William Steinitz

by Bill Wall

On May 14, 1836, (some sources say

May 17, 1836) Wolf (later changed to
Wilhelm, and then to William) Steinitz
(vil'helm shti'nits) was born to Jewish
parents in a Prague ghetto on
Goldrichstrasse or Goldrich Street,
Kingdom of Bohemia and part of the
Austrian Empire (now the Czech
Republic). Steinitz may have been born
with a clubfoot. All of his adult life he Bill Wall
required the aid of a crutch or a walking
stick. He was also short, and grew to
barely 5 feet in height.
William Steinitz
1836-1900 The archives in Prague say that Wolf
Steinitz was born on May 14, 1836. Chess is a sad
Steinitz wrote in his International Chess waste of brains. -
Magazine (June 1887) that he was born Sir Walter Scott
on May 17, 1836. (1771-1832)
Wolf (Wilhelm) was the 9th child of
Josef Salamon Steinitz (1789-1865), a
Talmadic scholar (but not a rabbi) and
tailor. Wilhelm's mother was Anna
Steinitz (1802-1845), nee Torschowa or
Torshova. Four more children were born
after Wilhelm Steinitz, but they all died
in early childhood. One of his older
brothers was Salomon Steinitz (1829-
1884).

The original first name for Wilhelm

Steinitz was Wolf Steinitz, which he
changed to Wilhelm after he left Prague.
Wolf is an old Jewish name.

Steinitz liked to say that he was the 13th

child, but he was not. After the death of
Wilhelm's mother in February 1845, his
father re-married (Marie Ehrlich) in
January 1850 and had another child,
Bernhard (Bernard) Steinitz (1850-
1892) at the age of 61.

Wilhelm Steinitz may have learned

chess while living in a Prague ghetto in
1848, at the age of 12. Various sources
say that he learned chess from his father
(who played chess), or a friend of his
father, or a school mate. Some sources
(Devide) say that he carved his first
chess pieces himself out of kindling
wood and used a checkerboard cloth for
his chess board.

Steinitz may have gone to Jewish school

in the Prague ghetto where he received
instruction in Hebrew grammar and in
biblical studies. Some of his ancestors
were scholars of the Talmud and his
parents wanted Wilhelm to also be a
Talmud scholar and a rabbi.

In 1849, at the age of 13, Wilhelm

Steinitz was acknowledged the best
Talmudist among the young men of
Prague. His parents wanted him to
attend the 'Yeshiva,' the high school for
the study of the Talmud. However, he
became more interested in mathematics
and wanted to complete his studies in
Vienna. This may have caused a break
between him and his parents. Another
contributing factor may be that his
father was on his second marriage and
he may have had a bad relationship with
his step-mother, Marie. Also, his father
may not have approved young Wilhelm
playing chess.

One source mentions that Steinitz

attended the Volksschule in Prague
where he had a gift for mathematics. By
1849, the law that forced Jews to live in
the Prague ghetto was rescinded. Jews
could now move freely throughout
Prague as long as they had a passport.
Soon, most of the Jews left this area,
leaving only orthodox and poor Jews in
the quarter.

In 1850, the Prague ghetto had

disappeared and was renamed
Josefstadt. Steinitz, at the age of 15, left
his parents and lived for a time on the
streets of Prague. He worked as a clerk
and an office worker in various small
businesses in and around Prague.

By the 1850s, Steinitz was a regular

visitor to the chess cafes of Prague, such
as the 'Cafe Wien.'

In 1853, Steinitz met Josef Popper-

Lynkeus (1838-1921), who was an
Austrian scholar, writer, engineer, and
social reformer. He was also the author
of several technical treatises. Popper
encouraged Steinitz to move to Vienna
to study mathematics. They were friends
for life.

In 1855, Wilhelm Steinitz was living on

his own in Strakonici, 68 miles
southwest of Prague.

On June 30, 1857, Steinitz applied for a

passport (good for one year) and
received one, but did not use it. He
applied for a second passport after the
first one expired.

In October 1857, the Vienna Chess

Society was formed and Steinitz became
a member in the late 1850s, which
provided him with financial support
from time to time.

On July 6, 1858, Wilhelm Steinitz, age

22, was issued a second Austrian
passport and soon left the Prague area
for Vienna. He continued to use an
Austrian passport until he became an
American citizen.

Steinitz moved to Vienna in 1858, and

by autumn, he enrolled in the Vienna
Polytechnicum as a mathematics
student. Under the heading
"Preparation," Steinitz claimed 3 years
of private tutoring.

Steinitz later dropped out of school after

the first year. Some sources say he
dropped out because of insufficient
funds and poor health (he had problems
with his lungs and eyes). His school
records show that he was dismissed for
"lack of progress and failure to take
exams." Money was hard to come by in
those days, and Steinitz was so poor and
desperate that he even contemplated
suicide.

Around 1858, Steinitz met Philipp

Meitner (1839-1910), an Austrian
lawyer and father of the physicist Lise
Meitner (1878-1968). Meitner was also
one of the best chess players in Vienna.
Both were fellow students at the Vienna
Polytecnic. Steinitz and Meitner played
several tournament games against each
other.

In 1858, Steinitz made his first

appearance in the Cafe Rebhuhn
(partridge) in Vienna. When asked if he
played chess, Steinitz said yes, and that
he could even play blindfold. The
challenge was met when Steinitz took
on two players from the cafe and
defeated both of them without sight of
the board. The Cafe Rebhuhn was
Steinitz's preferred coffee house for
chess.

In 1858, Steinitz started hustling chess

at the Cafe Romer and played most of
his opponents blindfolded for money.
He also established his reputation as one
of the strongest chess players in Vienna.
He was soon called "The Austrian
Morphy" for his sharp gambits and good
play.

By 1859, Steinitz was giving blindfold

chess exhibitions at the Cafe Romer, the
Cafe L'Express, the Cafe Central, and
the Cafe Rebhuhn. He was a member of
the Vienna Chess Society and called
himself a professional chess player. His
earliest known chess games date from
1859.

He took 3rd place in the 1859 Vienna

championship (Wiener
Schachgesellschaft), won by the Swiss
player Carl Hamppe (1814-1873), who
was a senior government official in
Vienna. Steinitz soon took chess lessons
from Hamppe, who was one of the best
chess players in Vienna.

In 1860, he joined the staff as a

journalist of one of the leading Vienna
papers, but the state of his eyesight
compelled him to give that up. Steinitz
had the job of report parliamentary
activities for the "Constitutionaelle
Osterreichische Zeitung."

In 1860, Steinitz took 2nd place in the

Vienna championship (again, won by
Hamppe). He won an elegant crafted
chess table and an English chess set.

In 1861, and won the Vienna

championship with the score of 31.5 out
of 34 (30 wins, 3 draws, and 1 loss). His
first place prize was a suitcase. He was
the acknowledged champion of Austria.

Some of his opponents who were also

chess patrons included the wealthy
banker Gustav Leopold Ritter von
Epstein (1828-1879) and railroad baron
Josef Schulhof (1824-1890). Steinitz
also gave chess lessons, and one of his
pupils was Baron Albert Salomon
Anselm Rothschild. Steinitz sometimes
made as much as $100 in one sitting of a
few hours to give lessons to some of
these patrons. Steinitz called Schulhof
the most generous private patron he had
ever met.

