German chess player Lasker Emmanuel (Emanuel Lasker): biography

It's interesting to know that Lasker Emmanuel is a German mathematician and philosopher, he was the world chess champion for 26 years and is widely known for his great skill in the game. In addition, he successfully worked in the field of commutative algebra, and his mathematical analysis of card games is known up to now.

Let's learn more about this interesting person.

early years

Chess player Emmanuel Lasker was born in Berlineren (Prussia) on December 24, 1868. He was the son of a Jewish cantor. When he was 11 years old, he was sent to Berlin to study mathematics. In breaks between studies, in order to pass his free time, he often played with his older brother in chess.

The brothers were poor, and Lasker decided that he could earn some money by taking part in tournaments that were organized in local chess clubs. His favorite place was the café "Kaiserhof", where he soon began to win championships.

In 1889, in Breslau, he took first place in one of the divisions of the tournament. In the same year he went to Amsterdam, where he won the second place. In 1892 he went to London to show his skills to the British. And then Lasker emigrated to the United States.

World champion

In 1894, Lasker won the World Chess Championship, defeating the famous player Wilhelm Steinitz. This event shocked the world, as Emmanuel was only 25 years old.

Mistrustful observers, not wishing to recognize the fact that the young man defeated the greatest player in the world, still rationally approached their decision. They explained this to the fact that Steinitz was already quite an old man, and in the game he could not show his abilities.

Wilhelm said that before the last round he was suffering from insomnia, and that's why he lost. He demanded a rematch from Lasker. But Emmanuel did not intend to risk his title so quickly. And only two years later they again met at the chessboard.

In this rematch, which took place in 1896, Lasker again won. After some time he agreed with some observers that the main factor in this outcome of the game was the age of his opponent.

Business and chess

In 1895, despite the fact that Emanuel Lasker was treated for typhus, he took third place in the tournament in Hastings. Many rivals noted that he is a modest and clever gentleman and, unlike many experts, has first-class business qualities.

Lasker really had a concept of business. Since he was the best player in the world, for his performances he demanded from sponsors of the tournament for 2000 dollars. However, his other business initiatives were not crowned with success. Work in agriculture and breeding pigeons ended in failure.

Because of his demands for money for participating in chess tournaments, other players also began to follow his example. Lasker said that he does not want to die poor as Steinitz. He even wanted to get copyrights for all his games (which he failed to do, but in the 1960s Bobby Fisher managed to achieve it). The German chess player made a real revolution. Modern players could thank Emmanuel for the fact that today they can receive money for their competitions.

Achievements in Science and Education

Participating in chess tournaments, Lasker Emmanuel did not forget about his studies. He received a certificate of high school in Landsberg an der Voors (at that time the city was considered part of Prussia). In Göttingen and Heidelberg, he studied mathematics and philosophy.

Lasker served as lecturer at the University of Tulane, in New Orleans (1893), and at the University of Victoria, in Manchester (1901). In 1902 he received his doctorate from the University of Erlangen for his research on abstract algebraic systems.

Defending the title

Lasker Emmanuel for 26 years remained the world champion in chess. This irritated other players who argued that he was constantly dissuaded from participating in rematch games so as not to lose his title. Defended the title, he only 6 times.

William Napier once remarked that it is very difficult for a German chess player to be persuaded to determine the exact place and time for the game. In 1907, they finally met, and Lasker defeated him.

In 1908, he played with another famous player - Sigbert Tarrasch, and, of course, won from him. After the tournament ended, his opponent said that he lost the game, as they were close to the ocean, which had a negative effect on him. Soon the press mocked Tarrash and his fantasies.

In 1909, Lasker defeated the Polish chess player David Yanovsky, and in 1910 - defeated Karl Schlechter with a slight advantage in points. In 1914, the Russian Emperor Nicholas II organized a chess tournament, with a prize fund of 1,000 rubles. Lasker took part in it and spoke against brilliant players: José Capablanca from Cuba, Akiba Rubinstein from Poland, Frank Marshall from the USA, Siegbert Tarrasch from Germany and Alexander Alekhin from Russia. In the final, Emmanuel won a half point from Capablanca and became the champion. Soon, at a dinner party, the Russian Tsar named Lasker and four other players "grand masters." This term was applied for the first time.

Changes in the game

During the lifetime of Lasker, the game of chess has changed a lot. Players began to think strategically, more books and thematic publications appeared in newspapers and magazines, the number of cunning moves and tricks constantly increased. Even the famous Schoenberg noted that when he was young, the player needed to be just talented and sensible. And chess players of the twentieth century need to remember thousands of variations. One mistake - and you are in a lost position.

Chess is a mathematical game that requires clarity of thought and judgment. World champion Lasker noted in his book "The Art of Chess" (The Art of Chess) that you can not lie and hypocrite on the board. You need to think creatively and build amazing combinations.

Personal life

In Lasker's personal life everything was clear and precise, as in chess. In the early 1900's, his first wife died. And in 1911 he married the second time on Mart Koch, who was older than him for 1 year. The woman was rich. In 1931, he announced his retirement from chess and decided to move to Berlin. His retirement was rudely interrupted by the coming to power of the Nazis. Since the spouses were Jews, during the "anti-Semitic rage" they had to leave Germany and live in England for some time. The German authorities seized all the property of the family, and the couple were left without funds.

Then they went to the USSR, where Lasker took Soviet citizenship. For a long time he taught at the Moscow Institute of Mathematics. Soon he went to the United States with his wife. Surprisingly, he earned a living on victories in the card game "Bridge". He even became a real professional. And on January 11, 1941, he died in New York from a kidney infection in the Mount Senay Hospital.

Known publications

In 1895, Lasker Emmanuel published two of his mathematical articles. After he entered the doctorate (1900 - 1902), he wrote a thesis, which was published by the Royal Society. Founded by him in 1904, the magazine was soon renamed the Lasker Chess Magazine.

In 1905 he published an article that is still considered vital for algebra and algebraic geometry. In 1906 he published the book "Struggle" about competition in chess. His other works were connected with philosophy. In 1926 he published his famous publication "The textbook of the chess game" (Lehrbuch des Schachspiels).

We can say that Emmanuel Lasker was not only a brilliant chess player who defended the title of champion for 26 years, but also a great mathematician and philosopher, whose work is still very popular. In addition, he was able to introduce some changes to the chess game: for participating in the championships, the winners were able to receive monetary rewards, he was the first to express an opinion about obtaining copyrights to his games, and he also invented a lot of combinations, which are now used by many chess players. Therefore, his name and great works are immortal.