Wilhelm Steinitz

Born on 17 May 1836 in Prague, into a poor Jewish family; he was the ninth of thirteen children.

His father, Josef Salamon Steinitz, was a tailor, and the family lived in modest circumstances in the Prague ghetto.

As a child, he was already regarded as one of the best chess players in Prague, showing an early aptitude for the game.

In 1858, Steinitz moved to Vienna to study Mathematics at the Polytechnisches Institut (Vienna University of Technology).

He worked as a journalist to finance his studies, a combination of intellectual pursuits that would later shape his scientific approach to chess.

First official World Chess Champion, holding the title from 1886 to 1894 after defeating Johannes Zukertort.

Moved to London in 1862, determined to conquer the chess world; over the next 20 years he became its strongest and most innovative player.

Later emigrated to the United States, becoming an Austrian-American player. He developed the "Steinitzian" school of positional chess, emphasizing accumulated small advantages over romantic sacrificial play.

His famous 1894 loss to Emanuel Lasker ended his reign. Upon conceding, he reportedly said: "I have been defeated by a greater player than myself" — a moment of noble sportsmanship.

Steinitz was known for his fierce debating style in chess journalism, often engaging in bitter theoretical disputes with rivals like Mikhail Chigorin.

He applied "scientific principles" to chess, treating the game as a subject for systematic study rather than pure art.

Despite his combative public persona, he was deeply respected for his contributions to chess theory.

(Attributed) "Chess is not for the faint-hearted; it is a fight."

The Modern Chess Instructor (1889) — his magnum opus, one of the first great chess books.

The Games of Wilhelm Steinitz (collected games, 1022 games annotated by Steinitz himself).