In 1861, Steinitz still had an interest in

mathematics, mechanics, and physics
and attended lectures by the Austrian
physicist Ernest Mach (1838-1916).
Some of the lectures were titled,
"Investigative methods in Physics" and
"The Principles of Mechanics and
Mechanical Physics." Steinitz later
began to apply scientific principles to
chess and applying it to chess theory.

1862 Steinitz, age 26, was invited to

play in the second international
tournament (the first was London 1851)
in London, held during the second
British world exhibition. The event was
sponsored by the British Chess
Association. Steinitz had a number of
letters of introduction from Austrian
well-wishers, but he never opened or
showed these letters to anyone, as he
was too proud of a man to want to feel
indebted to anyone.

He traveled to London and played in his

first international tournament (held from
June 16 to August 2, 1862). He was the
Austrian delegate to the tournament and
was sponsored by the Vienna Chess
Society under the patronage of Viennese
banker Eduard von Todesco (1814-
1887). The tournament was played at the
St. George's Club, St. James Club, and
the Divan. It was a 14-person all-play-
all event, and the first major tournament
with time controls. 24 moves had to be
played in 2 hours. Time was measured
with hourglasses.

Steinitz took 5th-7th place (out of 14)

behind Adolf Anderssen, Louis Paulsen,
John Owen, George MacDonnell, and
Serafino Dubois. His score was 8 wins,
5 losses (draws did not count and had to
be replayed). His prize money for 6th
place was 5 British pounds sterling
(equivalent in today's money of 420
pounds or about $533). His win over
Augustus Mongredien (1807-1888), a
Center Counter game, was recognized
by many as one of the most brilliant
games ever played. He sacrificed his
rook and later forced mate.

Steinitz-Mongredien, London 1862

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd8 4.d4 e6
5.Nf3 Nf6 6.Bd3 Be7 7.O-O O-O 8.Be3
b6 9.Ne5 Bb7 10.f4 Nbd7 11.Qe2 Nd5
12.Nxd5 exd5 13.Rf3 f5 14.Rh3 g6
15.g4 fxg4? (15.Nxe5) 16.Rxh7
(16.Qxg4! Nxe5 27.dxe5 would have
been decisive) 16.Nxe5 17.fxe5 Kxh7
18.Qxg4 Rg8?? (18.Qe8 19.Qh5+ Kg7
20.Qh6+ Kg8 21.Bxg6 Rf7 22.Kh1 Bf8
23.Qh5 should win for White) 19.Qh5+
Kg7 20.Qh6+ Kf7 21.Qh7+ Ke6
22.Qh3+ Kf7 23.Rf1+ (23.e6+! Ke8
24.Qh7 leads to mate) 23.Ke8 24.Qe6
Rg7 25.Bg5 Qd7 26.Bxg6+ Rxg6
27.Qxg6+ Kd8 28.Rf8+ Qe8 29.Qxe8#
1-0

In those days, there were 12 pence

(plural of penny) in a shilling, 20
shillings or 240 pence in a pound (or
sovereign). A guinea was 21 shillings.
Two shillings was known as a florin. 5
shillings was a crown. 1 British pound
in 1862 is worth 84 pounds in 2016. 1
British pound today is $1.27. 1 British
pound in 1862 would be worth $107
today.

After this tournament, he remained in

London and challenged the 5th place
finisher of the London International,
Serafino Dubois (1817-1899), to a
match. Steinitz won (5 wins, 1 draw, 3
losses) and earned the equivalent of 100
marks. After the tournament, Steinitz
decided to stay in London as a
professional chess player, even though
he knew little or no English. Steinitz
spoke German and Yiddish.

He won the London championship in

September, 1862 with a perfect 7-0
score. He was given the nickname of
'the modern Calabrese' by the English
master George Walker. This was in
reference to Greco of Calabria.

In 1862, chess was Steinitz's main

source of income and he was the
resident chess pro at the London Chess
Club. However, as a foreigner and a
chess professional, Steinitz was not
allowed to play in several English
competitions. He made his money by
giving chess lessons and playing chess
games for small stakes in the coffee
houses.

In December 1862- January 1863,

Steinitz played a match with Joseph
Henry Blackburne (1841-1924) in
London. Steinitz won the match with 7
wins, 2 draws, and two losses. The
stakes were 10 British pounds.

After this match, Steinitz would not lose

another match until 1894, when he lost
to Emanuel Lasker in the 1894 World
Chess Championship match. From 1863
to 1894, 31 years, Steinitz played 29
matches, winning 27, losing one, and
drawing one (to Szymon Winawer in
1882), for the best record of match play
by any world chess champion. Steinitz
became a chess professional after this
tournament.

By the end of 1862, Steinitz, age 26,

was ranked #5 in the world, behind
Louis Paulsen, Adolf Anderssen, Ignatz
Kolisch.

In 1862/63, Steinitz defeated London's

best player, Henry Blackburne (1841-
1924), in a match in with 7 wins, 2
draws, and 1 loss.

In March, 1863, Steinitz apologized in a

letter (dated March 20, 1863) to Ignac
Kolisch (1837-1889) for not repaying a
loan. While Steinitz was playing a
match with Blackburne, Daniel Harrwitz
took over as the resident chess pro at the
London Chess Club, leaving Steinitz
with fewer clients to draw money from.

He traveled throughout the British Isles

giving simultaneous exhibitions and
winning tournaments. In 1863 he
defeated Frederick Deacon (1829-1875)
and Mongredien, two top English
masters.

In 1864, he defeated Valentine Green 7

to 0, with 2 draws.

Around 1865, Steinitz married

("common law" wife) Caroline
Elizabeth Golder (born in 1844). They
had a daughter, Flora, born at St. Lukes,
Middlesex, on August 7, 1866. They
were probably not married in the
traditional manner, as wedding
ceremonies were hard to arrange
between a Jewish and a Christian
partner, and such marriage arrangements
were shunned by the religious groups.

Soon, the Steinitz family was living at

63 Baldwyn Street, County of
Middlesex.

In September 1865, Steinitz visited

Dublin, Ireland and played in the Irish
Chess Congress.

He won the Irish championship in

Dublin in October, 1865, and spent 3
weeks in Dublin. At the end of his stay
in Dublin, he was giving blindfold
exhibitions. In one exhibition, he had 5
opponents, in which he won 4 and drew
1.

In June-July, 1866 Steinitz won the

London Knockout tournament with 8
wins, 3 draws, and no losses. He won
the British Chess Association Congress
held in London with 12 wins.

On July 18, 1866 Steinitz took on Adolf

Anderssen (1818-1879), age 48, in
London, considered the strongest active
chess player in the world. Play was to
the first to win 8 games, draws not
counting. The match was co-sponsored
by the Westminster Chess Club, the
London Chess Club, and St. George's
Chess Club. Anderssen came to London
during his break from his teaching
duties in Breslau. Anderssen taught
mathematics and the German language.

The first game was played in the rooms

of the Westminster Chess Club, then
located at Gordon Hotel, Covent
Garden, London.

On August 7, 1866, Steinitz's daughter,

Flora, was born. Steinitz still turned up
punctually for his match with
Anderssen. Steinitz did not want to
delay the match as Anderssen might be
under pressure to return to Breslau for
his teaching duties, as he did in his
match with Paul Morphy and Louis
Paulsen. Also, he did not want to be late
as there was a fine of one guinea for
each 15 minutes that you were late.

