Brief biography of Wilhelm Steinitz: Part I

Note: The caption above depicts Wilhelm Steinitz (Right) and Johannes Zukertort (The year 1886 is of immense significance to the history of chess. On January 11, the first formal match between Wilhelm Steinitz and Johannes Zukertort for the title of World Champion took place. Although many noteworthy matches had occurred in the prior years, this was the first match in which the term "World Champion" was used officially. 50-year-old Steinitz became the first World Champion in the history of chess by winning the match with a score of 10 to 5).

Introduction

William Steinitz (born Wilhelm Steinitz; 14 May 1836 – 12 August 1900) was an Austrian chess player who subsequently became an American. He was the first acknowledged World Chess Champion from 1886 to 1894. He was also a highly influential chess theorist and writer.

Early life

Steinitz was born in the Jewish ghetto of Prague on 14 May 1836 (now capital of the Czech Republic). At age 12, he learned to play chess. In his twenties, after leaving Prague in 1857 to study mathematics at the Vienna Polytechnic, he began to play chess seriously. Steinitz attended college for two years.

Debut

1850s-1860s

In the late 1850s, Steinitz made remarkable strides in chess, rising from third place in the 1859 Vienna City Championship to first with a score of 30/31 in 1861. During this time, he was referred to as 'the Austrian Morphy.' This accomplishment signified that he was now the best player in Austria.

Wilhelm Steinitz (1866) 

Steinitz was then dispatched to London in 1862 to represent Austria in a chess competition. He finished in sixth place, but his victory over Augustus Mongredien earned him the tournament's brilliance award. Steinitz promptly challenged the fifth-placed competitor, the experienced Italian grandmaster Serafino Dubois, to a match, which he won (five wins, one draw, three losses). This inspired him to enter the workforce, and he settled in London. In 1862–1863, Steinitz defeated Joseph Henry Blackburne in a match, despite the fact that Blackburne had just begun playing chess two years prior. Blackburne went on to become one of the world's top 10 chess players for twenty years.

vs Adolf Anderssen

Steinitz was able to arrange a match in 1866 in London against Adolf Anderssen, who was considered the world's strongest active player because he had won the 1851 and 1862 London International Tournaments and his only superior, Paul Morphy, had retired. Steinitz prevailed with eight victories and six defeats (no draws), but it was a close contest; after 12 games, the score was tied at 6–6, then Steinitz won the final two games. As a result of this triumph, Steinitz was widely considered as the best player in the world.

Changes in style

All of Steinitz's victories before to 1872 were won in the aggressive 'Romantic' style characterized by Anderssen. Steinitz debuted a new 'positional' style of play at the 1873 Vienna Chess Tournament, which would become the foundation of modern chess.

vs Johannes Zukertort (World Championship Match)

Steinitz and Zukertort eventually decided to play a match in 1886 in New York, St. Louis, and New Orleans, with the winner being the person who won 10 games first. At Steinitz's demand, the contract stated that it was 'for the World Championship.' After the five games played in New York, Zukertort led 4–1, but ultimately Steinitz prevailed by a decisive score of 12½–7½. (ten wins, five draws, five losses). The fall of Zukertort, who had won only one of his previous fifteen games. In this match, Steinitz demonstrated greater positional awareness than his opponent. 

Dispute of a champion

Steinitz's time as World Chess Champion began either in 1866, when he defeated Anderssen, or in 1886, when he defeated Zukertort, according to chess authors. In April 1894, the British Chess Magazine reported that Steinitz had held the global chess championship for 28 years. However, there is no proof that he claimed the title in 1866, however in the 1880s he asserted that he had been the champion since his victory over Anderssen. While Paul Morphy was alive, it has been stated that Steinitz could not make such a claim.

vs Emmanuel Lasker

Lasker (right) vs Steinitz - New York 1894

In 1894, the event was played in New York, Philadelphia, and Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The 32-year age gap between the competitors was the greatest in the history of world championship competition, and it remains the largest to this day. Lasker's victory in the first game came as a surprise, given Steinitz's assurances that he would undoubtedly win. Steinitz answered with a victory in the second game and was able to maintain parity through the sixth. However, Lasker won every game from the seventh to the eleventh, and Steinitz requested a week off. When play resumed, Steinitz appeared stronger and won the thirteenth and fourteenth games. Steinitz was unable to recover from his losses in the middle of the match, as Lasker fought back in the 15th and 16th moves. Thus, Lasker triumphed with ten victories, five defeats, and four ties. Some pundits believed Steinitz's tendency to play "experimental" moves in serious competition was a significant cause in his demise.

End of part I.