The Great Chess Match.

Auckland Star, Volume XXV, Issue 149, 23 June 1894, Page 12

The Great Chess Match.

The Two Competitobs. Defeat of Stehotz. Cable news laab week announces thai ths ' great cheas match for the championship of the world bad been won by Emanoel Lukit, who defeated the hitherto unconquered ' Steinitz. The maia conditions oE fc match were: The winner of the firafe 10 games (draws nob to count) to be the victor ; time limit, 15 moves per hour; etafcg £400 a side. The * Westminster Budget 1 gives the following biographical sketch of both players :— WttHELM STEISITZ. Vitf , Wilheim Steinitz was born in PraJMl I Bohemia, in 1836. He learnt chess at ta early age; improved in Vienna in prac> ing with men like the late Hampej was Bent to England as Austrian delegate fcol|| ■ London tournament, 1862; made Engltadi his home, and remained in London ti 1882, when he emigrated to Anaeric; vhera. he •till resides as an American ctmggllll having honoured oar cousins by becQmfflHHj naturalised. Steinitz is the first match-player UmBHIB Between 1862 and 1892 he played 23 matches, and won them all, amongst 1 opponents being Anderssen, Blackburt Bird, Guosberg, Mackenzie, Tchigorin, and Zukertort. His record as a competitor tournaments is less distinguished, although be never competed without taking a prize. That Steinitz was less successful aa a tournament player than a match player may be ascribed to the fact that he mv ably beats himself instead of being beat by hia opponents. Let us take the matches first. Anderssen he beat by 8 gasi' to 6, and not a single draw occurred. 2 kerfort he beat in 1872 by 7 gamei to L Blackburne he beat in two matches by 7 to 1, and 7to 0. Up to that time Steinitz bad played etiil his natural style; he had not) yet started the ' modern school theory,' and his natural ability was therefore unencai bered by a style uncongenial to his ten peramont, independent; of its merits or otherwise — rather otherwise. In tl , matches with Gunsberg and Tchigorin I gave them the odds of the novel theories, and only began to play up when the isaus was endangered. In the present match with Lasker he started also with a questionable defence to the Ray Lopez, and the score at present ie tyro each, and two draws. It is almost certain that he will not pursue this suicidal policy any further, for be. is sure to take into consideration that a lifelong reputation is at stake. In tournaments his theories and fadr have cost him many a firet prize. Tbe London tournament of 1883 may serve as a case in point. He started by losing with Tchigorin and Englisch by adopting his favourite • Steinitz Gambit,' whilst Zukertort went on scoring game after game; bnfc when he saw that the second prize became in danger too, be abandoned his fade. Emastjel Laskib. ;\«||j Emanuel Lasker was bora in BerliDcheß^|i Prussia, on December 24tb, 1868. He learned the game at the age of 12 years from his brother, and cultivated it with more assiduity from his 15th year. Bs measured his skill with|better players io Berlin, where he finally won the first prize in j local tournament without losing a single game. But his chess career^ dates froffi 1889, when he won the first prize in the M inor Tournament at the Breslau Congress, 1889, thus becoming a master. In 1889:%|g, was second, Burn lint, at the Amsterdam tournament;, this being his first appearance as a new-fledged master; subsequently he won two matches with Bird; won a match with Blackburne without losing a BjDgls game; won the first prize in the Katiodßi Masters' Tournament of the British Cheea Association, 1892; and tbe Quintangutar Tournament which followed this event,. This tournament was organised and endowed by Mr George Newnes ; an J Bird. Blackburne, Guneberg, and Mason we™ the four other compotitora. The mifct. with Blackburne followed. . ' i -, Winning these three events in succession placed Lasker in the very first rank sf »• chess world, and thus he sbarted opon » starring tour to America and Havana; bn» he carefully abstained from meeting MJ but first-class players, his ambition beiogt and not unnaturally co, to encounter th* recognised champions, and that at stakf* which might be termed to a certain exttf* prohibitive. Negotiations to bring afeooji a meeting with Steinitz were carried on for^, nearly two years ; finally, he had to low*? the stakes, not being able to find backer* for the original amount The stakes were finally reduced to £400 a side, and pay commenced on March 15. ' ■