Steinitz defeated Anderssen on August

10, 1866 with 8 wins and 6 losses. The
last game lasted 85 moves. There were
no draws. After 12 games, the score was
6-6. Steinitz won the last two games to
win the match. This was the first match
that ever used mechanical clocks
(sandglasses). The time control was 20
moves in 2 hours. Steinitz's prize money
for this match was 100 pounds sterling
(over 8,300 pounds today, or $10.500 in
today's currency). Anderssen received
20 pounds sterling. The money was put
up by R. T. Forster for Steinitz's stake,
while several members of the
Westminster Club put up the stakes for
Anderssen.

After the Anderssen match, Steinitz

considered himself to be 'World
Champion.'

In September, 1866, Steinitz played a

match in London with one of England's
top players, Henry E. Bird (1830-1908).
Steinitz defeated Bird with 7 wins, 5
draws, and 5 losses.

By the end of 1866, Steinitz was ranked

#1 in the world. He stayed #1 in the
world for the next 23 years, until 1889.
(source: chessmetrics)

In 1867, Steinitz was elected Honorary

Member of the City of London Chess
Club (founded in 1852).

In 1867, Steinitz got in a dispute with

Henry Blackburne at a City of London
Chess Club game. Blackburne made an
insulting remark and Steinitz spat
towards Blackburne. Blackburne, who
was over 6 feet and 250 pounds, then
smashed the diminutive Steinitz in the
face with his fist. Steinitz later wrote,
"—he struck with his full fist into my
eye, which he blackened and might have
knocked out. And though he is a
powerful man of very nearly twice my
size, who might have killed me with a
few such strokes, I am proud to say that
I had the courage of attempting to spit
into his face, and only wish I had
succeeded." In June 1867, Steinitz
traveled to Paris where he took 3rd place
(Ignac Kolisch took first, followed by
Winawer). In this 13-player strong
event, Steinitz got in an argument with
Blackburne. Steinitz finally spat on
Blackburne and Blackburne punched out
Steinitz.

In September 1867, Steinitz took second

place in the Dundee International in
England (won by Neumann). This was
the first tournament in which draws
were not replayed, but counted as a half
a point.

In 1868 Steinitz traveled to Germany

where he took 2nd place in the 7th
German championship (Anderssen was
first). He then returned to London where
he won the 1868 London Handicap.

In 1869 Steinitz defeated Joseph

Blackburne in a match and won 6
pounds. Steinitz also won a Handicap
tournament in London.

In 1869, Steinitz tutored chess at Oxford

and one of his students was Winston
Churchill's father, Lord Randolph
Churchill (1849-1895). Steinitz helped
organize the Cambridge-Oxford chess
matches which began in 1873 and still
continues today. Lord Randolph
Churchill was a founding member of the
Oxford University Chess Club.

In August 1870, he took 2nd place at

Baden-Baden, won by Anderssen.
Steinitz scored 9 wins, 3 draws, and 4
losses and missed tying for first by 1/2
point. He played Anderssen twice,
losing both games.

The 1870-1871 Franco-Prussian War

between France and Germany limited
chess activities on the continent. Steinitz
was getting too strong for British
competition.

In 1871, Steinitz gave his occupation as

"professor of chess." He shared an
apartment house with a bricklayer and a
machinist.

In 1871, he won the City of London

club handicap tournament.

In 1871, several English chess patrons

offered Dr. Johannes Zukertort (1842-
1888) of Berlin travel expenses to come
to London. They saw Zukertort, who
recently defeated Adolf Anderssen in a
match, as a possible rival to Steinitz.
Zukertort became a member of the St.
George's Chess Club and was an
honorary member of the City of London
Chess Club.

At the Second British Chess Association

Championship, held in London in July,
1872 Steinitz took first place with 7
wins and 1 draw. Blackburne took 2nd
place, followed by Zukertort. This was
the first victory for Steinitz in a major
tournament.

In August, 1872 Steinitz played a match

against Zukertort in London. Steinitz
won decisively with 7 wins, 4 draws,
and 1 loss. This was the first time that
time pieces were used in a match.

In 1872, Steinitz participated in the first

telegraph match between London (St.
George's Chess Club) and the Vienna
(Vienna Chess Club, headed by
Kolisch). It was completed in 1874, with
London, headed by Steinitz, winning the
match with one win and one draw.

In early 1873, Steinitz was giving chess

lessons to Richard D. Blackmore (1825-
1900), author of Lorna Doone.
From June to August, 1873, Steinitz
played in an international tournament in
Vienna called the Emperor's Cup,
winning 18 games, drawing 5 games,
and losing one. Almost everyone now
conceded that Steinitz was the strongest
chess player in the world. His first place
prize money of 200 ducats was
presented to him by the Austrian
Emperor. 2nd place went to Blackburne,
followed by Anderssen.

Between 1873 and 1882, Steinitz played

no chess tournaments and only one
match. In 1876 Steinitz defeated
Blackburne in a match held in London
with a perfect 7-0 score. Steinitz did
give simultaneous and blindfold chess
exhibitions during this period, which
provided him with some income.

From early 1873 to August 1882,

Steinitz was a chess columnist for the
weekly English magazine, the Field
(first published in 1853), which was
Britain's leading sports newspapers. J.
H. Walsh was the chief editor. He also
played chess for money in the London
coffee houses when he wasn't banned
from them.

In 1874, Steinitz was a contributing

editor of the City of London Chess
Magazine, edited by William Norwood
Potter.

In March 1874, Steinitz was a spectator

at the annual Oxford-Cambridge match,
along with Howard Staunton (1810-
1874).

In 1875, the City of London Chess Club

organized a new club called the West
End Club in New Coventry, in which
Steinitz was a member and elected to its
provisional committee. The City of
London CC opposed honorary members
from being on the committee, since they
were not dues paying members. When
the City of London CC did not
recognize the West End Club election,
Steinitz quit the City of London Chess
Club.

In late 1875, Steinitz gave a bad book

review of The Chess Openings by
Robert Wormold. Wormold was a
popular person in the chess world and
among journalists, so Steinitz made
enemies among a large part of the chess
community.

From February 17 to March 2, 1876,

Steinitz played his third match with
Joseph Blackburne in London and made
a clean score of 7 wins, no losses or
draws. The match was played at the
West End Chess Club. This was the first
time spectators were charged and
entrance fee (half a guinea) to see a
chess match. The stakes were 60 British
pounds a side. Time control is 30 moves
in 2 hours, followed by 15 moves per
hour. Time was regulated by alarm time-
pieces and not sand-glasses as stated in
the original conditions of the match.
Blackburne blamed his loss on an acute
attack of rheumatism.

In 1876, Steinitz annotated the games he

played against Blackburne and wrote a
book on the match, dedicating the
collection of games to R. D.
Blackmore.

After this match, Steinitz did not play

any serious chess for 6 years. He did
give simultaneous and blindfold
exhibitions during this period. The
games were also annotated in The
Field.

In 1876 Steinitz began a chess column

in the London Figaro, which lasted until
1882. The magazine was owned by
Napoleon III.

In early 1877, Steinitz was suffering

from a nervous affection which affected
his memory and incapacitated him from
mental work. By the summer of 1877,
he seems to have recovered from his
nervous breakdown.

In September 1877, the West End Club

closed and the Divan took Steinitz off
the free list after an earlier argument at
the club. Steinitz refused to play at the
Divan until the matter of his honorary
free membership was resolved.

