Search results
William Steinitz (born Wilhelm Steinitz; May 14, 1836 – August 12, 1900) was a Bohemian-Austrian and, later, American chess player. From 1886 to 1894, he was the first World Chess Champion. He was also a highly influential writer and chess theoretician.
- Style
- Early Days to Chess Professional
- Rise to Prominence
- Top Player in The World
- First Official World Champion
- Life After The World Championship
- Legacy
- GeneratedCaptionsTabForHeroSec
When Steinitz entered the chess scene in the 1850s, aggressive play was all the rage. He played in this romantic fashion full of gambits and sacrifices at first, but he later changed the landscape of chess forever when he revealed a new positional style of play. He defended his new positional ideas furiously, and they were eventually accepted by ma...
Steinitz learned to play chess at the age of 12, but did not take the game seriously until he was in his twenties. In 1859, Steinitz placed 3rd in the Vienna city championships. In 1861, he placed first in the same tournament, with a score of 30/31 points. Here is a brilliant attacking game by Steinitz from this time period - after sacrifices galor...
Steinitz continued his match success in 1862-1863 by defeating Blackburne, a top English master. In 1863, he also defeated the English masters Deacon and Mongredien in matches. In 1864, Steinitz defeated another English master, Valentine Green. These match victories led to Steinitz being recognized as one of the top players in the world. In 1866, S...
In 1866, Steinitz defeated Bird in a match. He would not play another serious match until 1872, when he would face Johannes Zukertort- who was coming off of a convincing match victory against Anderssen in 1871, and would be Steinitz' eventual challenger for the first official world championship 14 years later. Steinitz defeated Zukertort in the 187...
The Steinitz - Zukertort match of 1886 would be the first to decide an official world champion. The format for this match would be the first to ten wins. Steinitz had a terrible start to the match, and after five games Zukertort led by a score of 4-1. Then the match had a complete reversal, as Steinitz mounted a comeback for the ages. The final sco...
Steinitz continued playing after the loss to Lasker. He won the 1894 tournament in New York, and won the brilliancy prize in 1895 in Hastings (this famous game can be found below, under the "Best Game" section). In the 1895 St. Petersburg tournament he finished in second place behind Lasker, but ahead of Chigorin and Pillsbury. From late 1896 to ea...
Steinitz' legacy is enormous. His 32 years of undefeated match play is staggering. It is difficult to compare this achievement to anything current, as matches are much less rare nowadays when compared to tournaments. Steinitz' historic 25 game winning streak from 1873-1882 is another mind-bending accomplishment. Most people don't believe that it is...
Learn about the life and achievements of Wilhelm Steinitz, the Austrian master who introduced positional chess and became the first official world champion in 1886. Explore his matches, tournaments, games, and legacy on Chess.com.
May 10, 2024 · Wilhelm Steinitz was an Austrian-American chess master who is considered to have been the world champion longer than any other player, winning the championship in 1866 from Adolf Anderssen (although the first official claim to hold the title was not made until 1886) and losing it in 1894 to Emanuel.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Learn about the life and achievements of Wilhelm Steinitz, the pioneer of modern chess and the first ever World Champion in 1886. Discover how he revolutionized chess with his theoretical teachings and defeated the legendary Adolf Anderssen.
Aug 26, 2009 · Learn about the life and achievements of Wilhelm Steinitz, the first undisputed world chess champion and the founder of modern chess technique. Explore his early combinations, his revolutionary principles and his legacy in chess history.
- Julio Becerra
Jul 8, 2007 · Learn about the life and achievements of Wilhelm Steinitz, the first official World Chess Champion. Find out how he became a chess professional, defeated Anderssen, Zukertort, and other top players, and influenced the modern game.
People also ask
Who was Wilhelm Steinitz?
Was William Steinitz a chess player?
How old was William Steinitz?
How did William Steinitz die?
Why was Steinitz a champion?
How many world championship games did William Steinitz win?
Learn about the life and achievements of Wilhelm Steinitz, the first undisputed World Chess Champion from 1886 to 1894. Find news articles, games, and links related to Steinitz and his rivals.
