Wilhelm Steinitz

Wilhelm Steinitz (May 14, 1836 – August 12, 1900) was a chess player born in Bohemia-Austria who later became an American citizen. He held the title of the first official World Chess Champion from 1886 until 1894, when he lost it to Emanuel Lasker. Steinitz also lost a rematch against Lasker in 1896–97. Although modern statistical ratings place him relatively low among world champions—largely because he took extended breaks from competition—one such system also indicates he was one of the game’s most dominant figures. Notably, he remained undefeated in match play for 32 years, from 1862 to 1894. A prolific writer and influential theorist, Steinitz initially rose to the top by playing the aggressive, all-out attacking style common in the 1860s. But in 1873, he introduced a new positional style of play, which he proved superior to the old approach. This style sparked controversy; some critics called it cowardly, though many of his games demonstrated it could produce attacks just as fierce as those of the Romantic school. Steinitz defended his ideas vigorously in writing, leading to a bitter, often abusive debate known as the “Ink War.” By the early 1890s, his methods had gained wide acceptance, and the next generation of top players—including his successor Lasker—acknowledged their debt to him. Traditional accounts paint Steinitz as ill-tempered and aggressive, but more recent research shows he maintained long, friendly relationships with some players and organizations. From 1888 to 1889, for example, he worked with the American Chess Congress to define rules for future world championship matches. Steinitz was poor at managing money and lived in poverty throughout his life.

Steinitz was born on May 14, 1836, in the Jewish ghetto of Prague, then part of the Austrian Empire. He was the youngest of thirteen sons born to tailor Josef-Salomon Steinitz and his first wife. He learned chess at age 12. After studying the Talmud as a youth, he began playing serious chess in his twenties, leaving Prague in 1857 to study mathematics at the Vienna Polytechnic. He spent two years at the university.

During the late 1850s, Steinitz’s chess skill improved quickly. He placed third in the 1859 Vienna City championship, then first in 1861 with a score of 30 out of 31. This earned him the nickname “the Austrian Morphy” and made him the strongest player in Austria.

In 1862, Steinitz represented Austria at the London chess tournament, finishing sixth. His win over Augustus Mongredien won the tournament’s brilliancy prize. He then challenged the fifth-place finisher, Italian master Serafino Dubois, to a match and won (five wins, one draw, three losses). This success led him to turn professional and move to London. In 1862–63, he crushed Joseph Henry Blackburne in a match—Blackburne would later be a top-ten player for 20 years but had only started chess two years earlier. Steinitz then defeated other leading UK players: Frederick Deacon and Mongredien in 1863, and Valentine Green in 1864. This rise came at a cost: in March 1863, Steinitz apologized in a letter to Ignác Kolisch for not repaying a loan, because Daniel Harrwitz had taken over Steinitz’s clients at the London Chess Club, his main source of income.

These wins made Steinitz one of the world’s top players. In 1866, he arranged a match in London against Adolf Anderssen, then considered the world’s strongest active player (having won the 1851 and 1862 London tournaments, and with Paul Morphy retired). Steinitz won with eight wins and six losses (no draws). After 12 games the score was tied at 6–6, but Steinitz took the last two. This victory led to his general recognition as the world’s best player. The prize money was £100 for the winner (Steinitz) and £20 for Anderssen—a large sum, equivalent to about £57,500 in 2007.

In the years after beating Anderssen, Steinitz defeated Henry Bird in 1866 (seven wins, five losses, five draws) and comfortably beat Johannes Zukertort in 1872 (seven wins, four draws, one loss). Zukertort had proven himself elite by beating Anderssen by a large margin in 1871.

Steinitz took longer to dominate tournaments. He placed third at Paris 1867 (behind Kolisch and Simon Winawer), second at Dundee 1867 (Gustav Neumann won), and second at Baden-Baden 1870 (behind Anderssen but ahead of Blackburne, Louis Paulsen, and others). His first strong tournament win was London 1872, ahead of Blackburne and Zukertort. The first tournament where he finished ahead of Anderssen was Vienna 1873, when Anderssen was 55.

All of Steinitz’s successes up to 1872 came in the all-out attacking “Romantic” style. In 1873, he changed his approach, unveiling a new positional style that he demonstrated was superior.