At a tournament in Paris in 1878,

Blackburne returned to the hotel drunk
and got in a quarrel with Steinitz.
Steinitz wrote, "and after a few words he
pounced upon me and hammered at my
face and eyes with fullest force about a
dozen blows—But at last I had the good
fortune to release myself from his
drunken grip, and I broke the window
pane with his head, which sobered him
down a little."

In 1879, Zukertort and Leopold Hoffer

(1842-1913) founded The Chess
Monthly, which became involved in
heated debates with Steinitz many
times.

From 1880 to the end of 1881, Steinitz

was invited to Lord Randolph
Churchill's estate at Blenheim Palace in
Woodstock to play chess and give him
chess lessons. He met Lady Churchill
(Jennie) and discussed politics with
Lord Randolph. Winston Churchill was
6 years old at the time.

In July, 1880, Steinitz visited

Wiesbaden, Germany to report on an
international tournament, held July 4-11.
The tournament saw a three-way tie
between Blackburne, Berthold Englisch,
and Adolf Schwarz.

In 1881, Steinitz gave his occupation as

"journalist."

In 1881, Steinitz got in a major feud

with Leopold Hoffer, the chess column
successor in The Field. This feud
became known as the 'Steinitz-Hoffer-
Ink-War.' Steinitz mercilessly criticized
Hoffer's annotations of chess games in
his column.

In May-June 1882, Steinitz tied for first

place (with Szymon Winawer) at the
Vienna International with 20 wins, 8
draws, and 6 losses (24 out of 34
points). This was an 18-player double
round robin. This tournament was
described as the strongest chess
tournament of all time at that point. It
was Steinitz's first tournament in 9
years.

During the Vienna tournament, Steinitz

was sending weekly reports on the
tournament to The Field. Just after the
end of the tournament, The Field
published an anti-Semitic article by
Hoffer that praised the efforts of the
English players and those of English
origin in Vienna, but disparaged the
victory of the two Jewish players,
Steinitz and Winawer.

Until his first loss in this tournament,

Steinitz did not lose a game from
August 4, 1873 to May 11, 1882, almost
9 years without a loss and 25 straight
wins. He won his last 14 games at
Vienna in 1873, and then beat
Blackburne 2-0 in the play-off. Then he
beat Blackburne in a match 7-0 in 1876,
and then won his first two games at
Vienna in 1882.

Steinitz and Winawer then had a 2-game

play-off match, which they drew by
winning one game each.

In late 1882, the publisher of The Field

closed down Steinitz's chess column
after Steinitz quarreled with the
publisher about the anti-Semitic article
written by Hoffer. After London, 1883,
the publisher brought back the chess
column, but under the authorship of
Hoffer and Zukertort. Steinitz was
banned from several London coffee
houses due to his temperament and he
lost most of his regular income.

From November 1882 to May 1883,

Steinitz visited the United States, mainly
the Philadelphia area (Franklin Chess
Club) at the invitation of David
Thompson. He was given an
enthusiastic reception. Steinitz played
several chess exhibitions, many casual
games, and a match for stakes of 50
pounds with a wealthy amateur. He also
won serious matches against Alexander
Sellman and the Cuban champion Celso
Golmayo Zupide. The match with
Golmayo was abandoned when Steinitz
was leading (eight wins, one draw, and
one loss). His hosts also arranged a visit
to New Orleans, where Paul Morphy
lived.

When Morphy was informed that

Steinitz was in New Orleans, he is said
to have replied: "I know — his gambit is
bad."

In January, 1883, Steinitz met Paul

Morphy (1837-1884) in New Orleans.
Steinitz interviewed Morphy for about
20 minutes. His experience with
Morphy was published in the New York
Tribune on March 22, 1883.

In Februay 1883, William Steinitz

played 4 games blindfolded against four
top players of the Manhattan Chess
Club. He played against D.G. Baird,
J.W. Baird, William De Visser, and
Eugene Delmar. Steinitz lost to Delmar
but won against the other opponents as
he sipped his cologne, puffed his cigar,
and chatted with friends. After the
game, Steinitz said he was ignorant of
the position of a knight in his game with
Delmar because a move had not been
called properly. After this, the chessmen
were replaced and the knight's move
was called. Steinitz then won his game
with Delmar. (source: National
Republican of Washington DC, Feb 19,
1883 and The Critic, Feb 19, 1883)

On March 6, 1883, William Steinitz was

made an honorary member of the
Manhattan CC.

In June 1883, Steinitz took 2nd place at

London, three behind Johannes
Zukertort. Steinitz had 19 wins and 7
losses. This was the first time double
chess clocks were used in a tournament.
The clocks, devised by Thomas Wilson
of Manchester, were mechanical chess
balances, combining two pendulum
clocks with a mechanism to stop one
and start the other. After the tournament
a reception was held at the St George
Chess Club. Someone made a toast to
the best chess player in the world. Both
Steinitz and Zukertort stood up. Neither
one yielded to the other.

From July 6 to September 7, 1883, he

edited a chess column in a short-lived
new British magazine Ashore or Afloat.

In September 1883, he resigned his

honorary membership of the St.
George's Chess Club after claiming the
club's committee favored Zukertort over
himself.

The chess community thought that a

'World Championship in Chess' match
should be held between Steinitz and
Zukertort to see who was the best chess
player in the world. Steinitz suggested a
stake of 200 pounds or more for the
match, consisting of 8 to 10 games.
Steinitz wanted to play the match
between October 1883 and January
1884. However, Zukertort declined the
dates as he said that he had
commitments during that period and did
not agree to an immediate start of the
match. Also, Zukertort was suffering
from health problems during that period,
and his doctor advised him not to play
any serious match or tournament.

Steinitz was the target of anti-Semitic

abuse in England, and moved to the
United States to escape this. In October,
1883, Steinitz immigrated to the United
States, changed his first name from
Wilhelm to William, and eventually
took American citizenship. Steinitz first
resided in Brooklyn.

In 1884 Steinitz was giving blindfold,

simultaneous exhibitions. He would
even play cards between moves while
doing his exhibitions.

On July 10, 1884, Paul Morphy died.

That meant that either Steinitz or
Zukerort could now claim to be world
chess champion.

In 1884, Zukertort came to the United

States for a simultaneous exhibition
tour. Steinitz renewed his offer with
Zukertort for a world championship
match, but Zukertort declined.

On November 27, 1884 (Thanksgiving

Day), William Steinitz played 22
players at the Manhattan Chess club,
winning 21 and drawing one game.
There were several hundred visitors to
the exhibition.

In January, 1885 Steinitz began editing

the International Chess Magazine, which
he continued to do so until December,
1891. He also wrote chess articles in the
New York Tribune and the New York
Herald.

In April 1885, Steinitz first asked

Gustav Simonson, then Thomas Frere to
be his second and work on the
preliminary negotiations for a world
championship match with Zukertort.
Zukertort's second was Mr. James Innes
Minchin, secretary of the St. George's
Chess Club in London. He was later
replaced by Charles Mohle.

Back in England, Zukertort was

claiming he was the world's best chess
player because of his victory in the
London 1883 tournament. Steinitz again
challenged him to a match and they both
agreed that the first person to win ten
games would be declared world
champion, but that if each won nine
games, the title would not be awarded.
The contract for the match said it would
be "for the Championship of the
World."

