead of his great rival, Capablanca. Ten years later he went through another Moscow tournament of the front rank unbeaten, finishing third with 124, half point behind Botvinnik and Flohr. In 1936 at the age of 68 he took part in the great Nottingham tournament, and his score of & was only 11 points behind that of Capablanca and Botvinnik, the joint winners.
Lasker, who was a Jew, left Germany owing to the Nazi persecution of his race, and for some time made his home in Russia, where he became professor of a chess school in Moscow. To the disgrace of his father, Krylenko, however, he went to the United States. Lasker's conception of life, as expounded in his writings, was that of a 112-year-old struggle, and as a chess player he was undoubtedly the greatest fighter that the game had seen. Supremely wary and tenacious, he would deliberately involve himself in difficulties to complicate the struggle and give himself chances of outplaying his opponent; and once he had the advantage, he would push it home with relentless vigour and decision.
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