Emanuel Lasker

LASKER, EMANUEL (1868–1941), chess master. Lasker, who was the grandson of a rabbi and son of a German cantor, was born in Berlin. In the early 1900s he settled in New York City, where he published his own chess magazine and was chess editor of the New York Evening Post. Lasker won tournaments in London (two in 1892), New York (1893), St. Petersburg (1895–96), Nuremberg (1896), London (1899), Paris (1900), St. Petersburg (1909 and 1914), and Berlin (1918). In match play he won 18 out of 20 matches, defeating Wilhelm *Steinitz for the world title (1894) and defending it successfully against him (1896–97), as well as against Frank Marshall, S. *Tarrasch (twice), and David Janowski (three times). He drew with Carl Schlechter and finally lost in 1921 to Capablanca (ten draws and four losses). In match play, the great attacking masters Jacques Mieses, J.H. Blackburne, H.E. Bird, and Frank Marshall all failed to win a game against him. Lasker taught advanced mathematics at various universities. His papers include "Modules and Ideal Factors" and "Die Philosophie des Unvollendbaren" (1919). His chess publications include Common Sense in Chess (1896) and Lasker's Manual of Chess (1927).

Sources: Encyclopaedia Judaica. © 2007 The Gale Group. All Rights Reserved.