In July 1885, Zukertort suggested that

the referee for the match should be
Charles Francis Buck, president of the
New Orleans Chess Club.

Many of the conditions of the match

were published in the 1885 issues of
Chess Monthly. The original time
control that Steinitz proposed was 24
moves in the first 2 hours, and 12 moves
per hour thereafter. Zukertort wanted 30
moves in 2 hours. The original cities for
the match were New York, Baltimore,
and New Orleans that Steinitz proposed.
Zukertort originally wanted a match of
up to 25 chess games. Zukertort wanted
to play the entire match in New Orleans.
Zukertort wanted to start the match in
October, 1885.

In November 1885, the Manhattan

Chess Club raised $1,000 as
contribution to the stakes of the Steinitz-
Zukertort match, stipulating only that a
portion of the games played in New
York would be at the Manhattan Chess
Club.

The contract for the world championship

match was finally signed on December
29, 1885. At Steinitz's insistence the
contract said it would be "for the
Championship of the World."

Throughout the match, rumors abounded

in various newspapers that the long
delay in the match was on purpose and
designed to increase the sale of tickets.
There were also rumors that there was
collusion between the two players as to
the outcome of some games.

On January 11, 1886 the first game for

the official world chess championship
began in New York. The first five
games were played in New York from
January 11th through 20th, 1886. Games
6 through 9 were held in Saint Louis
from February 3rd through February
10th. Games 10 through 20 were held in
New Orleans from February 26 through
March 29, 1886. The best of 10 wins. In
case of 9 wins for both players, the
match is equal (This was later lowered
to 8 wins for both players).

It was Zukertort who challenged Steinitz

for the world championship. Zukertort
must have been fully aware of the risk to
his health that such a match must entail.
In the first place, the match would be of
long duration, for the victor would be
the first person to win 10 games, draws
not being counted. That wouldn't have
been healthy for Zukertort. Secondly,
the match was due to be played in three
different places: New York, St. Louis,
and New Orleans. The climate of St.
Louis and New Orleans were considered
to have climates troublesome to
Europeans. Finally, there was the fact
that Zukertort's health had already once
before broken down under the strain of a
long tournament. This match would be
no different.
Steinitz wanted the U.S. flag to be
placed next to him during the match,
even though he still was an Austrian
citizen (he became an American citizen
almost three years later). Less than 40
people were present at the start of this
historical match, despite Steinitz's
daughter, Flora, selling programs and
photographs to earn a few extra dollars
for the family. Steinitz couldn't even
afford a winter coat for her daughter.

From January 11 to January 20, 1886,

the Manhattan Chess Club hosted the
1886 world championship between
William Steinitz and Johannes
Zukertort. The beginning of the match
was played at the Dancing Academy in
Cartier's Hall at No. 80 5th Avenue and
Ninth Street in Manhattan. Admission
fee was $1 a day. The time control was
30 moves in 2 hours, with a 2 hour
dinner break, then 15 moves an hour.

Steinitz and Zukertort agreed to play the

match in New York, St. Louis, and New
Orleans. The first 5 games in New York
were disastrous for Steinitz. Although
he won the first game, he lost the next 4
games in a row and was trailing the
match with 1 win and 4 losses. The
match was the first time a chess
demonstration board was used. The
demonstration board was run by master
George Mackenzie.

During this period, Steinitz wrote in the

New York Tribune "I would rather die
in America than live in England."

A contract was made and play was for

the championship of the world and
$2,000 a side. The match was played in
New York until one party won four
games. They would play in St. Louis
until one party won three more games. It
would then be finished in New Orleans.
The games were played on alternate
days. If both parties won 9 games, the
contest would be declared drawn. The
time limit was 30 moves in 2 hours, then
15 moves per hour afterward. Play
began at 2 pm and would last until 6 pm,
if necessary. It would then resume for 4
more hours at 8 pm.

Play began on Tuesday, January 11,

1886 in in one of Cartier's rooms, a
dancing academy, at No. 80 5th Avenue.
Mr. Mohle decided the first move in Mr.
Zukertort's favor by the toss of the
copper penny. The coin was enhanced in
value a thousand fold as it flew through
the air, $5 being bid for it as a souvenir
before it reached the floor.

One newspaper clipping, dated January

11, 1886, had an article on Steinitz's
daughter who had a stand and was
selling her father's photographs for 50
cents. She was also selling pocket chess
sets and chess magazines.

The chessboard and pieces in New York

were the same one used by Paul Morphy
and Louis Pualsen during the first
American Chess Congress in 1857.

Among those present in the New York

crowd included George T. Green
(Manhattan Chess Club President), F.M.
Teed, and W.M. De Vissar, of the
Manhattan Chess Club; W.S. Paterson,
Capt. Mackenzie, Charles F. Buck of
New Orleans (referee), Dr. J.N.
Navarro, Mexican Consul-General;
W.J.A. Fuller, one of the earliest
newspaper chess editors; Rev. J.H.
Fitzgerald of Newark; Samuel Loyd,
President of the New York Chess Club;
and George H. Peabody. The selection
of the White pieces was made by a
penny toss, and Zukertort won the White
pieces in the first game. Steinitz sealed
his 32nd move, and the players recessed
for dinner. During the match, Steinitz
puffed away on his cigar and every now
and then, took a sip of a small brandy
that was on his table.

The admission tickets for the match

were 50 cents at all three sites. The
tickets said the play would be on
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays
from 2 pm to 6 pm, then 8 pm to
midnight. Season tickets were $5.

At the time, there was no draw by

repetition rule for 3 repeated positions.
Two games could have drawn (game 6
and 11) if that rule was in place. The
games of the match were governed by
the codes of laws published in the last
edition of the German Handbuch, with
the exception, that, if both players repeat
the same series of moves 6 times in
succession, then either party could clam
a draw.

For the first time in an important chess

event, a large demonstration board was
designed to be hung on the wall to cater
for the needs of the spectators. Each
move was also cabled immediately to
Europe. Most European fans were
solidly supporting Zukertort. When
Steinitz won the first game, interest
became so great that the playing hall
could not accommodate the crowds who
turned up to watch.

Steinitz started badly. His supporters

blamed it on his insomnia as the reason
for his poor play in New York. In an
interview with the New York Tribune,
Steinitz said that after game 1, he spent
17 hours working on literary and
analytical material for his International
Chess Magazine instead of resting.

Steinitz was down 1-4 before moving on

to St. Louis after a 12-day break. When
they arrived in St. Louis, Steinitz
promptly objected to the chess board
provided. The squares were red and
white, explaining that he was color-
blind to red. A chess board with black
and white squares was substituted.

Steinitz and Zukertort traveled together

and arrived in St. Louis on January 30.
They intended to make a short stop of a
couple of hours in Baltimore to meet
some friends, but by mistake failed to
leave the train in that city. In St. Louis,
the games started in the hall of the
Harmonic Club, located at the corner of
Olive and 8th Streets. At New York and
St. Louis, the only means of heating the
hall was located close to the players.
Both complained of the high
temperature. When not playing chess,
both players played whist. A delay in
the first game in St. Louis was due to
the red squares instead of white ones.
Steinitz said his eyes were so weak that
he did not like the color. Somebody
suggested that Steinitz has a superstition
about chessboards with red squares. He
considered these boards with red squares
as voodoo. At 2:30, a new board with
black and canary-colored squares was
produced and used. The board was the
property of Judge Krum and cost 4
British pounds in London. In St. Louis,
the audience numbered about 200
people. Zukertort walked and chatted
with the audience. In the first game in
St. Louis, Steinitz proposed to adjourn
the game on the account of the extreme
coldness of the room. Something had
happened to the steam pipes. Zukertort
declined. After the first game in St.
Louis, Zukertort returned to his hotel,
Steinitz stayed at the hall drinking a beer
and explaining his chess moves to the
audience.

