On the chessboard lies and hypocrisy do not survive long. The creative combination lays bare the presumption of a lie; the merciless fact, culmination in checkmate, contradicts the hypocrite.
--- Emanuel Lasker
This is a collection split. The Fischer games will be deleted as space is needed.
Emanuel Lasker, Bobby Fischer: Tremendous world champions. Perhaps no other world champions have made a LASTING IMPACT on the chess world like these two have.
I'd have to say that the strategic principles outlined by the first official world champion Wilhelm Steinitz would land him quite high on such a list having made a LASTING IMPACT. Garry Kasparov certainly leaps upward with his "My Great Predecessors" book series and mixed results against computers. Lasker would surely include Jose Capablanca, who had a brilliant but much shorter career and had to come out of retirement for financial reasons -- times were tough in the 1930s! Kasparov was heavily influenced by Alexander Alekhine. The evils of alcohol burden A.A. When sober, he could really tear it up.
Listen closely at an American chess tournament, and the GM name you'll hear casually mentioned the most is easily Bobby Fischer. Perhaps "The Wizard of Riga" GM Mikhail Tal is close by in popularity. The pulverizing American champion Paul Morphy was not considered an official world champion, but no one was his equal world-wide. What chess player has not admired Paul Morphy's games, including Fischer himself?
Fischer said Lasker was a coffee house player. He was mostly wrong. (Many disagree with Fischer's various opinions on many matters inside and outside of chess.) Both Fischer and Lasker were skilled, all-around players, great fighters. Lasker would play complicated moves, perhaps less than best but perplexing to the opponent, which Fischer disapproved of (having the benefit of several years of heavy analysis from the chess world).
The one obvious area where Lasker clocked Fischer (and the entire chess world) was longevity. Not only was Lasker world champion for 27 years, he played at a very high level for many years later. Lasker went unbeaten and finished a half-point out of first (Flohr, Botvinnik) in the grueling nineteen-round 1935 Moscow tournament at the age of 66, ahead of Capablanca and Alekhine. Perhaps only Vice-Champion Korchnoi's career can compare for sustained excellence over a lifetime without waning due to age or alcoholism; both were smokers! It is fair to say that Lasker would be a GIANT in any era of play because of his ability to produce in difficult positions.
A few of distant cousin Edward Lasker's games are here. Edward Lasker wrote a very instructive chess book called Modern Chess Strategy that influenced many future masters. (Lasker's Chess Manual was written by Emanuel Lasker and is also considered a classic for future masters.)
A special tip o' the hat to chess historian Edward Winter. The entire chess world owes Mr. Winter a huge debt of gratitude for his steadfast historical research of our fascinating game and it's many stories. He is a great champion of the game too!
* Secret Weapon: Game Collection: Lasker's Secret Weapon
* 1908 WC Match: Game Collection: Lasker vs Tarrasch WCM 1908
* Link to Frank Marshall - Edward Lasker 1923 Match:
Game Collection: Marshall -- Ed. Lasker 1923 match
Kibitzing
