LaviChess

Emanuel Lasker

Emanuel Lasker was world champion for 27 years, from 1894 to 1921, longer than anyone else. He was also a doctor of mathematics. At the board he was a practical fighter who looked for whatever would be hardest for the particular opponent in front of him.

  • BornDecember 24, 1868, Berlinchen, Prussia (today Barlinek, Poland)
  • DiedJanuary 11, 1941, New York
  • CountryGermany
  • World champion1894–1921
  • In the line of championsNo. 2 of 18
  • Highest ratingNo FIDE rating
    FIDE's official lists began in July 1971

The road to the title

Lasker was born in Berlinchen in Prussia, today Barlinek in Poland, and studied mathematics. He was only 25 when he beat Wilhelm Steinitz in the 1894 title match, played in New York, Philadelphia and Montreal. Two years later he won the return match in Moscow even more clearly.

The title matches

Lasker's points come first, then wins (+), losses (−) and draws (=) in the classical games. A rapid tiebreak is given separately.
YearAgainstResultWhere
1894Wilhelm Steinitz12–7 (+10 −5 =4)
Won the title		New York, Philadelphia, and Montreal
1896–1897Wilhelm Steinitz12½–4½ (+10 −2 =5)
Kept the title		Moscow
1907Frank Marshall11½–3½ (+8 −0 =7)
Kept the title		several US cities
1908Siegbert Tarrasch10½–5½ (+8 −3 =5)
Kept the title		Düsseldorf and Munich
1910Carl Schlechter5–5 (+1 −1 =8)
Kept the title		Vienna and Berlin
1910Dawid Janowski9½–1½ (+8 −0 =3)
Kept the title		Berlin
1921José Raúl Capablanca5–9 (+0 −4 =10)
Lost the title		Havana

The mathematician

Chess was not Lasker's only great interest. He earned a doctorate in mathematics, and an idea in abstract algebra still carries his name. He also wrote books on philosophy and liked to play bridge and the Japanese board game go.

How he played

Steinitz had looked for the objectively best move. Lasker was more practical. He studied his opponent and chose the path that would be hardest for that particular player. In bad positions he could set his opponent one problem after another until the game turned.

A close call in 1910

One of his most exciting matches was against the Austrian Carl Schlechter in 1910. It was only ten games long, and at 5–5 the champion would keep the title. Schlechter won the fifth game, and then came draw after draw. Going into the tenth and last game, Schlechter was still ahead. Lasker won it, and the match ended 5–5.

Afterward

In 1921 Lasker lost the title to José Raúl Capablanca in Havana without winning a single game. But he did not stop playing. At Moscow 1935, aged 66, he finished third without a single loss, half a point behind Mikhail Botvinnik and Salo Flohr and ahead of Capablanca. He died in New York in 1941.

Sources

  • Wikipedia: Emanuel Lasker
  • Store norske leksikon: Emanuel Lasker
  • MacTutor History of Mathematics (St Andrews): Emanuel Lasker
  • OlimpBase: the title matches 1894–1921
  • PGN Mentor: the title matches' games and the Moscow 1935 tournament

The facts on this page come from the sources above, checked against each other. Where the sources disagree, only what they agree on is given. The match results are also checked against the games themselves.

Updated November 8, 2026