Steinitz won 3 games and drew 1 game

in St. Louis. During the match,
Zukertort would pace nervously
between moves, while Steinitz never left
his seat. A few times, Steinitz whispered
to his second or ate some chocolate ice
cream by his side.

During the 2nd game in St Louis (game

7 of the match), both players shook the
table hard enough to spill some of the
chess pieces.

In game 8, played in St. Louis, the game

was delayed half way through because
Zukertort's clock broke. There was no
spare. They had to wait for it to be sent
to a jeweler's for repair. During the
delay, Zukertort play Whist.

The organization in St. Louis had not

expected that 3 wins would happen so
fast. After 3 wins in St. Louis, the
players were expected to go on to New
Orleans. The players now had some time
before going to New Orleans, so they
played whist together at the Chess,
Checkers and Whist Club Harmonie in
St. Louis.

Finally, they went on to New Orleans.

The match was held at the New Orleans
Chess, Checkers and Whist Club, at the
corner of Baronne and Canal streets.

Steinitz consumed a great deal of coffee

during the match. Some audience
members were betting whether Steinitz
would drink more coffee before he made
his next move.

In game 2 at New Orleans, Steinitz

spilled his cup of coffee over the chess
table during play. Several minutes were
wasted while the porter made the
necessary cleaning.

During the match in New Orleans,

Zukertort complained of insomnia and
restlessness. One of the games in New
Orleans was postponed because of
Louisiana Day at the Exposition.

The 20th game was postponed for 3

days "on account of the duly certified
illness of Dr. Zukertort." The last game
was over in 30 minutes.

In game 20, Steinitz won in 19 moves.

The game took about 20 minutes to
play. Until the last championship match
in 2012, it was the fastest lost in a world
championship match.

Steinitz won 6 games, drew 4 games,

and lost only 1 game in New Orleans.
He had won the first world chess
championship, a title he had invented,
with a score of 10 wins, 5 draws, and 5
losses. Steinitz was 49 years old
(Zukertort was 43) and had been
considered the unofficial world
champion for the past 20 years. Between
the stakes of Steinitz and Zukertort,
$4,000 was collected (over $100,000 in
today's currency). $3,000 was paid to
those who bet on the winner. Steinitz
earned $1,000 (over $25,000 in today's
currency).

Steinitz returned home to New York and

Zukertort left for San Francisco. Steinitz
continued publishing his International
Chess Magazine, which ran from 1885
to 1891, with the help of his daughter
Flora. However, she fell fill with
rheumatic fever in 1887.

Zukertort, on his return to Europe,

blamed his loss on the climate. Zukertort
hoped for a return match under more
favorable conditions. He hoped a return
match would be "not for trial of
constitution, but for trial of chess skill."
He never got his return match. Within
two years, Zukertort, at the age of 46,
was dead.

On January 14, 1888, Steinitz's

daughter, Flora, died of rheumatic fever
in Brooklyn at the age of 21.

On November 23, 1888, William

Steinitz became a naturalized U.S.
citizen. He had resided 5 years in New
York.

Also in 1888, the Havana Chess Club

invited Steinitz to choose a worthy
opponent and to play the next match for
the world championship in Havana.
Steinitz named Mikhail Ivanovich
Chigorin (1850-1908) of Russia as his
next opponent. The play would be to the
best of 20 games. Steinitz had
previously lost to Chigorin twice in the
London tournament of 1883.

On January 20, 1889, Steinitz started his

world championship title defense
against Chigorin. Their match was held
in Havana, Cuba. Steinitz won with 10
wins, 1 draw (game 17 - the last game),
and 6 losses. The match ended February
24, 1889. Steinitz received the smallest
prize fund ever for a world
championship match, $1,150.

After the match, Steinitz wrote that it

was a match of a young player of the old
school (Chigorin) up against an old
player of the new school (Steinitz).

There is some doubt about whether this

was intended to be a match for the world
championship: both Steinitz's letters and
the publicity material just before the
match conspicuously avoided the
phrase. The proposed match was to have
a maximum of 20 games, and Steinitz
had said that fixed-length matches were
unsuitable for world championship
contests because the first player to take
the lead could then play for draws. Also,
Steinitz was at the same time supporting
the American Chess Congress' world
championship project to draw up
regulations for the future conduct of
world championship contests.

In May, 1889 Steinitz wrote The

Modern Chess Instructor, Part I and
published in New York and London by
G.P. Putman & Sons. The book was
dedicated to the honorable R. Steel of
Calcutta. The book received mixed
reviews and was unsuccessful
financially. A second part appeared in
1895.

He spent the rest of the year writing a

book on this tournament, annotating
every one of the 432 games. The book
was published in 1891.
In 1889, Steinitz moved to Upper
Montclair, New Jersey. Hedwig Steinitz
(daughter of his younger Brother
Bernard), his niece, lived with him
Upper Montclair. She is sometimes
referred to as Steinitz's adopted
daughter. She was the only family
member Steinitz ever mentioned in later
years.

In 1889, Steinitz helped organize the

Sixth American Chess Congress, held in
New York. He did not play in the event,
but edited the book on the tournament.

In 1890 Steinitz played a cable match

with Chigorin in Havana from New
York, but lost that match. They both
were experimenting with variations in
the Evans Gambit and the Two Knights
Defense.

In 1890, after Isidor Arthur Gunsberg

(1854-1930) of England (born in
Hungary) drew a match with Chigorin
(both scored 9-9), Steinitz accepted a
world championship match challenge
from Gunsberg.

In October 1890, William Steinitz

played 26 games simultaneously at the
Manhattan Chess Club.

From October 1890 to January 1892,

Steinitz conducted a chess column in the
New York Daily Tribune.

From December 9, 1890 to January 22,

1891, Steinitz defended his title against
Gunsberg. Their match was held at the
Manhattan Chess Club in New York.
The arbiter of the match was Professor
Isaac Leopold Rice, millionaire,
president of the Manhattan Chess Club
and chess patron.

Steinitz won with 6 wins, 9 draws, and 4

losses. Steinitz received 2/3 ($3,000, or
$80,000 in today's currency) of the total
prize money ($4,000 raised by patrons),
and Gunsberg received 1/3 ($1000).
This was the first time a loser of a match
took a share of the purse.

After the Gunsberg match, Steinitz

wanted to play Siegbert Tarrash for the
next world championship match in
Havana. But Tarrasch declined due to
professional commitments as a medical
doctor and too long of a voyage to Cuba
for him.

In March 1891, he wrote The Book of

the Sixth American Chess Congress,
which was held at New York in 1889.

In 1891, the Manhattan Chess Club

members contributed $283 to a
testimonial fund raised for Steinitz to
commemorate the 25th anniversary of
his becoming (unofficial) world
champion.

