Jacques Hannak

Emanuel Lasker: Chess Colossus Jacques Hannak

Emanuel Lasker held the World Chess Championship for a record period from 1894-1921. During this time he dominated his contemporaries in elite events such as St Petersburg 1896, London 1899, Paris 1900 and St Petersburg again in 1914. He won numerous matches against such greats as Steinitz, Marshall, Janowski and Tarrasch, as well as defending his title in a drawn match against Schlechter. This account of Lasker's life and games reads like a novel - how as a young man he fought his way to the world title while still in his twenties, how he survived the First World War and the later Nazi persecution of Jews in Germany, and how Lasker emerged at over 60 years of age to once again carve out a career for himself amongst the hungry young lions of world chess.