Books:
Akiba Rubinstein and D. Winkleman, Chess Masterpieces (Dover Publications Inc., 1960)
John Donaldson and Nikolay Minev, Akiba Rubinstein: Uncrowned King (International Chess Enterprises, 1994)
Irving Chernev, Twelve Great Chess Players and Their Best Games (Dover, 1995)
Shaun Taulbut, Akiba Rubinstein (Batsford, 1998)
Heinz Wenz, Akiba Rubinstein (Beyer, 2002)
Emanuel Lasker (b. 1868, Berlinchen, Prussia; d. 1941 New York, NY, USA)
Mathematician, philosopher, chess grandmaster and international bridge player. He became World Chess Champion in 1894 and held the title for almost twenty-eight years.
More on Emanuel Lasker Books:
Emanuel Lasker, Common Sense in Chess (Dover Publications Inc., 1965)
Emanuel Lasker, Lasker's Manual of Chess (Dover Publications Inc., 2003)
J. Hannak, Emanuel Lasker: The Life of a Chess Master (1952)
J. Hannak, Emanuel Lasker: Chess Colossus (Hardinge Simpole Publishing, 2004)
Wilhelm Steinitz
(b. 1836, Prague, Austrian Empire; d. 1900, New York, NY, USA)
Defeated Johannes Zukertort to become the first official World Chess Champion in 1886. He introduced a more scientific approach to the game and became known as "The Father of Modern Chess".
More on Wilhelm Steinitz
Books:
Wilhelm Steinitz and Sid B. Pickard, The Games of Wilhelm Steinitz (Pickard and Son Publishers, 1995)
R. Graham Thimann, Wilhelm Steinitz (Chess Player, 1968)
Carl Schlechter
(b. 1874, Vienna, Austria; d. 1918, Budapest, Hungary)
A leading master in the early 19th century and three times German champion. He was the first player in sixteen years to seriously challenge Emanuel Lasker for the world championship when he draw a title match with him in 1910. (Under the rules, Lasker retained his crown.) He died of pneumonia and starvation.
The Chess Games of Carl Schlechter
Books:
Warren Goldman, Carl Schlechter!: Life & Times of the Austrian Chess Wizard (Greatmasters Series) (Caissa Editions, 1994)
Tom Crain, Schlechter's Chess Games (Caissa Editions,1998)
Mikhail (Moiseyevich) Botvinnik
(b. 1911, Kuokkala, Finland; d. 1995, Moscow, USSR)
A serious and dedicated Soviet chess player and teacher who was USSR Champion a record seven times and World Champion on three occasions. After winning his first world championship in 1948 he neglected chess in order to qualify as doctor of technology, but managed to hold on to his title until defeated by Smyslov in 1957. He regained the title twice (against Smyslov in 1958 and Tal in 1961) but his reign ended in 1963 when he lost to Petrosyan.
More on Mikhail Botvinnik
Books:
Mikhail Botvinnik, Botvinnik: 100 Selected Games ( Dover Publications, 1960)
Mikhail M. Botvinnik, Achieving the Aim (Pergamon, 1981)
Judit Polgár
(b. 1976, Budapest, Hungary)
The youngest of three sisters schooled by their father to be chess prodigies. She was the youngest international grandmaster at the age of 15 years and 4 months (beating Bobby Fischer's record) and became the highest rated female player ever. She has ranked among the top 10 players in the world.
Judit Polgar Fan Club
Books:
Susan Polgar and Paul Truong, Breaking Through: How the Polgar Sisters Changed the Game of Chess (Everyman Chess, 2005)
Tibor Karolyi, Judit Polgar: The Princess of Chess (Batsford, 2004)
David (Ionovich) Bronstein
(b. 1924, Belaya Tserkov, Ukraine; d. 2006, Minsk, Belarus)
Russian grandmaster and world championship challenger in 1951, renowned for his creative genius and tactical mastery. He was joint USSR Champion in 1948 and 1949. He had many victories in major tournaments in a long chess career and wrote many books and articles on the game.
David Bronstein Obituary
Books:
Tom Furstenberg and David Bronstein, Sorcerer's Apprentice (Cadogan Chess Books) (Everyman Chess, 1995)
David Bronstein, Zurich International Chess Tournament, 1953 (Dover Publications, 1979)
David Bronstein and Sergey Voronkov, David Againist Goliath (Trafalgar Square Books, 2005)
David Bronstein and Sergey Voronkov, David Against Goliath Volume 2: Secret Notes (Edition Olms AG, 2006)
Rueben Fine
(b. 1914, New York, NY, USA; d. 1993, New York, NY, USA)
American grandmaster and one of the top players of his era. He tied for first place (with Russian champion Paul Keres) at the famous AVRO tournament of 1938. After completing his doctorate in 1941, he gave up professional chess to concentrate on his career in psychology.
Reuben Fine Obituary
Books:
Reuben Fine, Basic Chess Endings (1941, McKay; revised in 2003 by Pal Benko)
Reuben Fine, The Ideas Behind the Chess Openings (1943; revised in 1989, McKay)
Reuben Fine, The World's Great Chess Games (Dover, 1983)
Reuben Fine, Psychology of the Chess Player (Dover Publications Inc., 1956)
Aidan Woodger, Reuben Fine: A Comprehensive Record of an American Chess Career, 1929-1951
Mikhail (Nekhemievich) Tal
(b. 1936, Riga, Latvia; d. 1992, Moscow, USSR)
Defeated Mikhail Botvinnik to become, at age 24, the youngest World Champion up to that time. Known as "The Magician of Riga" because of his imaginative, tactical and attacking style of play, he had much success in tournament play despite suffering ill health through most of his career.
The Great Mikhail Tal
Books:
Mikhail Tal, The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal (Chess Games Collection) (Everyman Chess, 1997)
Joe Gallagher, The Magic of Mikhail Tal (Everyman Chess, 2001)
Alex Raetsky and Maxim Chetverik, Mikhail Tal: Tactical Genius (Everyman Chess, 2004)
Aaron Nimzowitsch
(b. 1886, Riga, Latvia; d. 1935, Copenhagen, Denmark)
One of the strongest players of the 1920s and early 1930s and an influential chess theorists and writer. Fleeing Jewish opression in Russia, in 1904 he travelled to Berlin where he took up studies in philosophy but soon became a professional chess player. During the First World War he moved to Switzerland and finally in 1924 settled in Denmark. He is known as "The father of Hypermodern Chess Theory".
More on Aaron Nimzovich
Books:
Aaron Nimzovich, My System (Three Rivers Press, 1979)
Aaron Nimzovich, Chess Praxis, (Dover Publications, 1962)
Aaron Nimzovich, Jim Marfia (Translator), Carlsbad International Chess Tournament 1929 Dover Publications, 2004)
Aaron Nimzovich, Hypermodern Chess (Dover Publications, 1958)
This page was last modified on 19 April 2008