In 1891 Steinitz again played Chigorin

in Havana by cable and lost. Shortly
afterward, the New York police arrested
Steinitz as a Russian spy for using chess
code over a cable. This was cleared up
later on.

In 1891 the St Petersburg Chess Society

and the Havana Chess Club made offers
to organize another Steinitz-Chigorin
match for the world championship.
Steinitz chose Havana to play the match.
The stake consisted of $2,000.
In December 1891, Steinitz was losing
too much money with his International
Chess Magazine, so he quit editing it
after 6 years.

On January 1, 1892 Steinitz, age 55,

defended his title against Chigorin again
and, again, played in Havana. Steinitz
won with 10 wins, 5 draws, and 8
losses. The event was held at the Centro
Asturiano Club. Chigorin blamed his
loss on the heat. Chigorin lost the last
game (game 23) by what was called the
blunder of the century, allowing mate
with the rooks on the 7th rank. The
match ended on February 28, 1892.

On May 27, 1892, Steinitz's first wife,

Caroline Golder (1846-1892), died in
New York of hepatitis. Steinitz himself
was crippled with gout. William and
Caroline had been together for 27 years.
She was buried in Montclair, New
Jersey.

In July, 1892, William Steinitz's only

brother died.

In November, 1892, an accidental

shooting occurred in Steinitz's house in
Upper Montclair, New Jersey. His
previous American secretary, Williams,
accidently shot his new German
secretary, Treital, in the house. Treital
lost an arm.

In 1893, Steinitz wrote on chess for the

New York Herald.

In 1893, Emanuel Lasker found

sponsors in Canada for a world
championship match challenge to
Steinitz. At the time, Steinitz publically
spoke of retiring, but changed his mind
when Lasker challenged him.

$3,000 prize money had been collected,

with $2,250 to the winner and $750 to
the loser. In the event of a defeat,
Steinitz was allowed the right to a return
match. The time control was 30 moves
in 2 hours, followed by 15 moves in 1
hour. The match would be played in
New York, and then to Philadelphia, and
end in Montreal.

In 1893, Steinitz married his second

wife, Elizabeth (1870- ?), and had two
children by her, William Steinitz, Junior
(1894- ?) and Juliet Steinitz (1898-?).

In March 15, 1894 William Steinitz,

aged 57, took on Emanuel Lasker (1868-
1941) of Germany, aged 25, in New
York. The 32-year age difference
between the combatants was the largest
in the history of world championship
play, and remains so today. (By
comparison, the recent Carlsen-Karjakin
world championship match age
difference of 8 months was the smallest
in history.)

The first game was played at the New

York Union Square Hotel. They used
the Fattorini & Sons chess clock (which
now sells for over $3,000 on eBay) to
time their moves. It was a cast metal and
chrome chess clock.
 Fattorini & Sons Chess Clock, c. 1880

Before they moved to Philadelphia,

Lasker was ahead 4 games to 2 games.
Lasker then won all 3 games in
Philadelphia before moving on to
Montreal.

Steinitz finally lost his title after

winning 5 games, drawing 4 games, and
losing 10 games.

On May 26, 1894 Emanual Lasker

became the second official world chess
champion. After the final game of the
match, Steinitz stood up and shouted:
"Three cheers for the new world
champion!"

Steinitz held the official title for 8 years

and the unofficial title for 28 years.
Steinitz was the oldest world champion
at 58 years, 10 days. Steinitz was
unbeaten in match play for 32 years,
from 1862 to 1894.

Steinitz did offer an excuse as to why he

lost the match. He said it was due to
insomnia.

In October, 1894 Steinitz was back

playing tournaments and won the New
York championship, winning 8, drawing
1, and losing 1 game.

In May 1895, Steinitz published volume

II of his Modern Chess Instructor.
Again, it was dedicated to chess patron
R. Steel of Calcutta.

In July 1895, Steinitz returned to

England for the first time in 12 years.
He then spent 22 months in Europe,
away from his second family.

In July-August 1895, he participated in

the Hastings International where he took
5th place (11 wins, 4 draws, 6 losses).
He won the first brilliancy prize for his
win against Curt von Bardeleben (1861-
1924).

Steinitz — von Bardeleben, Hastings,

Aug 5, 1895
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3
Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Nc3 d5
8. exd5 Nxd5 9. O-O Be6 10. Bg5 Be7
11. Bxd5 Bxd5 12. Nxd5 Qxd5 13.
Bxe7 Nxe7 14. Re1 f6 15. Qe2 Qd7 16.
Rac1 c6 17. d5 cxd5 (17—Kf8) 18. Nd4
Kf7 19. Ne6 Rhc8 20. Qg4 g6 21. Ng5+
Ke8 22. Rxe7+ Kf8 (22—Qxe7
23.Rxc8+ Rxc8 24.Qxc8+) 23. Rf7+
Kg8 24. Rg7+ Kh8 25. Rxh7+ {At this
point, von Bardeleben deliberately
forfeited the game by leaving the room,
so losing on time, as mate was
inevitable. As Steinitz demonstrated
immediately afterward, there is a mate
in ten moves which can only be averted
by ruinous loss of material; analysis
follows: ...Kh8 25. Rxh7+ Kg8 26.
Rg7+ Kh8 27. Qh4+ Kxg7 28. Qh7+
Kf8 29. Qh8+ Ke7 30. Qg7+ Ke8 31.
Qg8+ Ke7 32. Qf7+ Kd8 33. Qf8+ Qe8
34. Nf7+ Kd7 35. Qd6#} 1-0

In December, 1895, he participated in a

quadrangular match-tournament in Saint
Petersburg and took 2nd place, behind
Lasker. He won 7 games, drew 5 games,
and lost 6 games.

In 1895 Steinitz wrote The Modern

Chess Instructor, Part II.

In early 1896 Steinitz defeated Emanuel

Schiffers (1850-1904) of Russia in a
match, held in Rostov, winning 6
games, drawing 1, losing 4.

In July, 1896, he took 6th place at

Nuremberg (won by Lasker) with 10
wins, 2 draws, and 6 losses.

In August 1896, Steinitz stayed at

Worishofen, a spa near Munich. He
followed the Kneipp cure, which
prescribed cold baths, exercise and diets.
When Steinitz visited Moscow in the
middle of winter, he still insisted on
cold baths, which he did all his life.

From November 1896 to January 1897,

Steinitz played a return match with
Lasker in Moscow. Steinitz won only 2
games, drawing 5 games, and losing 10
games. This was the last world chess
championship for the next 11 years.

Shortly after the match, Steinitz had a

mental breakdown and was confined to
a Moscow Sanatorium (Korsakov
Clinic) for 40 days against his will. He
played chess with the inmates.

In February, 1897, the New York Times

prematurely reported Steinitz's death in
a New York mental asylum.

In May 1897, Steinitz sailed back to

New York on the Pennsylvania.

In 1897, Steinitz dedicated a pamphlet

to the memory of his first wife and their
daughter.

In August, 1897 Steinitz tied for first

place in the New York State
Championship. He then went on to
Vienna where he played 22 games
simultaneously blindfolded, winning 17
games. He was 61 years old. Soon after,
he developed heart trouble (mitral
stenosis) and had periods of irrationality
and delusions. Some sources say that
Steinitz contracted syphilis.

In May 1898, Steinitz returned to

Europe to play in two large tournaments
at the age of 62.

In May, 1898 Steinitz came in 4th place

in Vienna (won by Tarrasch) where
most of the world's best players were
competing.

