July 19 1899
The Beatrice Daily Express Beatrice, Nebraska Wednesday, July 19, 1899
New Chess King — Emanuel Lasker, Winner of First Prize In London Chess Congress.
Emanuel Lasker, who at 25 years of age wrested the championship of the world from William Steinitz, who had held it for a quarter of a century, has again demonstrated his wonderful ability as a chess player by defeating 17 of the world's greatest players, including Pillsbury, Steinitz, Janowski, Tschigorin, Blackburne, Showalter and Maroczy in the recent international chess tournament in London. He scored 21 wins, thus taking the first prize.
Emanuel Lasker was born in Berlinchen, Prussia, Dec. 24, 1868. He learned chess at 12 years of age, and at 15 entered upon a serious study of the game, making the Berlin Chess club his school. In 1889 he gained his degree of chess master by winning the miner tournament of the German Chess association, and from that time his rise has been steady. He won second prize at Amsterdam in 1889; first at London. 1891; first in the second London tournament, 1891; first in the Impromptu tournament New York, 1893; third at Hastings, 1895; first at St Petersburg, 1895; first at Nuremberg, 1896. In match play, he has defeated all opponents decisively, reaching the top by winning the championship from Steinitz in 1894 in a match played in New York, Philadelphia and Montreal. Steinitz had been the champion with an unbeaten record for 28 years.
Lasker retired from chess two years ago to finish his education at Heidelberg, his chosen profession being mathematics, and it was thought that he would not be in form for the recent tournament, but the excellent score of 21 wins, 1 loss and 6 draws shows that he is still the leader. —New York Herald.