In August, 1898 he took 5th at the 11th

German Chess Federation Congress in
Cologne, winning 8, drawing 3, and
losing 4 games.

In January 1899, William Steinitz

resigned as an honorary from the
Manhattan Chess Club after a quarrel
with Judge William Travers Jerome, one
of the members. Steinitz took exception
to the statement by Judge Jerome that
the Manhattan chess club was not a club
for professional players. (source: The
New York Times, Jan 15, 1899, p. 10)

His last tournament was London in

June, 1899. He took 11th place and it
was the first time he had not won any
prize money since 1859. For 40 years he
had been in the top places of every
tournament he had ever played. Steinitz
was now 63 and in very poor health.

In October 1899, upon returning to the

U.S. on the ocean liner "Oceanic,"
Steinitz was making claims that he
could move chess pieces at will by
emitting electric currents, that he could
place a silver box to his ear and talk
with friends overseas, and that he was
trying to contact God, offering odds of a
pawn-and-move in a match.

In 1900 his wife committed him to the

insane asylum at Ward's Island, New
York.

Hans Kmoch claimed that Steinitz

contracted syphilis, which was the cause
of his mental breakdowns he suffered in
his last years.

During his stay at the hospital, Steinitz's

second family used their last savings to
buy a candy store on West 26th Street in
Manhattan.

In January 1900, Steinitz published a

pamphlet called "Capital, Labor and
Charity." Steinitz discusses anti-
Semitism, ESP, and the writings of Josef
Popper. He wrote about the poor state of
laborers and suggested voluntary
taxation to help the poor.

In February 1900, the Manhattan Chess

Club pledged $300 to the second wife
(Elizabeth) and two children (a boy of 5
and a girl of 18 months) of William
Steinitz, who was confined to the
hospital for the insane on Ward's Island.
The Steinitz family was left in destitute
condition. (source: The New York
Times, Feb 16, 1900, p. 9)

On August 12, 1900 William Steinitz,

former world champion for 28 years,
died of a heart attack in the Manhattan
State Hospital at Ward's Island, New
York.

In September he was buried in a

pauper's grave. The German Press Club,
which Steinitz was a member, made the
final funeral arrangements. His grave
stone is written in German.

Steinitz is buried at the Bethal Slope in

the Cemetery of the Evergreens in
Brooklyn, New York (grave number
5893).

There is a memorial plaque with a relief

portrait of Wilhelm Steinitz located on
the side wall of the Faculty of Fine Arts
of Charles University in Prague. The
plaque was dedicated by the president of
the Czech Republic, Vaclav Klaus on
June 30, 2004.

Nearby, on the border of Jewish Ghetto

and Old Town in a blind alley
Goldrichova, stand's Steinitz's native
home.

His lifetime Elo rating has been

calculated at 2650.

William Steinitz won 43, drew 29, and

lost 43 world championship games, for a
total of 57.5 points in 115 games. He
was the official world champion for 8
years, despite winning every match of
the best players in the world for 28
years. He played in 6 official world
championship matches and died
penniless. He played over 400 match
and tournament games in his lifetime
and won over 64 percent of his games.

Steinitz played Chigorin 59 times,

winning 27, drawing 8, and losing 24.
Against Lasker, he won 8, drew 12, and
lost 26. Against Blackburne, he won 25,
drew 7, and lost 8. Against Zukertort, he
won 19, drew 11, and lost 9. Against
Anderssen, he won 10, no draws, and 9
losses.

In September 1901, Charles Devide,

chief editor of "The New York Evening
Post," wrote "A Memorial to William
Steinitz." It contained a selection of his
games chronologically arranged with an
analysis of play.

One of Steinitz's maxims was: "A chess

master has no more right to be ill than a
general on the battlefield."

Tournaments:

1859 Vienna Championship — 3rd

1860 Vienna Championship — 2nd
1861 Vienna Championship — 1st
1862 London International — 6th
1862 London Championship — 1st
1865 Dublin — 1st-2nd
1866 London Handicap — 1st
1867 Dundee Handicap — 1st-2nd
1867 Dundee — 1st
1867 Paris — 2nd-3rd
1870 Baden-Baden — 2nd
1872 London — 1st
1873 Vienna — 1st-2nd
1882 Vienna — 1st-2nd
1883 London — 2nd
1894 New York Championship — 1st
1895 Hastings — 5th
1896 Saint Petersburg — 2nd
1896 Nuremberg — 6th
1897 New York — 1st-2nd
1898 Vienna — 4th
1898 Cologne — 5th
1899 London — 10th-11th

Major Matches:

Steinitz—Lange, Vienna 1860 — won

(+3=0-0)
Steinitz-Anderssen, London 1862 —
lost (+1=0-2)
Steinitz-Blackburne, London 1862-63
— won (+7=2-1)
Steinitz-Anderssen, London 1866 —
won (+8=0-6)
Steinitz-Bird, London 1866 — won
(+7=5-5)
Steinitz-Blackburne, London 1870 —
won (+5=1-0)
Steinitz-Zukertort, London 1872 — won
(+7=4-1)
Steinitz-Blackburne, London 1876 —
won (+7=0-0)
Steinitz-Mackenzie, New York 1883 —
won (+3=2-1)
Steinitz-Zukertort, New York, St Louis,
New Orleans 1886 — won (+10=5-5)
Steinitz-Chigorin, Havana 1889 — won
(+10=1-6)
Steinitz-Gunsberg, New York 1890-91
— won (+6=9-4)
Steinitz-Chigorin, Havana 1892 — won
(+10=5-8)
Steinitz-Lasker, NY, Philadelphia,
Montreal 1894 — lost (+5=4-10)
Steinitz-Schiffers, Rostov-on-Don 1896
— won (+6=1-4)
Steinitz-Lasker, Moscow 1896-97 —
lost (+2=5-10)

Sources:

Bachmann, Schachmeister Steinitz

Chessgames.com, The Games of
Wilhelm Steinitz
Cunningham, The Games of the
Steinitz-Lasker Championship
Devide, A Memorial to William Steinitz
Devide and Hooper, William Steinitz:
Selected Chess Games
Euwe, From Steinitz to Fischer
Gunsberg and Hoffer, Steiniz-Lasker
Championship Match
Harding, Eminent Victorian Chesss
Players: Ten Biographies (chapter on
Steinitz)
Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Vol 1
(Wilhelm the First)
Landsberger, The Steinitz Papers
Landsberger, William Steinitz, Chess
Champion
Levidov, Steinitz-Lasker
Moran, Steinitz to Alekhine
Morgan, The Games of Steinitz and
Tchigorin
Neishtadt, Chess of Steinitz
Neishtadt, First Champion of the World
— Steinitz
Pickard, The Games of Wilhelm Steinitz
— First World Chess Champion
Pratt, Alfred, People of the Period
Pritchett, Steinitz Move by Move
Steinitz, Chess match Between Steinitz
and Blackburne, 1876
Steinitz, International Chess Magazine
Steinitz, Selected Games
Steinitz, The Book of the 6th American
 Chess Congress, 1889
Steinitz, The Modern Chess Instructor,
Part I
Steinitz, The Modern Chess Instructor,
Part II

Return to Main Page

Please report broken or duplicate links

to the Webmaster.

Official Website
Copyright 2016 by William D. Wall
All Rights Reserved